Ge Gen ( pronounced "guh-gun" ), or Radix Puerariae, aka Kudzu root, has been used in TCM for millennia.
Here are the main, known DRUG INTERACTIONS from my favorite reference website for Chinese herbs and traditional herb combinations:
*Use with caution in conjunction with antidiabetics such as insulin, tolbutamide (Orinase), glipizide (Glucotrol) and glyburide (DiaBeta/Micronase) as there may be a synergistic effect.
*Use with caution in conjunction with anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) and exoparin (Lovenox) and antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine) and clopidogrel (Plavix) as there may be a synergistic effect.
At our new little herbal medicine shop, we have it in my favorite TCM formulas for flu virus symptoms, especially achy neck & shoulder area, fever and that general feeling of crappiness you feel when you have a full-on influenza viral load going on.
Here are some other technical specs for you pastanostra:
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
*Use caution for those with excessive sweating with coldness in the Stomach.
*Use caution during the summer when Excess perspiration accompanies Wind-Heat.
Actions Indications/Syndromes
Discharges Exterior conditions and
releases the muscles,
especially of the neck and upper back
Wind-Heat or Wind-Cold lodged in the
muscles of the upper back and neck
Relieves Heat and generates fluids
(relieves thirst)
Thirst due to Stomach Heat or Wind-Heat
or Wasting and Thirsting
Vents and discharges measles
Measles with incomplete expression
of the rash
Raises Spleen Yang and stops diarrhea
Diarrhea or dysentery due to Heat
Diarrhea due to Spleen Deficiency
Alleviates symptoms of hypertension
Hypertension symptoms such as headache,
dizziness, tinnitus or paresthesia
(with appropriate herbs)
PROPERTIES:
Taste: Sweet, Acrid
Temperature: Cool
Entering Meridians: Spleen, Stomach
Dosage: 4-21g, Maximum Dose: 60g, Tincture: 2-4 ml
