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Pueraria (Pueraria lobata), also called Kudzu or Ge-gen or Kuzu, is a coarse, high-climbing, twining, trailing, perennial vine. The huge root, which can grow to the size of a human body, is the source of medicinal preparations used in traditional Chinese medicine and modern herbal products. Pueraria grows in most shaded areas in mountains, fields, along roadsides, thickets, and thin forests, throughout most of China. The first written mention of the plant as a medicine is in the ancient herbal text of Shen Nong (circa A.D.100). Pueraria root is used by traditional Chinese physicians to dispel "pathogenic factors" from the superficial muscles, to reduce "heat", to reinforce yang, to promote "eruption" (inadequate measles eruptions in children), to promote salivation, to relieve thirst (the thirst for alcohol) and to relieve stiff neck with pain due to high blood pressure. It is also recommended for allergies, migraine headaches, and diarrhea.