Researchers Say Binge Drinkers Taking Kudzu Root Extract Drink Less

Keung, not directly involved in Lukas’ study, said he has extracted a compound from kudzu root that he hopes to turn into a drug for reducing alcoholics’ cravings. Currently, commonly prescribed anti-drinking drugs such as disulfiram , naltrexone , and acamprosate , cause several side effects. For example, drowsiness and headaches are common side effects of Antabuse. Studies of daidzin may lead to an anti-drinking drug for alcohol treatment that causes fewer side effects. Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of illness worldwide (Shield et al., 2013) and has a significant impact on the health of millions people. The impact of excessive alcohol kudzu alcohol addiction consumption results in increased healthcare costs, loss of productivity, alcohol-related crime , and motor vehicle accidents. Overconsumption of alcohol has significant negative effects on an individual’s health and contributes to an enormous economic impact on society as a whole. Pharmacotherapies to curb excessive drinking are important for treating alcohol use disorders. Early research suggests that taking puerarin, a chemical in kudzu, 750 mg daily by mouth along with the diabetes medication rosiglitazone reduces blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, injecting puerarin intravenously does not appear to reduce blood sugar.

It also cut the number of heavy drinking days and increased the number of days they didn’t drink at all. Kudzu may also help heavy drinkers cut the amount of alcohol they consume, even if they are not being treated for AUD. The alcohol-targeted acupuncture cut down on cravings and withdrawal symptoms better than the sham treatment. Some people also use it to treat the anxiety and depression that go along with alcohol addiction and withdrawal. Chai hu , one of the most frequently used herbs in Chinese herbal medicine, has positive benefits in cases of liver toxicity especially due to alcoholism , analgesic properties as well as sedative activity . Subjects cannot be actively seeking treatment for any drug or alcohol dependence. Current or past alcohol dependence; may meet criteria for alcohol abuse. “It is also possible that there is another, as yet undiscovered compound in the mixture that accounts for the effects. Thus, the mechanism of action of the kudzu extract remains unknown.” Lukas recruited 14 men and women in their 20s to spend four 90-minute sessions consuming beer and watching TV.

Researchers Say Binge Drinkers Taking Kudzu Root Extract Drink Less

Kudzu plant contains the isoflavones puerarin, daidzin, daidzein and genistein, considered to be the active elements. The study was not designed to answer the question of why kudzu plant works, and theories are still being formed within the Western medical community. The study found the treatment with the kudzu extract resulted in a significant reduction in the number of beers consumed. Kudzu treatment also resulted in the number of sips and length of time for consuming each beer, as well as a decrease in the volume of each sip. Individuals treated with kudzu extract drank less beer, and they drank more slowly. There were no reported side effects from treatment with the kudzu extract. This change in drinking topography was not secondary to alterations in the subjective effects of alcohol as kudzu-treated individuals still reported positive feelings (e.g., drunk, floating) without any change in the negative effects (e.g., clumsy, dizzy). The apparently lower magnitude of subjective effects compared to the placebo treated group is due most likely to the fact that the kudzu-treated individuals drank less alcohol during the session, which was reflected in significantly lower breath alcohol levels. When given equal amounts of alcohol, kudzu- and placebo-treated individuals respond similarly (Penetar et al., 2011).

Lukas was not certain why but speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol levels and speeds up its effects. Subjects using puerarin drank significantly less than subjects on the placebo pills . In an average session, subjects on puerarin drank 2.4 beers compared to the 3.5 beers consumed by those taking the placebo Sober Home pills. The Harvard team wanted to know how taking an extract of puerarin would affect binge drinking patterns, and to find out, they developed a study modeled around afternoon binge drinking sessions. “And three, we found that our ALDH-2 inhibitor suppresses drinking in a variety of rodent drinking models.”

Meditation and Mindfulness

Various herbs and combinations of herbs are reported to be effective in reducing cravings, but in general, no studies have proven their effectiveness. Various herbs and combinations of herbs are reported to be effective in reducing cravings, but in general, no studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness. On average, the men and women drank 3.5 beers after placebo and 2.4 after puerarin. In Chinese pharmacy books, kudzu is listed as a possible treatment for alcohol-related hangovers and cravings, Penetar tells WebMD.

• In tests, it was found that the bitter taste from Gentian can still be perceived even when diluted down to 1 part in 12,000 .
• Early research focused on rats with good results, which were later replicated with human subjects.
• “Alcoholism is a medical disorder, not just a problem of will power,” he said.
• “We are talking about a patient who has the motivation to undergo a very unpleasant detoxification to try to stop drinking, and then gets into trouble afterward,” he said.

“Drs. Wing Ming Keung and Bert Vallee at Harvard were the first to confirm kudzu’s effects and isolate daidzin as the most potent of the isoflavones in kudzu,” added Diamond. In this recent study, the researchers gave twelve participants different schedules of placebo or kudzu pills, and then observed the effects of drinking a set amount of vodka. They tested steadiness of gait, body sway, how well participants could stand upright, and how drunk they said they felt, among other factors. The researchers found that these types of responses were not intensified if participants kudzu alcohol addiction had taken kudzu, suggesting that the drug does not work by increasing the intensity or duration of alcohol’s effects. The kudzu vine, imported from Japan in 1876, has been written about in Chinese medical literature for centuries for its general health benefits. But recently, it has been tested for its ability to reduce alcohol cravings. For over 2,000 years, people have used kudzu root in traditional Chinese medicine for purposes like treating fevers, diarrhea, and even diabetes and heart disease . The use of kudzu for alcoholism originated in China around 600 A.D.

It’s important to note that these studies used kudzu extract, which may have contained other parts of the kudzu plant besides the root. Thus, scientists need to do more research in this area on the effects of kudzu root specifically. Furthermore, the men who took kudzu had fewer heavy drinking days per week and had significantly more consecutive days with no alcohol consumption . It may seem counterintuitive that kudzu plant can work both as a hangover cure and to curb the desire to drink, but the same elements that help ease the physical consequences may push the body to feel alcohol’s effects sooner. Original theories suggested that daidzin and daidzein inhibited enzymes that are essential to metabolizing alcohol, but current data, according to Lin and Li, has prompted the theory that components of kudzu plant may work within the central nervous system.