A single dose of kudzu extract reduces alcohol consumption in a binge drinking paradigm

Kudzu contains compounds that are believed to reduce alcohol cravings and help with withdrawal symptoms. Studies of kudzu in humans are limited and have mostly focused on whether it can reduce alcohol intake or menopausal symptoms. However, all of these studies enrolled small numbers of patients, and systematic reviews have determined that the evidence of benefit for any condition is unclear. According to Dr David Penetar, a psychologist from Harvard Medical School who helped run that trial, it probably works by increasing blood flow to the brain. If the kudzu extract helps alcohol get to your brain’s reward centre faster, then you will feel the effects sooner, which hopefully means you won’t drink as much.

Although a topical P. mirifica gel improved vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women, a conjugated estrogen cream was found to be more effective (26). A recent systematic review of P. mirifica regarding efficacy for menopausal symptoms is inconclusive (27). In addition, another systematic review determined that evidence on benefits for any condition with various species of kudzu are limited and unclear (28). Short-term effects on blood and liver tests occurred in a small study of postmenopausal women. Kudzu root is available in lots of forms including capsules, liquid extracts, and powder.

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For this reason, it’s difficult to make recommendations for various uses. People often eat different parts of the plant raw, sautéed, deep-fried, baked, or jellied. You may be wondering how people use kudzu root and what to know when considering whether to give it a try. Because of this effect, kudzu might also be helpful for people who have quit drinking and want to make sure that a potential slip doesn’t become a full blown relapse.

McLean Hospital has licensed the production of kudzu extract (NPI-031) to Natural Pharmacia International (NPI), Inc. and they are marketing it as Alkontrol-Herbal®. All other authors declare that they have no actual or potential conflict of interest that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, this work. McLean Hospital has licensed the production of kudzu extract (NPI-031) to Natural Pharmacie International (NPI), Inc. and they are marketing it as Alkontrol-Herbal®. The finding that alcohol intake was reduced without affecting desire to use alcohol at first seemed counter-intuitive. However, it is important to recognize that one of the major weaknesses of the measure that we used to record desire to drink alcohol was that it was unidimensional. It is quite likely that the desire to use alcohol in an outpatient setting cannot be captured with a single question; we also observed an absence of an effect on desire for alcohol in our previous study (Lukas et al., 2005).

May alleviate menopausal symptoms

In one small study of postmenopausal women, transient negative profiles including anemia and liver profiles (5). Other small studies reported no significant adverse effects (9) (19) (20) (21) (23). Other preliminary studies suggest kudzu may improve symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats in perimenopausal women (5) (10) (21), and cognitive function in postmenopausal women (6).

• While some studies have shown promising results, others have found no significant difference between kudzu and a placebo.
• Again, they didn’t know which pills they’d taken, and we closely monitored what they drank.
• Kudzu has been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol cravings and consumption in the short term.
• Kudzu root extract is now widely used in the United States as a natural remedy for alcoholism.
• A growing number of double-blind, peer reviewed studies have confirmed the effectiveness of using kudzu for alcoholism.

The scale was connected to a computer in an adjacent room that ran a customized program that sampled the scale at 5 Hz and detected any weight changes that exceeded 1 gm. Additional details and photos of the device https://ecosoberhouse.com/ can be found in Lukas et al. (2005). Kudzu extract was administered in gelatin capsules containing 500 mg of extract (Alkontrol-Herbal™; NPI-031) prepared by Natural Pharmacia International, Inc., Burlington, MA.

May reduce alcohol dependence

Finding useful information and resources about addiction or alcoholism can be a minefield. To increase the chance of a successful recovery and life of sobriety kudzu extract for alcoholism it is important to receive guidance from a reliable source. Kudzu root, leaf, and flowers have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for centuries.

• Compounds called isoflavones are thought to be responsible for its potential effects.
• There is some evidence that kudzu root dietary supplements may cause liver injury.
• The correlational analysis of absolute amount of alcohol consumed and breath alcohol levels in this study indicates that the physiological effects and the rate of elimination of ingested alcohol are not altered by kudzu administration.
• In 2012, I ordered some high quality organic kudzu capsules after reading about the potential for kudzu to curb alcohol consumption.
• This is because isoflavones can help dilate blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow.
• While scientists need to do more research on the health effects of kudzu, some studies suggest that kudzu root may have other health benefits worth considering.

Two hours before the first visit, we gave both sub-groups a pill – neither group knew whether they were getting the supplement or the placebo. When they visited the bar, beer, spirits and white wine were freely available. The amount of alcohol consumed was calculated for each group (1 unit per drink of beer or spirits, 1.6 units per glass of wine). For instance, it may reduce the effectiveness of birth control due to its estrogenic effects (8, 17). It’s important to note that this is a case study, so it can’t prove kudzu root caused this liver injury. Scientists need to do more research to investigate the potential of kudzu root to cause liver injury in humans.

When our volunteers partied after having had a placebo they drank an average of seven units per person. When, however, they had taken the kudzu beforehand, they drank an average of 5.5 units, which meant that overall they had drunk about 20% less. Then we allowed them access to the bar for 90 minutes, during which time they could have their fill of beer, wine or spirits.