Study Says Kudzu Extract Might Reduce Alcohol Craving : NPR

According to traditional Chinese medicine, this plant has cooling properties that balance the heat and false energy created by alcohol. 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. Kudzu doesn’t seem to alter the urge to drink, but rather how quickly you top yourself up. A recent study carried out in a lab of healthy male and female volunteers found that after taking a particular extract of the kudzu plant, called puerarin, people drank more slowly, taking more time between sips.

• 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.
• Kudzu root is rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from oxidative stress that can lead to disease.
• During the baseline session, the placebo-randomized group consumed 2.7 ± 0.78 beers before treatment and increased consumption to 3.4 ± 1.1 beers after treatment.
• And, it does come with a list of possible side effects, Beckerman says, including itchiness, upset stomach, dizziness, nausea, headache, fever, and even the possibility of red blood cells breaking inside blood vessels.
• The rates of alcohol drinking during follow-up phase were also reduced compared to baseline in both the kudzu- and placebo-treated groups.

Effect of provision of non-alcoholic beverages on alcohol consumption: a randomized controlled study

Studies using both animal and human models have demonstrated that this type of technology can increase nutrient absorption from 50–400% [52–54]. Role of Funding Source Funding for this study was provided by NIAAA grant R01-AA10536 to Dr. Lukas and NCCAM grant P01-AT to Dr. Lee. The NIAAA and NCCAM had no further role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. Small studies in people have observed noteworthy improvements in these menopausal symptoms, among others, like vaginal dryness (9, 10). Kudzu root is rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from oxidative stress that can lead to disease.

• Medication adherence was excellent and there were no adverse events and changes in vital signs, blood chemistry, and renal or liver function.
• Thus daidzin can suppress ethanol intake of this species without blocking acetaldehyde metabolism.
• More recently, kudzu root has made its way to Western countries as an herbal supplement.
• In the second, participants who were treated for 4 weeks with kudzu extract significantly reduced their alcohol consumption during weeks 2 through 4 of the study (Lukas et al., 2013).
• Most importantly extracts of Tangerine Peel have been shown to enhance learning and memory.

2 Behavioral and Subjective Effects

In addition, this was not a treatment clinical trial, so the effects on alcohol intake might have been more robust in treatment-seeking individuals. Other limitations of the present study are the use of a rather narrow aged male population who drink only at moderate levels. Our laboratory has been involved in assessing an extract of the kudzu root (Pueraria lobata) for its ability to reduce alcohol consumption in humans.

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

Although the number of sips taken per beer did not significantly increase in this study – contrary to what was found in our previous study (Lukas et al., 2005) – we did observe an increase in the time taken to consume a beer which is consistent with our previous study. 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 kudzu to stop drinking effects (e.g., clumsy, dizzy). When given equal amounts of alcohol, kudzu- and placebo-treated individuals respond similarly (Penetar et al., 2011). Taken together, the data in this study demonstrate that in moderate drinkers, kudzu root extract treatment has no effect on any of the measured parameters of sleep quality or quantity. Sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and waking after sleep onset were all similar during placebo and kudzu root extract treatment periods (Fig. 1).

Several studies on kudzu have shown that the root helps to reduce alcohol or nicotine intake. This is because the three main isoflavones present in kudzu extracts – daidzin, daidzein and puerarin – are responsible for the beneficial effects of reducing alcohol and nicotine consumption 2. Extracts of the kudzu plant are best known for their ability to suppress alcohol intake or alter alcohol effects by laboratory animals (Heyman et al., 1996; Keung and Vallee, 1993b; Keung, 2003; Overstreet et al., https://ecosoberhouse.com/ 1996; Rezvani et al., 2003; Benlhabib et al., 2004). The degree of reduction is often as high as 50% and the effects appeared within one to two days of treatment. Regardless of the actual mechanism of action, it is widely accepted that the isoflavones in kudzu are effective in reducing alcohol intake in a number of mammalian species. We previously demonstrated that short-term treatment with a standardized kudzu extract (NPI-031) reduced alcohol drinking by men and women in a natural setting.

6 Data Analysis

How much is too much alcohol?

• It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
• Of course, it is entirely possible that any of the above mechanisms may also develop with repeated administration and complement the immediate altered absorption effect that likely explains kudzu’s rapid onset of action.
• One theory for kudzu’s effectiveness is the high concentration of isoflavones it contains.

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