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 (2).
Are there natural alternatives to HRT?
If you experience any adverse reactions while using kudzu, consult your healthcare provider promptly. He worked for many years in mental health and substance abuse facilities in Florida, as well as in home health (medical and psychiatric), and took care of people with medical and addictions problems at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He has a nursing and business/technology degrees from The Johns Hopkins University.
- Chronic alcohol use disorder or occasional binge drinking can cause a wide range of health problems, such as hangover, liver damage and cancer.
- Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) outside the range of 18–25 kg/m2 were also excluded.
- If you’re not sure whether kudzu root is right for you, talk with your doctor.
- The root of the Kudzu plant has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including alcoholism.
Cardiovascular effects
In addition, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-intervention-how-to-do-an-intervention-for-an-alcoholic/ administration of Hovenia dulcis extract increased ADH activity in alcohol-ingesting mice and stimulated alcohol metabolism 64. Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a flavonoid separated from Hovenia dulcis, was identified to interact with γ-aminobutyric acid receptors and block alcohol intoxication and withdrawal signs in rats such as tolerance, increased anxiety, and seizure susceptibility. DHM could remarkably reduce alcohol digestion in a voluntary alcohol intake paradigm in rats.
PLANT DISEASES CAUSED BY PARASITIC HIGHER PLANTS, INVASIVE CLIMBING PLANTS, AND PARASITIC GREEN ALGAE
Several plant-derived compounds have been shown to significantly reduce alcohol intake, alcohol craving and withdrawal syndrome. The development of efficient medicines from natural products also exhibits expansive market prospects 34. We developed a standardized kudzu extract that preserved the ratio of the major isoflavones found in the raw root, except that the concentration of isoflavones was increased to 25%. Extracts from the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza could reduce alcohol intake in sP rats. Intragastric administration of 200 mg/kg extract reduced alcohol intake by 40% and preference throughout a 4 day treatment of a 2-bottle free-choice regimen.
They also demonstrated that cellular toxicity induced by alcohol was relieved after treatment with the extracts of Asparagus officinalis leave and shoots. Additionally, the activities of two key enzymes that metabolize alcohol, ADH and ALDH, increased after treatment of leaf and shoot extracts 82. As a result, Asparagus officinalis might be used as a natural product to prevent and treat hangover through increasing alcohol metabolism by upregulating the activities of ADH and ALDH. Excessive alcohol consumption caused alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD).
In fact, we reported that kudzu extract did just that and interrupted binge drinking (Lukas et al., 2005). This profile differs somewhat from that of kudzu extract and may represent a novel herbal compound that may be a therapeutic candidate. Meanwhile, the roots of Pueraria lobata showed inhibitory activity against mitochondrial ALDH2, and could increase the concentration of acetaldehyde in blood. Therefore, it kudzu extract for alcoholism could be used as an aversion therapy for alcohol use disorder 40. The extract of Kudzu is a safe and effective product for alcohol use disorder.
- In addition, participants reported pill taking by checking time-of-day boxes on daily diaries and by entries on the wrist actigraphy watches.
- The kudzu plant is a vine that resembles poison ivy and is native to several Asian countries.
- If you take birth control pills along with kudzu, use an additional form of birth control such as a condom.
- The possible mechanism was mediated by the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the ventral tegmental area 133.
- Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
- Hypericum perforatum markedly reduced alcohol intake in msP rats, and its effect was behaviorally selective.
- This information relates to an herbal, vitamin, mineral or other dietary supplement.
- Puerarin (Fig. 1C) represents the most concentrated isoflavonoid in kudzu, although it is not as potent as daidzin.
- It’s even been nicknamed “mile a minute vine” in traditional folk times.
Along with morning and evening doses of medication or placebo, participants took 25 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2), which causes fluorescence of urine when it is exposed to UV light. Medication compliance was determined by repeated monitoring of urinary fluorescence20 as well as daily diary reports of pill taking. These data suggest that the administration of kudzu root extract does not disturb sleep/wake cycles of moderate drinkers, and as such its utility as an adjunct treatment for alcohol dependence remains free of any potential side-effects on sleep. A study published in Psychopharmacology involved four weeks of treatment of 17 men ages 21–33 years old. These men reported drinking 27.6 ± 6.5 drinks/week with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and/or alcohol dependence.