Declinol, a Complex Containing Kudzu, Bitter Herbs Gentian, Tangerine Peeland Bupleurum, Significantly Reduced Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test AUDIT Scores in Moderate to Heavy Drinkers: A Pilot Study

The resultant call for adopting a zero tolerance policy for alcohol-impaired driving3 has necessitated seeking effective treatment strategies for patients with alcoholism. One component of such a strategy would be the development of a drug to decrease ethanol craving. Kudzu, administered as the root extract, may play an important role in this regard. Purified puerarin another ingredient in Kudzu root was also shown to suppress alcohol intake in the short term as well reducing withdrawal reactions in high ethanol preferring rats. However this effect does not seem to be due a central brain mechanism . “The fact that participants experienced a rapid rise in blood alcohol levels when pre-treated with kudzu has no apparent explanation and therefore requires additional research,” said Penetar. For the researchers, the next step is to determine if kudzu alters regional brain blood flow using an fMRI. Some evidence suggests kudzu root may help with liver damage, while other preliminary evidence suggests it may cause liver injury in certain cases.

McLean Hospital has licensed the production of kudzu extract (NPI-031) to Natural Pharmacia International , Inc. that markets it as Alkontrol-Herbal™. 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. While kudzu extract won’t magically turn alcoholics into nondrinkers, it might help others cut back on booze. Like getting rid of kudzu, Diamond says you have to attack the roots.

Potential of Asian Natural Products for Health in Aging

Overall, my drinking during that month declined by around 30-40%. Although I’m sure it would have helped me detoxify, I did not use kudzu after I quit drinking. My experience was limited to an experiment that I did years ago to see if taking the herb would reduce my drinking levels. Bitter herbs have a long and successful tradition of use for a number of health purposes . Bitters have been used for centuries to improve digestion, kudzu extract for alcoholism and are still commonly used in many cuisines to be taken before meals to stimulate digestive powers. It used to be assumed that bitters only stimulated receptors in the mouth, and then somewhat in the digestive tract. It has been demonstrated however, that bitter receptors exist throughout the entire gastro-intestinal tract . When triggered by bitter compounds, these receptors then stimulate a myriad of bodily functions [19-21].

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the first-line treatments for insomnia, but it’s never been … Before you turn your nose up, check out the incredible health benefits of these and seven more unusual ingredients. Small studies in people have observed noteworthy improvements in these menopausal symptoms, among others, like vaginal dryness . What’s more, the kudzu kudzu extract for alcoholism plant leaves, vine tips, and purple flower blossoms are also edible. You can eat the root as you would other root vegetables, like potatoes or rutabagas. Kudzu roots can be dried and ground into a powder, which some people use as breading for fried foods or as a thickener for soups and sauces. The plant is a trailing vine that often grows over other plants and trees.

Kudzu Recovery: Research Studies

Daidzein and glycitein in soy and kudzu, and formononetin and biochanin A in red clover. 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. This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence.

On average, the participants drank 1 1/2 beers while on kudzu treatment during the 1 1/2-hour sessions, compared with 2 1/2 beers during the placebo treatment. They also took more but smaller sips of each beer while taking the kudzu extract, the researchers found. The problem is, the compounds that seem to be responsible for kudzu’s alcoholism-fighting effects aren’t absorbed in the body very well; and researchers have found the preparations in health food stores often don’t contain much of it, anyway. Ivan Diamond is an alcoholism researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. In retrospect, my experience demonstrates the utility of kudzu for alcoholism. If I had been committed to using kudzu to wean off of alcohol and then quit, it might have been a very valuable part of my recovery. I did not know at the time that people also use kudzu to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms; nor did I care, because I did not intend to quit at the time. While the blood flow theory of kudzu for alcoholism may be true, there is likely more going on here. Kudzu contains several active isoflavones, which are natural plant chemicals with antioxidant effects. This compound has a positive effect on the central nervous system and the brain.

Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) interacts with KUDZU

Check the recommended use for that specific kudzu root supplement. Some species of kudzu root may be more efficient to treat certain issues. Pueraria lobate, for example, is the species normally used to reduce alcohol cravings. A number of clinical trials in both genders in various disease states have hinted that the ability to produce the human metabolite S-(-)equol from its isoflavone precursor daidzein may hold unique health benefits. Franke et al. cite studies showing that about 60% of vegetarians and Asians produce equol, whereas only about 30% to 35% of omnivores do so.

Furthermore, the men who took kudzu had fewer heavy drinking days per week and had significantly more consecutive days with no alcohol consumption . Puerarin is also less potent than other parts of the kudzu plant, so it has few side effects and has none of the estrogenic activity found in other components, making it safe for women. In one study, kudzu treatment resulted in a significant Sober House reduction in the number of beers consumed, which was paralleled by an increase in the number of sips and the time to consume each beer and a decrease in the volume of each sip. A deficiency of this enzyme reduces the risk of alcohol dependence. Decreased drinking due to ALDH-2 inhibition is attributed to the aversive properties of acetaldehyde accumulated during alcohol consumption.