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. Chinese medicine has used the kudzu plant for centuries to treat stiff neck, sprains, thirst and diarrhea, and to reduce drinking. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology states that kudzu’s traditional functions date back to Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing , originally compiled in the second century. Today, researchers are exploring this Chinese herb’s use in Detoxification therapy and to reduce alcohol consumption abuse.

• As expected, I didn’t really feel anything after taking kudzu until I began drinking.
• Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
• The compound puerarin is always found in the highest concentration among all the isoflavones, second is daidzin, followed by daidzein.
• Kudzu helps in alcoholism by reducing alcohol consumption by 30-60%.
• In daidzin , the link between daidzein and glucose is a COC bond, whereas in puerarin , it is a CC bond.

The effects were observable by week 2 and persisted till week 4. Regardless of the mechanism of action, the present finding that a modest, single dose of kudzu extract reduces binge drinking has profound implications as it offers a unique opportunity for early intervention for problem drinkers.

Kudzu Recovery: Conclusion

Alcohol use disorder has also been linked to a higher risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, oral, liver, and throat cancers. A 2017 research review did not find that this therapy was more effective than other forms of relapse prevention. In one of the studies in the review, researchers compared a real acupuncture treatment to a fake one.

It was assessed and tested for 7 years and approved by the French government to treat alcohol use disorder in 1988. Drinking alcohol while pregnant can seriously damage the baby, causing a condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes irreversible physical and mental disabilities. The only safe way to protect against damage to the baby is not to drink during pregnancy, or even if you are trying to become pregnant. Never drink and drive or allow your teenager to be driven in the car by someone who has been drinking. If you drink, do so only in moderation, no more than 2 drinks per day for men, and no more than 1 drink per day for women.

For a final session, they took whichever pill they didn’t take the first time. They took it for a week, then went to the lab again for a drinking session. Penetar DM, Teter CJ, Ma Z, Tracy M, Lee DY-W, Lukas SE. Pharmacokinetic profile of the isoflavone puerarin after acute and repeated administration of a novel kudzu extract to human volunteers. Overstreet DH, Kralic JE, Morrow AL, Ma ZZ, Zhang YW, Lee DY. NPI-031G reduces anxiogenic effects of alcohol withdrawal or benzodiazepine inverse or 5-HT2C agonists.

Uses & Effectiveness

The Declinol Compound for the study was manufactured according to cGMP guidelines and was processed at an FDA registered, OTC, Rx facility. However, Lukas et al. from McLean Hospital designed a study to test the efficacy of a kudzu extract in a clinical population. Specifically, male and female “heavy” alcohol drinkers were treated with either placebo or a kudzu extract for 7 days and then given an opportunity to drink their preferred brand of beer while in a naturalistic environment. They found that Kudzu treatment resulted in significant reduction in the number of beers consumed. In a laboratory experimental setting, subjects will be treated with placebo or 2 grams of kudzu extract 2.5 hours before an afternoon drinking session.

• Inhibiting ALDH-2 promotes the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which has aversive effects.
• However, the total concentration of isoflavones does not change.
• “Alcohol-induced increases in dopamine in the nucleus accumbens are prevented by CVT in a dose-dependent manner,” said Diamond.
• Yoga, too, has shown promis in preliminary studies reducing drug and alcohol use among people who have post-traumatic stress disorder .
• Research suggests that kudzu extract and its active ingredient, puerarin can protect from such gut leakage induced liver damage.

Like verenicline, it can disrupt the sleep cycle and cause nightmares. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded the study. One study co-author is a member of the scientific advisory board at Natural Pharmacia International.

Results Of Puerarin Treatment

Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

Extracts from flowers of Pueraria lobata can help protect from liver injury caused by excess alcohol consumption. Kudzu extracts may prevent alcohol-induced damage to memory and cognition. They help in the growth of brain cells and protect areas of the brain dealing with memory retention. The herb increased the effects of high dose alcohol on heart rate and skin temperature, but these effects were transient and did not cause any adverse effects.

1 Alcohol Consumption

However, the total concentration of isoflavones does not change. “The most urgent need is helping people who cannot help themselves, who need a drug to help them stop drinking,” Keung said. Lukas’ study was inspired by Dr. Wing Ming Keung, a pathology kudzu alcohol addiction professor at Harvard Medical School who has studied kudzu’s potential medical applications. None of the subjects had any side effects from mixing kudzu with beer. After the first session, some subjects received capsules of kudzu, others a placebo.

Benlhabib E, Baker JI, Keyler DE, Singh AK. Effects of purified puerarin on voluntary alcohol intake and alcohol withdrawal symptoms in P rats receiving free access to water and alcohol. The ability of puerarin and related isoflavones to facilitate alcohol’s entry into the brain has not been systematically studied. For this mechanism to be plausible, the more rapid penetration of alcohol into the brain would have to trigger a satiety mechanism rather quickly such that the desire for the next drink is delayed—thus interrupting a binge episode. This is precisely what was observed in the present study as kudzu’s effects were evident after a single dose within a few hours of administration. 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. 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. The kudzu group significantly reduced consumption from 3.0 ± 1.7 at baseline to 1.9 ± 1.3 beers after treatment.

DL-phenylalanine is an essential amino acid which plays an important role in the functioning of your nervous system. If your body is deficient in this amino acid, it’s common to experience fatigue, confusion, memory problems, a decrease in alertness, and to have a reduced appetite. D-phenylalanine also slows the breakdown of endorphins, which act as the body’s natural painkiller, prolonging their release into the body. Excessive drinking has numerous impacts on your body and mind, ranging from mild to severe. Learn which signs to look out for, and how to care for your well-being. It is advisable for a recovering alcoholic to go to an addiction recovery center in order to complete his or her rehabilitation.

Alcohol consumption has a rewarding effect and can develop into an addictive pattern, therefore regulating brain chemistry may help break such patterns. Further, the study highlights the unique inhibition and biochemical pathway in which daidzin is involved, but we will skip those details. All content created by Alcohol Rehab Help is sourced from current scientific research and fact-checked by an addiction counseling expert.

While we only selected a small number of patients to study in this pilot because we wanted to capture a positive effect prior to a much larger study being planned in the future, we are encouraged with these preliminary results. Importantly, 40% of these patients relapsed more than five times indicating serious problems with alcohol abuse/dependence. Certainly we caution any real interpretation which must await further study. To our knowledge the present pilot is the first such a study in the world that has systematically evaluated this novel complex in humans.

Tips To Survive Fourth Of July Drinking

Yes, as a detox it is safe to consume kudzu root tea (1/2-1 cup) once every 2 weeks. Avoid consuming the tea close to the time of taking any medicines. There is no conclusive data that would suggest that kudzu root helps as a hangover remedy. If you are using it is as a hangover remedy, make sure that you do not use it on a chronic basis.

“Alcoholism is a medical disorder, not just a problem of will power,” he said. Compared to weeks in which the participants took no pill or a placebo, individuals with kudzu in their system consumed almost half as much alcohol—and showed no side effects or awareness of the drug.

Signs And Symptoms

The current evidence favors the safety of Kudzu root although some have questioned the potential build- up of acetaldehyde following its administration to humans . On the other side of the safety issue, Singh et al. evaluated the protective effects of puerarin from kudzu root against alcohol-induced toxicities. Alcohol withdrawal https://ecosoberhouse.com/ after 70 days of drinking generated severe withdrawal symptoms including seizure-type EEG activity. Puerarin suppressed the addictionmediated abnormalities but did not affect the inflammation-related abnormalities. Moreover, in vitro, daidzin potently suppresses hamster liver mitochondria-catalyzed acetaldehyde oxidation.

Fortunately, there are several medications that can aid in alleviating alcohol cravings. Several of these medications are approved by the FDA and are available by prescription only. A few supplements are also available over-the-counter , described as agents thatcan help curb alcohol cravings. 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. 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 . There’s some evidence that acupuncture, mindfulness, and meditation help during AUD treatment. Some herbal remedies, including kudzu, ashwagandha, and milk thistle, could support your recovery, too.