The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. However, there are a lot of supplements that claim to contain it that are mostly cheap fillers. It is known to be extremely safe, with very few reported adverse side effects. In terms of what I felt when I took this plant, my experience supports the observations of others who note that it might act like a much gentler form of disulfiram or Antabuse.
How Does Kudzu Curb Alcohol Cravings?
One of which is Pueraria lobata or kudzu as well as other kudzu plants in the genus Pueraria. Particularly in East Asia, kudzu (pronounced koo͝d′zoo) has a long history of use for such purposes. In traditional Chinese herbalism, the dried roots (called gé gēn) are used to make kudzu root tea or integrated into various botanical formulations. Let’s dive into the groundbreaking study that showcases the power of kudzu extract. Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a climbing vine native to East Asia and has been how to use kudzu for alcoholism a staple in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Historically, it was used to treat various ailments such as fever, muscle pain, and alcohol-related issues.
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- He has a nursing and business/technology degrees from The Johns Hopkins University.
- Its popularity grew through planting contests and even a kudzu queen contest.
- One study in mice found that kudzu vine extract was highly beneficial in treating alcohol-induced liver damage by scavenging harmful free radicals and boosting the natural antioxidant system (6).
- 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.
Be sure to work with someone licensed to practice TCM so that you can learn how to harvest the necessary parts of the plant and prepare them properly for your needs. Research published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine revealed that participants consuming kudzu extract cut their weekly alcohol intake by 34–57%. Kudzu root’s isoflavones, especially puerarin, are linked to reduced alcohol consumption. The kudzu root may interact with certain medications or pose other health risks for certain people. Therefore, it’s always best to consult your healthcare provider before taking it.
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In 2012, I ordered some high-quality organic kudzu capsules after reading about the potential for it to curb alcohol consumption. I took several capsules per day before drinking, and went through all of it in about one month. Avoid use if pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive due to hormone effects.
- When the rewarding effects of alcohol aren’t present, it can diminish the motivation to drink more.
- During that time, you will still have to be careful about controlling the spread of Kudzu to other areas.
- Kudzu is similar to grass in the sense that humans cannot digest the cellulose in these plants, but cattle, sheep, and goats can.
- People often eat different parts of the plant raw, sautéed, deep-fried, baked, or jellied.
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. The research concludes that 1.5 to 3 grams of kudzu extract should be taken three times per day throughout one to four weeks for alcoholism improvement. In retrospect, my experience demonstrates the utility of kudzu for alcoholism. If I had been heroin addiction committed to using it 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 it to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms; nor did I care, because I did not intend to quit at the time. The Chinese noticed that people who consumed the plant started to drink less.
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Capsule sets were individually packaged in small envelopes and marked on the outside with date and time of day to be consumed. Medication adherence was measured using ultraviolet (UV) light to detect riboflavin in centrifuged urine samples (Del Boca et al., 1996) that were collected twice a week. Endogenous levels of riboflavin are too low to fluoresce and participants were instructed to avoid multivitamin complexes while participating in the study.
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Lukas and Lee hold a patent for kudzu extract to treat alcohol abuse and dependence. McLean Hospital has licensed the production of kudzu extract (NPI-031) to Natural Pharmacia International (NPI), 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. The last study above was designed to test the hypothesis that kudzu accelerates the subjective experience of alcohol intoxication. If this were the primary effect of kudzu increasing blood flow, then subjects should feel more intoxicated with fewer drinks after taking it.
- Stores typically sell it as a powdered drink mix, an oral capsule or tablet, liquid drops, or as a food-grade starch to use in cooking.
- Metabolic syndrome is a condition notorious for its cluster of health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or abnormal triglyceride levels.
- Today, Chinese populations continue using kudzu root to treat conditions like diabetes, menopause, fever, diarrhea, neck stiffness, hypertension, and more.
- Although blood samples were collected from all participants to examine the safety of kudzu, only the last 12 subjects had blood samples collected for quantitative analysis of puerarin levels.
- As a safe, over-the-counter preparation, kudzu may be used alone in initial attempts to curb alcohol consumption, but it may also become a useful adjunct to the currently available prescription medications.
- The problem with relying on sugar to quench cravings is that sugar prompts the release of insulin, which robs the bloodstream of sugar and leads to escalating sugar and/or cravings.
Medication adherence was excellent and there were no adverse events, changes in vital signs, blood chemistry, renal or liver function. 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. Kudzu root gets some serious rep’ for helping folks ease off of the booze. One small study looking at the effects of kudzu in a group of men that reported drinking between 22 and 35 drinks per week shows promising results. After consuming kudzu extract for 4 weeks, the participants reduced their number of weekly alcoholic beverages by at least a third.
