In addition, the two treatments greatly differed in the percent of days abstinent as well as the number of consecutive days of abstinence. Increased consecutive days of abstinence is a desirable outcome of an alcohol treatment program, especially during the initial phases of how to use kudzu for alcoholism treatment (Washton and Zweben, 2006). The fact that kudzu extract nearly doubled the number of consecutive days that individuals maintained abstinence suggests that it may be a useful adjunct during the early weeks of treatment. The study consisted of a 2-week baseline period, 4 weeks of medication (subjects were randomized to either kudzu extract or placebo treatments) and a 2-week follow up period.
Blood Sugar Control
It modulates the dopamine, GABA and serotonin systems, diminishing the rewarding and reinforcing effects of alcohol and reducing the desire to drink. As a result of these effects, it may also help treat binge drinking patterns. The participants reported their desire for and consumption of alcohol for the duration of the study. Researchers found that the kudzu extract had no effect on alcohol cravings, but it reduced the number of weekly alcoholic drinks by 34–57% (2). One small study looked at the effects of kudzu in 17 men ages 21–33 who reported drinking approximately 22–35 drinks per week.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with KUDZU
Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) outside the range of 18–25 kg/m2 were also excluded. These phytochemicals can help fight disease caused by inflammation, treat alcoholism, reduce blood pressure, fight the flu, reduce symptoms of menopause and more. A 2015 placebo-controlled study, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, demonstrated that a single dose of kudzu extract significantly reduced alcohol consumption among binge drinkers. Between drinks, the subjects rested their beer on a scale so researchers could monitor exactly how much they were drinking. They then either took 500 mg kudzu plant capsules three times a day or a placebo for a week and then returned to the lab.
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A total of 42 out of 532 data points in the kudzu extract group and 26 out of 357 data points in the placebo group were handled this way, corresponding to 7.9% and 7.3% of the data, respectively. An industry standard adverse event reporting form was used to collect information on potential adverse and serious adverse events during each laboratory visit. Side/adverse effects also were tracked on a daily basis by entries in their diaries; items addressed a wide range of somatic complaints. Drinking data were collected using a small wristwatch-like device (ActiWatch® Score, MiniMitter Co., OR) and daily diaries. The ActiWatch has a small button and digital LED faceplate and participants wore the device 24 hours a day for the entire 8-week study and were asked to record all drug and alcohol use by pressing the button to enter the proper code. Participants were provided with a small card that identified unique codes to record use of alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and other drugs.
- Today, kudzu, which is part of the Pueraria genus is becoming more popular as a beneficial health supplement.
- When buying, make sure that you pay close attention to the label to verify the levels of kudzu in your product.
- The government runs the voluntary Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) scheme in an effort to combat this problem.
- If you have ever driven through the South and looked into fields and wooded areas noticing a vine-like plant resembling a topiary, chances are that plant was kudzu.
#2. Supports Liver Health
In current research, doses of kudzu extract for issues related to alcohol have ranged from 300 mg to 2000 mg a day. It’s important to note Sobriety that the standardized content of the important active compounds, primarily puerarin, varies among different products. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, and kudzu extract treatment is thought to influence the glutamatergic system, reducing the excitatory effects of alcohol withdrawal or cravings.
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- Today, the most popular ways to use kudzu root are as an herbal supplement or a root tea.
- The correlational analysis of absolute amount of alcohol consumed and breath alcohol levels in this study indicates that the physiological effects and the rate of elimination of ingested alcohol are not altered by kudzu administration.
- Some health companies sell the kudzu root species Pueraria mirifica as a supplement for menopausal and postmenopausal women.
- On the other hand, if you have some available during a drought, it may just work in this capacity.
- Traditionally used in soups, kudzu has now gained popularity as a tea due to its health benefits.
- These side effects can be mitigated by beginning with a low dose and working your way up to an effective dose.
Kudzu can be found online or at many health stores in supplementary form. For those of you who enjoy a herbal brew, many health shops also supply kudzu root tea. For women going through the menopause all too familiar with many of its symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, kudzu root may help. This is a very interesting potential benefit of kudzu root for anybody struggling with alcohol dependency or those with family members and friends that need help. In this article, I will discuss how to use l-glutamine for alcohol cravings, which is an amino acid supplement that you can get inexpensively. Standardized root tablets (10 mg tablet is equivalent to 1.5 grams of the crude root) are sometimes used for angina pectoris in the amount of 30 to 120 mg per day.
- Kudzu plant contains the isoflavones puerarin, daidzin, daidzein and genistein, considered to be the active elements.
- The information on our site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
- You should talk with your health care provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this product.
- It was also used by the railroad companies to help stabilize the land around the tracks1.
- For women going through the menopause all too familiar with many of its symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, kudzu root may help.
There is some evidence that kudzu root dietary supplements may cause liver injury. One study in mice found that taking 10 mg per day of kudzu root extract for 4 weeks caused liver toxicity (15). It’s important to note that these studies used kudzu extract, which may have contained other parts of the kudzu plant besides the root.
You may also be interested in Declinol, which is a commercial formula that includes Kudzu and several other herbs. This particular formula has gone through some peer review testing and has been shown to cut alcohol cravings3. If you do choose to work with Kudzu or Declinol, do not forget to check with your doctor first and a pharmacist to make sure it will not interact with any drug or herbal supplement you are currently taking. This includes over the counter drugs that are manufactured in China or other countries, or have effects/side effects greater than initially suspected. The information on our site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
What is Kudzu Root?
For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Sporadic missing data from the actiwatches were filled in from the back up daily diary data. Data due to dropouts were handled as missing data and no values were entered. Missing data points within the treatment weeks in non dropout participants were Missing Completely at Random and so were imputed using multiple regression.