kudzu for alcohol cravings

However, these studies were conducted on lone individuals drinking within highly controlled laboratory conditions. Because of this effect, it might also be helpful for people who have quit drinking and want to make sure that a potential slip doesn’t become a full-blown relapse. Taking this plant would decrease the chance that a drink would turn into an endless parade of drinks. Of course, it’s up to the individual to ensure that he or she doesn’t use this as an excuse to fall off the wagon. I will discuss how it works, my experience with using powdered kudzu root for alcoholism, and recommendations.

Estrogenic activity

In retrospect, my experience demonstrates the utility of kudzu for alcoholism. If I had been 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.

  • Lukas and Lee applied for, and were granted, a patent for kudzu extract to treat alcohol abuse and dependence.
  • You should talk with your health care provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this product.
  • Researchers have proposed and tested various hypotheses to explain kudzu root’s strange ability to curb alcohol consumption.
  • However, these studies were conducted on lone individuals drinking within highly controlled laboratory conditions.

Medications that can harm the liver (Hepatotoxic drugs) interacts with KUDZU

The reduction in drinking was evident rather quickly as it was apparent for the second through sixth beers and no kudzu-treated participant drank five or six beers, which suggests that binge drinking was curtailed. Our laboratory has been involved kudzu for alcohol cravings in assessing an extract of the kudzu root (Pueraria lobata) for its ability to reduce alcohol consumption in humans. In the first, kudzu extract was administered for 7 days and acute binge drinking was suppressed (Lukas et al., 2005).

  • Another study found that kudzu may really “affect alcohol consumption patterns.” In this same study, people who took an isoflavone extract from the kudzu plant before drinking took longer to reach for the liquor cabinet.
  • The finding that alcohol intake was reduced without affecting desire to use alcohol at first seemed counter-intuitive.
  • This change in drinking topography was not secondary to alterations in the subjective effects of alcohol as kudzu-treated individuals still reported positive feelings (e.g., drunk, floating) without any change in the negative effects (e.g., clumsy, dizzy).
  • Seventeen men (21–33 years) who reported drinking 27.6 ± 6.5 drinks/week with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse/dependence took either kudzu extract (250 mg isoflavones, t.i.d.) or matched placebo on a daily basis.

Drugs & Supplements

kudzu for alcohol cravings

Since consuming alcohol while taking kudzu extract is not aversive, another explanation is necessary to account for the extremely fast onset of action observed in the present study. 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. This was demonstrated in our previous study (Penetar et al., 2011) where pharmacokinetic parameters https://ecosoberhouse.com/ such as peak concentration and elimination time were not affected by kudzu. In that study, however, we did find evidence of an initial more rapid rise in blood alcohol levels in kudzu-treated individuals, suggesting that isoflavones may alter bioavailability of alcohol to the brain during the ascending alcohol absorption phase. This interpretation of kudzu’s possible mechanism of action was also suggested by Wong et al. (2011) who postulated that kudzu alters peripheral and cerebral blood flow.

kudzu for alcohol cravings

What are the recommended dosages of kudzu for alcoholism treatment?

I took several capsules per day before drinking, and went through all of it in about one month. Screening for risky drinking behaviors and serious drinking patterns normally involves asking patients a few questions, including how many days they drink, how many drinks they may have on average, and if they’ve ever experienced a binge drinking episode. Many studies have been carried out’on cell cultures in laboratory dishes and in living mice’to work out what biologically active compounds kudzu contains and what kinds of mechanisms might be behind its reputation as a medicinal plant. It has been shown, for example, that the flowers can help speed the body’s removal of acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of the breakdown of alcohol in the blood that is responsible for many of the effects of hangovers. As a result, the researchers gave compounds from Kudzu root to the special lab rats. The investigators found that the compounds reduced the rats’ alcohol intake.

kudzu for alcohol cravings

1 Participant Flow Through Study

Kudzu, an ever-expanding plant considered a pest in much of the South, appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol intake among humans. Your doctor can evaluate your medical history, current health, and the severity of your alcoholism to provide personalized recommendations. They will consider potential interactions between kudzu and any medications you might be taking, ensuring your safety throughout the process.

kudzu for alcohol cravings

  • Zimin Liu (California Nutritionals, San Diego, CA) reported on blended herbal products to treat anxiety and depression and their economic market potential.
  • He suggested that they test Kudzu to see if it would reduce alcohol consumption among their rats.

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kudzu for alcohol cravings

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