Haberler

Heavy drinkers, both male and female, were given either a placebo or kudzu extract for 7 days. They were then given the opportunity to drink the beer of their choice in a naturalistic laboratory setting. Researchers monitored drinking behavior with a digital scale located in the top of an end table. This allowed them to measure the rate of drinking as well as the volume of sips. In one study, people who binge drink took either kudzu extract or a placebo before a 90-minute session of drinking beer. It’s important to note that these studies used kudzu extract, which may have contained other parts of the kudzu plant besides the root.

For targeting alcohol dependence, studies have used dosages of 1.2 grams of kudzu root extract per day over 1 week, or a single dose of 2 grams before drinking alcohol, without noted side effects . In some instances, even a single dose of kudzu extract reduced alcohol consumption and prevented binge drinking . Participants were randomized on a blind basis to receive either 4 capsules of the extract or placebo 2.5 hours before the start of an afternoon drinking session. This pretreatment time was selected based on our pharmacokinetic study of puerarin absorption and elimination (Penetar et al., 2006). Puerarin is an isoflavone naturally found in kudzu and other plants. In one study, subjects who took puerarin drank less alcohol than those in the placebo group.

Cardiovascular effects

Consuming large quantities of alcohol or carbohydrates stimulates the brain’s production and utilization of dopamine. So too does the intake of crack/cocaine and the abuse of nicotine. We are proposing that a novel approach to nutritional supplementation may be required to target the RDS role in alcoholism and glucose homeostasis . Alcohol quickly affects blood sugar, especially in the brain . Certainly an added stress of attempting to eliminate alcohol usage is the drastic swings in blood sugar, which when occurring may stimulate a stronger desire to drink . Any natural means to balance blood sugar can therefore be of great cessation benefit to alcohol programs.

• Recent research suggests that kudzu root extract may, in fact, be able to relieve alcohol cravings.
• When taken in small doses, kudzu can treat alcoholism and inflammation.

In this study, researchers tested the effect of kudzu extract on drinking by humans in a naturalistic setting. These heavy drinkers (who weren’t seeking treatment) also spent fewer days binge drinking and actually abstained from drinking alcohol for longer periods of time while supplementing with kudzu . The herb called the kudzu is a high climbing, coarse textured twining and trailing type of perennial vine found in parts of kudzu extract for alcoholism Asia and naturalized elsewhere . Chinese traditional medicine makes use of the huge root that grows to the size of an adult human body-the kudzu called gégen in China, is a major source for many modern herbal products as well as traditional Chinese medications. In China, the kudzu or gégen is found growing in shaded areas along mountains, in the fields and along roadsides, in thickets and thin forests all over the country.

2 Materials and Medication

They are now studying a single large dose before a planned drinking session to see if it works, too. After placebo treatment, three people drank five beers and one drank six. However, studies looking at the effects of kudzu extracts have produced mixed findings, Penetar says.