Kudzu Recovery Mechanism for Alcoholism: How It Works

Nevertheless, it may be a good idea to avoid if you use blood thinning or diabetes medications. A small case report involving 16 people with frequent cluster headaches found that kudzu root reduced headache intensity in 69% of people, frequency in 56%, and duration in 31% . Some health companies sell the kudzu root species Pueraria mirifica as a supplement for menopausal and postmenopausal women. Kudzu root is rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from oxidative stress that can lead to disease. The isoflavone puerarin is the most abundant antioxidant compound in the kudzu vine . Today, the most popular ways to use kudzu root are as an herbal supplement or a root tea.

• Almost 3 in 4 participants had less intense headaches, more than half had fewer headaches, and 1 in 3 had shorter headaches when taking kudzu root.
• They are also interested in the possibility of developing a dosage of kudzu that individuals could take once, before a night of drinking, rather than a set of pills which must be taken regularly.
• All subjects reviewed a full protocol of the study and signed informed consent forms prior to beginning.
• Bohn MJ, Krahn DD, Staehler BA. Development and initial validation of a measure of drinking urges in abstinent alcoholics.

Ivan Diamond is an alcoholism researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. “The fact that participants experienced a rapid rise in blood alcohol levels when pre-treated with kudzu has no apparent explanation and therefore requires additional research,” said Penetar. For the researchers, the next step is to determine if kudzu alters regional brain blood flow using an fMRI. Falcatum, administered orally to rats at a daily dose of 500 mg/kg for 3 days, normalized liver functions as determined by serum alkaline phosphatase levels in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride . Treatment of rats with saikosaponins 2 hours before treatment with D-galactosamine inhibited the increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels produced by damage of liver tissues .

May alleviate menopausal symptoms

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 information presented by TraceGains is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies , clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, Sober Home and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Traditional Chinese medicine, animal research, and some preliminary studies have found extracts of this herb may help reduce alcohol cravings, though some studies have not shown benefit. The problem is, the compounds that seem to be responsible for kudzu’s alcoholism-fighting effects aren’t absorbed in the body very well; and researchers have found the preparations in health food stores often don’t contain much of it, anyway.

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. The placebo-treated group opened 33 beers during baseline conditions and 38 following treatment whereas the kudzu-treated group opened 32 beers during baseline conditions and only 21 following treatment. The herb called the kudzu is a high climbing, coarse textured twining and trailing type of perennial vine found in parts of 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 root alcohol cravings 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. Herbal products are also made from the root of another related Asian species of kudzu, called Pueraria thomsonii. The main compounds found in the root of the kudzu are the isoflavones, like the compound daidzein, also included are the isoflavone glycosides, like daidzin and the compound called puerarin. In any batch of kudzu roots, the total content of isoflavone often varies widely from 1.77%-12.0% depending on the growing conditions of the herb.

Kudzu vine extract for alcohol treatment

The kudzu root is already widely sold as a dietary supplement. At the dose used in the study, three weeks’ worth costs about $6. During the week of puerarin treatment, they drank slightly less than during the placebo week — three drinks a day compared to 3.4. After placebo treatment, three people drank five beers and one drank six. More remedies are needed to help drinkers who overdo it cut down, Penetar says.

Two classic traditional Chinese medical texts, The Internal Book of Huang Di and Shang Han Lun, reference the use of tea made from kudzu root for stiffness, neck and eye pain, and fevers as far back as 200 BC. A major limitation to this pilot is the small number of subjects evaluated and as such we caution any definitive interpretation of these interesting results. However, this pilot serves as the basis to further these studies and confirmation in a much larger cohort may have important treatment ramifications for not only alcoholism but possibly RDS behaviors as well. 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. Some research shows that milk thistle may help those looking to treat alcohol-related liver disease. It’s important to note that more studies are needed to confirm that the herb enhances liver health.

Something has to create a massive increase in sense of well-being to fit into this category. While kudzu does not quite make the cut, it is definitely worth trying if you’re looking to cut down on or quit drinking. 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 kudzu. I will discuss how kudzu works, my experience with using powdered kudzu root for alcoholism, and recommendations for taking kudzu. In this article, I’m going to discuss how to use kudzu recovery for alcoholism. Kudzu is an invasive weed that has also been used to treat alcoholism for well over one thousand years. Kudzu vine forms new roots from stem nodes touching the ground.