Kudzu Recovery Mechanism for Alcoholism: How It Works

It’s a plant with a long history, as Prof Elizabeth Williamson of the University of Reading, explains. Now, many of us make the resolution to cut back on alcohol, but like all good resolutions there kudzu to stop drinking is the danger of slippage. So for those of us with the modest aim of just cutting back a bit, could kudzu really help? To find out more the Trust Me I’m a Doctor team recently put it to the test.

The results were very encouraging, with the animals’ voluntary alcohol intake reducing by more than half in most cases. Some medical scientists warn that chronic use of the root, especially during or shortly after drinking, may increase the risk of cancers. If you intend to use kudzu to battle an existing cardiovascular condition and you already take medication for it, do not take it without your doctor’s supervision, as kudzu can cause side effects and interact adversely with other drugs. If you’re looking for kudzu to reduce cravings for alcohol, it’its root extract, specifically’is most often sold in tablet form for this purpose. White, chalky, dried kudzu is also sold in many health food stores. You can purchase kudzu root extract in dissolvable form’including in tea bags’that can be added to soups or other dishes.

Osteogenic activity

These efforts did not last with just over a million acres of kudzu by 1945. Once federal payments ceased, the kudzu was quickly grazed and plowed under, with farmers having little success figuring out how to make money from it. Forest Service reports that kudzu occupies somewhere around  227,000 acres of forestland. Its popularity grew through planting contests and even a kudzu queen contest.

Kudzu root, also called Japanese arrowroot, is native to China, Japan, and Korea. Today, kudzu grows in other parts of the world as well, including in the southern United States. The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.

Drug Interactions between kudzu and milk thistle

The isoflavone puerarin is the most abundant antioxidant compound in the kudzu vine (6). Today, the most popular ways to use kudzu root are as an herbal supplement or a root tea. My standards for categorizing an herb or drug as a “miracle” supplement are quite high.

• Today, kudzu grows in other parts of the world as well, including in the southern United States.
• The study included around 4 weeks of treatment in which kudzu was administered with an isoflavone concentration of 250mg.
• People have used kudzu root in Eastern medicine for many years.
• More recently, kudzu root has made its way to Western countries as an herbal supplement.

The relatively few clinical studies carried out in humans have yielded mixed results. But one use of kudzu root that has proven itself in several human trials is its ability to reduce cravings for alcohol. Keung, not directly involved in Lukas’ study, said he has extracted a compound from kudzu root that he hopes to turn into a drug for reducing alcoholics’ cravings.

Kudzu Root: Benefits, Uses, and Side Effects

They rarely capture the complexity of a plant and there is so little regulation of the market that you literally don’t know what you are buying. Kudzu is a climbing plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia to treat addictions thanks to its very high content of isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, puerarin). The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

• For this reason, it’s difficult to make recommendations for various uses.
• Sometimes we feel the need to ‘cleanse’ our body, to facilitate weight or fluid loss, or to eliminate toxins that we may have ingested from the occasional unhealthy meal.
• Importantly, individuals looking to discontinue alcohol use should consider seeking help from health care providers and counseling services, who have access to better, prescription medications for alcoholism treatment.
• You can find kudzu root supplements easily online and in a variety of natural food or supplement stores.
• Overconsumption of alcohol has significant negative effects on an individual’s health and contributes to an enormous economic impact on society as a whole.

Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version. Scientists need to do more research on the safe and effective dosages of kudzu root for various uses. Kudzu root is the edible part of a trailing vine native to several Asian countries. People have used it for many years in traditional Chinese medicine, and it resembles other root tubers, like yams.

This process can be made even more difficult by symptoms of withdrawal and alcohol cravings. Fortunately, there are several medications that can aid in alleviating alcohol cravings. Several of these medications are approved by the FDA and are available by prescription only.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of illness worldwide (Shield et al., 2013) and has a significant impact on the health of millions people. The impact of excessive alcohol consumption results in increased healthcare costs, loss of productivity, alcohol-related crime (including assault and sexual abuse), and motor vehicle accidents. Two hours before the first visit, we gave both sub-groups a pill – neither group knew whether they were getting the supplement or the placebo. When they visited the bar, beer, spirits and white wine were freely available. The amount of alcohol consumed was calculated for each group (1 unit per drink of beer or spirits, 1.6 units per glass of wine).