Turning Off Cravings for Alcohol?

This product may adversely interact with certain health and medical conditions, other prescription and over-the-counter drugs, foods, or other dietary supplements. This product may be unsafe when used before surgery or other medical procedures. It is important to fully inform your doctor about the herbal, vitamins, mineral or any other supplements you are taking before any kind of surgery or medical procedure. Scientific research has been analysing the properties of kudzu since 1993 and has concluded that after treatment with kudzu, the percentage of alcohol or tobacco intake reduced by 50% 3.

A standardized kudzu extract (NPI- reduces alcohol consumption in nontreatment-seeking male heavy drinkers

A total of 32 participants (28 men, 4 women) between the ages of 21 and 40 years old were recruited through advertisements in local newspapers and on the internet (e.g., CraigsList and local University websites) to participate in this study. Inclusion criteria included good physical and mental health, a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 30, ages between 21 and 40 yrs, and a self-reported drinking pattern of 15 drinks per week or incidences of binge drinking 2 or more times per week. The finding that alcohol intake was reduced without affecting desire to use alcohol at first seemed counter-intuitive. However, it is important to recognize that one of the major weaknesses of the measure that we used to record desire to drink alcohol was that it was unidimensional.

Kudzu Root Extract Does Not Perturb the Sleep/Wake Cycle of Moderate Drinkers

We developed a standardized kudzu extract that preserved the ratio of the major isoflavones found in the raw root, except that the concentration of isoflavones was increased to 25%. This randomized between-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved two weeks of baseline, four weeks of treatment and two weeks of follow-up. 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. The most important finding of the present study was that 4-weeks of treatment with a standardized kudzu extract reduced ad libitum alcohol consumption in a group of non treatment-seeking heavy drinkers.

How much is too much alcohol?

• In CBT, a counselor works with you to identify these negative thought patterns and teaches you how to challenge and replace them with more positive, realistic thoughts.
• I took several capsules per day before drinking, and went through all of it in about one month.
• Remember that it’s not a miracle product, and that to reduce anxiety it should be combined with psychotherapy, diet therapy and physical exercise.
• Data from the actiwatch device was the primary source for all analyses while the daily diary served as a back up to verify daily totals and in case of equipment failure.
• Before embarking on a journey with kudzu as a potential remedy for alcoholism, it is crucial to consult with a healthcare professional.
• 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.

In this study, researchers tested the effect of kudzu extract on drinking by humans in a naturalistic setting. The safety of kudzu extract was monitored via a number of methods including twice weekly assessments of vital signs (resting pulse, blood pressure), collecting daily reports of side effects using a daily diary and twice weekly assessments of adverse events by study staff. An industry standard adverse event reporting form was used to collect information on potential adverse and serious adverse events during kudzu to stop drinking 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.

• Peer support is evidence-based to reduce relapse, improve stressors contributing to cravings such as loneliness or lack of social support, and reduce harmful behaviors that are related to drinking.
• To find out more the Trust Me I’m a Doctor team recently put it to the test.
• This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider.
• Today, the most popular ways to use kudzu root are as an herbal supplement or a root tea.
• He worked for many years in mental health and substance abuse facilities in Florida, as well as in home health (medical and psychiatric), and took care of people with medical and addictions problems at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

In terms of what I felt when I took this plant, my experience supports the observations of others who note that it might act like a much gentler form of disulfiram or Antabuse. Even a tiny amount of alcohol can cause violent illness while on these drugs. By contrast, kudzu creates a mild flushed feeling at most and leaves the drinker craving alcohol a bit less. Overconsumption of alcohol has significant negative effects on an individual’s health and contributes to an enormous economic impact on society as a whole. Pharmacotherapies to curb excessive drinking are important for treating alcohol use disorders. Peer support is evidence-based to reduce relapse, improve stressors contributing to cravings such as loneliness or lack of social support, and reduce harmful behaviors that are related to drinking.

Curb Drinking with Kudzu: The Plant That May Reduce Alcohol Cravings

The present study provides further evidence that extracts of the kudzu root are effective in reducing alcohol consumption but unlike any other medication (other than disulfiram) it does so after a single dose was taken shortly before a binge drinking opportunity. And, contrary to disulfiram treatment, the drinking that did occur after kudzu administration did not result in any noxious side effects, increases in subjective ratings of nausea, uncomfortable, or feeling terrible. 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 in assessing an extract of the kudzu root (Pueraria lobata) for its ability to reduce alcohol consumption in humans. In the first study, kudzu extract was administered for 7 days and acute binge drinking was suppressed (Lukas et al., 2005).

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Some health companies sell the kudzu root species Pueraria mirifica as a supplement for menopausal and postmenopausal women. People often eat different parts of the plant raw, sautéed, deep-fried, baked, or jellied. You may be wondering how people use kudzu root and what to know when considering whether to give it a try. In China, it has been used to treat alcoholism since 600AD, and Western medicine is starting to take notice of this herbal remedy.

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. Puerarin, one of the most abundant isoflavones in kudzu root extracts, is a known vasodilator and is approved for such use in China following coronary infarction and stroke (Wu et al., 2014). In spite of the compelling preclinical https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and clinical evidence of its efficacy, the precise mechanism of action of kudzu in reducing alcohol consumption is not currently known. Prior studies of its antidipsotropic effect have focused on taste-aversion, alterations in alcohol metabolism or effects on neurotransmitters. Overstreet et al.’s (1998) study provides cursory evidence that a taste aversion mechanism is not likely.

• 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 ActiWatch® Score device contains an accelerometer that was used to record sleep/wake activity.
• However, there are a lot of supplements that claim to contain it that are mostly cheap fillers.
• Persons who responded to these advertisements were given a brief telephone screen, and invited to the laboratory for further evaluations.
• This is because isoflavones can help dilate blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow.

Does microwaving food make it less healthy?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, this plant has cooling properties that balance the heat and false energy created by alcohol. 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. 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.

Although it doesn’t help in reducing the craving for a drink or maintaining sobriety, small studies have found that when taking kudzu root extract, heavy drinkers consumed less booze than usual. The rates of alcohol drinking during follow-up phase were also reduced compared to baseline in both the kudzu- and placebo-treated groups. We had not expected that any beneficial effects would remain after kudzu extract had cleared the body based on our pharmacokinetic results (Penetar et al., 2006). A total of 21 adult males (17 Caucasian, 1 African American, 2 Hispanic, 1 Middle Eastern; mean age 23.8 ± 3.46 years, range 21–33) were recruited through advertisements in local and college newspapers and flyers posted in the Boston area. Persons who responded to these advertisements were given a brief telephone screen, and invited to the laboratory for further evaluations. Persons of Asian descent were excluded because of their known increased flushing reaction to alcohol.