Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, Series 4, Episode 4 Will kudzu supplement pills make me drink less alcohol?

According to some studies, kudzu root may help manage some symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a condition notorious for its cluster of health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or abnormal triglyceride levels. If left unchecked, metabolic syndrome can increase your risk of developing heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. One study on 82 postmenopausal women notes that using a Pueraria mirifica (a particular species of kudzu) gel may improve symptoms of vaginal dryness. Another study shows that kudzu flower might be helpful to lessen hot flashes in menopausal women. Along with easing uncomfortable symptoms, estrogen can help prevent bone loss after menopause.

Read on to learn about kudzu’s benefits for your health.

All of the above mentioned mechanisms, with the exception of a disulfiram-like one, require repeated administration and time to develop. 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.

N. Engl. J. Med.

Additionally, kudzu may help reduce inflammation, which is often a contributing factor to the development of type 2 diabetes. We found that, on average, each person consumed 7 units of alcohol after the placebo and, on average, 5.5 units after the kudzu. It’s marketed as a treatment for alcoholism, diabetes, and inflammation.

Kudzu Root: Beneficial Herb or Just a Hyped Plant Invader?

• Pharmacotherapies to curb excessive drinking are important for treating alcohol use disorders.
• 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 (3, 19).
• First, kudzu extract causes vasodilation in rat artery tissue (Yan et al., 2009; Yeung et al., 2006) and in human vascular tissue (Tam et al., 2009).

During the present study we have gathered evidence that kudzu extract may alter blood ethanol levels and that this change in pharmacokinetics may result in an increased rate of entry into the central nervous system. Such an effect might increase the rewarding effects of the first drink consumed, especially when higher doses are consumed, and the desire for subsequent drinks might be delayed. Thus, the net effect of kudzu extract would not be to eliminate kudzu extract for alcoholism drinking completely, but to reduce binge drinking to a more manageable number of drinks from which complete withdrawal (via complementary methods) might be possible. One limitation of this study is the lack of a dose-response assessment. The complete lack of side effects would favor the conduct of such studies. Other limitations of the present study are the use of a rather narrow aged male population who drink only at moderate levels.

Potential downsides

It’s important to note that these studies used kudzu extract, which may have contained other parts of the kudzu plant besides the root. Thus, scientists need to do more research in this area on the effects of kudzu root specifically. “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.

• In this double blind, placebo-controlled study participants were randomly assigned to receive either the low (0.35 g/kg) or high (0.7 g/kg) dose of alcohol (6 per group).
• However, individuals treated with kudzu extract experienced a slightly more rapid rise in plasma ethanol levels, but only after the 0.7 g/kg dose.
• At the appropriate time, participants were instructed to consume one cup at a time over a 15-minute period; participants had 5 minutes to consume the contents of each cup.

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). A small 2009 case report involving 16 people with regular cluster headaches provides some anecdotal evidence. 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. Kudzu root is an edible part of a climbing vine that’s native to many Asian countries. It’s been used for health purposes in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a really long time.

It may also have other benefits, such as for menopausal symptoms. The researchers observed 12 men and women in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. The participants were either treated with kudzu or a placebo for nine days, and then received a medium or high alcohol challenge to determine how prominently they presented alcohol-related symptoms. Also a researcher made a small clinical study of 14 men and women who were heavy drinkers. They found that kudzu reduced the quantity of alcohol they drank. The investigator speculated that Kudzu increases blood alcohol concentration.

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)

Kudzu is an herb used in Chinese medicine to treat alcoholism, heart disease, menopausal symptoms, diabetes, fever, the common cold, and neck or eye pain. Lab studies suggest that kudzu has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Compounds called isoflavones are thought to be responsible for its potential effects.