The roots are also resistant to herbicides and it can take 3–10 years of repeated treatments with herbicides before the nutrient reserves of the roots are exhausted. It has spread to South Africa, Malaysia, and the western Pacific Islands. It was introduced into the United States as an ornamental in 1876, as a forage plant in Florida in the 1920s, and was promoted as an erosion control by the U.S. The vine completely engulfs nonwooded areas but it also grows over wooded areas on which it produces large impenetrable masses and completely envelops trees and other plants, killing them all by shutting out all sunlight. Kudzu vine is now widely distributed in the United States, including all the southeast, north to Massachusetts and Illinois, and west to Texas and Oklahoma.
- However, these authors noted that there was a large dropout rate, subjects were not supervised while they completed the questionnaires, and there was only a single assessment each month.
- They will consider potential interactions between kudzu and any medications you might be taking, ensuring your safety throughout the process.
- My problem at the time was a denial of the severity of my drinking problem.
- Moreover, kudzu might assist with the prevention of relapses by supporting the stabilization of neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
- The kudzu extract diadzein has been isolated as an aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH-2) inhibitor, which has been shown in animal models to reduce excessive drinking.
- This study provides additional evidence that an extract of the kudzu root significantly reduces alcohol consumption by human participants and confirms that this botanical medication may be a safe and effective adjunct pharmacotherapy for treating alcohol use disorders.
1 Participants
Using the continuous measure of alcohol consumption, drinking was quantified using a number of different variables as noted above. In addition, responses to the audible prompts multiple times a day were used to assess desire to consume alcohol. McLean Hospital has licensed the production of kudzu extract (NPI-031) to Natural Pharmacie International (NPI), Inc. and they are marketing it as Alkontrol-Herbal®. As for abstinence, Bromocriptine also had a favorable response in two articles that were studied [11,79].
Clinical Overview
Missing data points within the treatment weeks in non dropout participants were Missing Completely at Random and so were imputed using multiple regression. A total of 42 out of 532 data points in the kudzu extract group and 26 out of 357 data points in the placebo group were handled this way, corresponding to 7.9% and 7.3% of the data, respectively. Participants filled out a daily diary every morning as soon as possible upon awakening. Three questions asked them to report how many alcoholic drinks, tobacco cigarettes and caffeinated beverages they consumed and two questions asked about bedtime and wake time. Varenicline, which is a drug widely used in the treatment of smoking cessation, had a significant impact. Two studies had a 100% response rate to cravings, which was compared to that of the placebo, for those who use tobacco and alcohol at the same time; for those with dependences, there was one positive result for abstinence for both substances.
Kudzu’s Benefits for Health
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Drugs & Supplements
In contrast to all the studies that used pharmacological interventions, some used Kudzu, a climbing vine native to Asia. The roots, flowers, and leaves are used as medicine in China to treat variety of disorders, including neck pain, eye pain, fever, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/15-benefits-of-the-alcohol-free-lifestyle/ and measles. More recently, Chinese people have used Kudzu in the treatment of alcohol addiction. In only one study, there was no difference between the use of this and the placebo in terms of maintaining abstinence and cravings reduction [83].
Kudzu root may help treat alcohol dependence, liver damage, and menopausal symptoms. Scientists need to do more human studies to determine its effectiveness in other areas, like inflammation, heart health, and headaches. This article examines the benefits, uses, and potential side effects of kudzu root.
- This may be due to the isoflavones in kudzu, which can help regulate hormone levels.
- McLean Hospital has just negotiated a licensing agreement for kudzu root extract with Natural Pharmacia International, Inc., Burlington, MA.
- “When kudzu is taken orally, it can improve vasomotor symptom scores (i.e. hot flashes and night sweats) in perimenopausal women,” Beckerman says.
- While it does not quite make the cut, it is definitely worth trying if you’re looking to cut down on or quit drinking.
- The room contained a small sink with an under-the-counter refrigerator where the beverages (beer, juice, and water) were kept.
More recently a study has tested the efficacy of a kudzu extract in a group of “heavy” alcohol drinkers, treated with either placebo or a kudzu extract (500 mg three times daily for 7 days) (Lukas et al. 2005). After the 7-day period, subjects had the opportunity to drink their preferred brand of beer in a naturalistic herbs to reduce alcohol cravings laboratory setting. Kudzu treatment resulted in significant reduction in the number of beers consumed, an increase in the number of sips and the time to consume each beer and a decrease in the volume of each sip. These changes occurred in the absence of a significant effect on the urge to drink alcohol.
