Despite its history, the mechanism of action for kudzu extract is still unknown, and that is what the current research explores. Separate general linear model ANOVAs for data with repeated measurements were used to analyze the number of drinks per week and the number of heavy drinking days per week. The two treatments (kudzu and placebo) were analyzed as fixed kudzu extract for alcoholism effects and time (weeks since randomization) as a repeated-measurements effect. In all analyses, the baseline drinking level was modeled as a covariate of the respective dependent variable (e.g., the number of drinks per day in the baseline phase was modeled as a covariate when the dependent variable was the number of drinks during the treatment phase).

Updating Estimates of the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the U.S.: Estimates, Update Methods and Data

• More clinical trials will need to be conducted to better understand the efficacy of kudzu extracts or synthetic variants for treatment of alcohol dependence.
• The reductions in drinking during kudzu extract treatment were modest, but were equivalent to a 34–57% reduction over the treatment weeks; reductions in drinking during placebo treatment ranged from 5.8–36%.
• We previously demonstrated that this kudzu extract significantly reduced alcohol drinking in a group of heavy drinkers during one night of access to preferred brand of beer in a simulated natural environment (Lukas et al., 2005).

We have subsequently shown that puerarin is the major active isoflavone because 7 days treatment with this compound alone (1,200 mg/day) produced a similar reduction of binge drinking as the extract (Penetar et al., 2012). It is important to place the magnitude of the effects of kudzu extract on alcohol drinking in context. Alcohol drinking was not completely eliminated by kudzu extract in the present study, but was reduced from baseline drinking by an average of 45% over the four weeks of treatment. From a harm reduction perspective, kudzu extract results in a desirable outcome for a population of heavy drinkers, especially when one considers the other important finding of the present study—kudzu extract was without any adverse events and minimal side effects.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

There is information that suggests kudzu contains ingredients that counteract alcohol. Chemicals in kudzu might also increase blood circulation in the heart and brain. Some people use kudzu for menopause symptoms, muscle pain, measles, dysentery, stomach pain (gastritis), fever, diarrhea, thirst, neck stiffness, and to promote sweating. Other oral uses include treatment of polio myelitis, encephalitis, migraine, deafness, diabetes, and traumatic injuries.

• Fifty-one percent of adults over the age of 18 and 56% of those age 18–44, are current regular drinkers (Schiller et al., 2012).
• 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.
• Other oral uses include treatment of polio myelitis, encephalitis, migraine, deafness, diabetes, and traumatic injuries.

A new treatment for psoriasis

Kudzu root, leaf, and flowers have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for centuries. But today you can find it in the supplement aisle of most grocery stores. 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.

Kudzu Root: Benefits, Uses, and Side Effects

Economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S. 2006

Potential downsides

A Single Dose of Kudzu Extract Reduces Alcohol Consumption in a Binge Drinking Paradigm

• Taking kudzu along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low.
• In its raw form, kudzu root resembles other root tubers, such as potatoes or yams.
• When alcohol is consumed, kudzu may reduce the time it takes for it to travel to the brain.
• We recently demonstrated that kudzu extract does not potentiate the intoxicating effects of alcohol (Penetar et al., 2010) and it does not interfere with sleep wake activity (Bracken et al., 2011).
• “Investigators may not be willing to take the extra steps that might be necessary to conduct such a study,” such as extracting the critical isoflavones from kudzu and partnering with clinical researchers, Overstreet says.