All of the above factors may have contributed to the negative findings of this study. 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). Thirty percent of current drinkers report drinking excessively kudzu to stop drinking (Naimi et al., 2003) and 92% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking in the past 30 days (Town et al., 2006). Current use was defined as at least one drink in the past 30 days while binge use includes drinking five or more drinks per day.
- 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.
- The finding that alcohol intake was reduced without affecting desire to use alcohol at first seemed counter-intuitive.
- Additional studies using treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent persons will be necessary to determine the usefulness of this herbal preparation in reducing alcohol use in other populations.
- The technology utilized with Declinol creates multi-layer or multi-lamellar spheres that are readily available and can transport multiple nutrients simultaneously.
- You can find kudzu root supplements easily online and in a variety of natural food or supplement stores.
Kudzu root may help treat some of the most common menopausal complaints, including hot flashes and night sweats. You can eat the root as you would other root vegetables, like potatoes or rutabagas. Kudzu roots can be dried and ground into a powder, which some people use as breading for fried foods or as a thickener for soups and sauces.
1 Alcohol Consumption
Scientists need to do more research on the safe and effective dosages of kudzu root for various uses. Furthermore, it’s likely that the suggested doses for kudzu root will vary depending on the manufacturer and the type of supplement you may be considering. There isn’t much scientific evidence available on the dosing for kudzu root as a supplement. For this reason, it’s difficult to make recommendations for various uses.
The study was done in an at-home basis to allow for better compliance and prove if this program could be successful without daily intervention in a natural setting [11]. Each subject had full time access to the study coordinator and had weekly contact with the coordinator during the full 8 week term. Subjects were all Caucasian, lower to middle income, residing in a small Midwestern town. Each subject was interviewed in person and determined to be actively drinking on a regular basis, all exceeding what would be considered normal consumption ranging from 1–2 times per week to drinking on a daily basis. Several of the subjects had been drinking for many years and often drank to or past the point of inebriation. Final inclusion of subjects was based on completing the AUDIT questionnaire that demonstrated either hazardous levels of drinking or alcohol dependence.
CNS effects
Anecdotal sources say it may also be harmful to take with medications for diabetes or blood clotting. It’s best to speak with your healthcare provider to determine whether kudzu root could interact with any medications you’re taking. For instance, it may reduce the effectiveness of birth control due to its estrogenic effects (8, 17). While scientists need to do more research on the health effects of kudzu, some studies suggest that kudzu root may have other health benefits worth considering. According to a study conducted by Overstreet 6, kudzu extract has a mild anxiolytic that helps to reduce anxiety linked to the withdrawal from alcohol or tobacco.
- This allowed them to measure the rate of drinking as well as the volume of sips.
- Research has found that kudzu can help improve insulin sensitivity, which can help regulate blood sugar levels.
- However, more research is needed to fully understand the effects of kudzu on the body.
- Importantly, 40% of these patients relapsed more than five times indicating serious problems with alcohol abuse/dependence.