But kudzu doesn’t seem to decrease the craving for alcohol or improve sobriety in people with alcohol use disorder. People use kudzu for alcohol use disorder, heart disease, diabetes, menopausal symptoms, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. They are now studying a single large dose before a planned drinking session to see if it works, too. After placebo treatment, three people drank five beers and one drank six. However, studies looking at the effects of kudzu extracts have produced mixed findings, Penetar says. In one pharmacokinetic profile study, the isoflavone puerarin was rapidly absorbed after oral administration, reaching peak levels in 2 hours.

From the small intestine, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ travels in the blood to the brain without being metabolized. Most of the puerarin eliminated is unchanged, but a small amount is metabolized in the liver by cytochrome p450 and through conjugation to daidzein. The authors speculate that a delay in gastric emptying due to the increased bulk of the 4 capsules taken in the acute 2 g dose study may explain the unusual increase in Tmax, compared with the acute 1 g dose. The results also indicate a one-compartment pharmacokinetic profile for puerarin.

Can You Use Kudzu for Alcoholism?

Differences in structure between flavones and isoflavones. Whereas the B-ring in flavones is in the 2-position (e.g., apigenin, A), for isoflavones it is in the 3-position (e.g., genistein, B). The isoflavone glucoside conjugates are easily altered during extraction, processing, and cooking. However, the total concentration of isoflavones does not change.

Another study suggests that kudzu extract can reduce intake during binge drinking. Those who used kudzu in one study drank fewer beers at slower rates than those who did not . While the blood flow theory of kudzu for alcoholism may be true, there is likely more going on here.

Kudzu Recovery: Research Studies

In addition, morphological and anatomical identification kudzu extract for alcoholism of kudzu have been performed. Numerous reports have identified chemical constituents in various plant parts of kudzu. The last study above was designed to test the hypothesis that kudzu accelerates the subjective experience of alcohol intoxication. If this were the primary effect of kudzu increasing blood flow, then subjects should feel more intoxicated with fewer drinks after taking kudzu. Taking kudzu will not turn an alcoholic into a nondrinker overnight. Nor will it drastically enhance your quality of life after the first dose.