Various herbs and combinations of herbs are reported to be effective in reducing cravings, but in general, no studies have proven their effectiveness. Various herbs and combinations of herbs are reported to be effective in reducing cravings, but in general, no studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness. “The most urgent need is helping people who cannot help themselves, who need a drug to help them stop drinking,” Keung said.

This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version. Kudzu is considered safe, with few side effects other than the potential for an allergic reaction to the plant.

Clinical & Medical Journals

But today you can find it in the supplement aisle of most grocery stores. They are also interested in the possibility of developing a dosage of kudzu that individuals could take once, before a night of drinking, rather than a set of pills which must be taken regularly. The damp-heat of alcohol can dehydrate the body as it damages body fluids. Kudzu plant’s ability to generate fluids helps repair this and is an effective hangover cure. Its sweet flavor nourishes and strengthens digestive organs, especially the Spleen and Stomach.

Studies conducted in colon cancer cells revealed genistein-mediated promoter demethylation of WNT5a leading to an increase in its expression in cell lines from earlier stages of colon cancer but not in cell lines from later stages [138]. Zhang et al. [139] found that dietary genistein maintains a normal Wnt signaling in the colon epithelium of carcinogen-injected mice through regulating the DNA methylation of Sfrp5 promoter. An intriguing observation on tissue differentiation by genistein-induced demethylation of steroidogenic kudzu extract for alcoholism factor 1 (SF-1) accompanied with mild proliferation of the endometrium was reported by Matsukura et al. [140]. Genistein reduced promoter methylation of RARβ2 in human cervical cancer cells, which led to increase in its mRNA levels [57]. Reactivation of yet another tumor suppressor PCDH17 by reversing hypermethylation of the promoter region was achieved by genistein treatment of gastric cancer cells but not normal gastric cells [141]. Kudzu is one of the earliest medicinal plants used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Can Antabuse for Alcohol Dependence Be Bought OTC?

Purified puerarin another ingredient in Kudzu root was also shown to suppress alcohol intake in the short term as well reducing withdrawal reactions in high ethanol preferring rats. However this effect does not seem to be due a central brain mechanism [9]. Various studies have used single, one-time doses or daily doses for a week without reported adverse effects. One study in mice found that kudzu vine extract was highly beneficial in treating alcohol-induced liver damage by scavenging harmful free radicals and boosting the natural antioxidant system (6). Another study found that people who took puerarin, an isoflavone extract from the kudzu plant, prior to drinking took longer to consume alcoholic beverages (3). Furthermore, the men who took kudzu had fewer heavy drinking days per week and had significantly more consecutive days with no alcohol consumption (2).

As expected, I didn’t really feel anything after taking kudzu until I began drinking. I recall feeling a very slight prickly feeling in my skin after I’d had a few drinks, and a mild head rush. Thus, I’m going to make sure I cover all of these topics and more so you become very knowledgeable about how kudzu works for helping people get better from alcoholism.

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Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The researchers found participants who took puerarin drank fewer beers—decreasing from an average of 3.5 beers to 2.4. It’s marketed as a treatment for alcoholism, diabetes, and inflammation. We read the research to find out what science has to say about this plant. Declinol is blended formula developed by one of us (SK) consisting of a number of key ingredients such as Kudzu, Bitter Herbs (Gentian, Tangerine Peel) and Bupleurum and other herbals (Table 1). The primary indication of this complex and the pilot study described in this article involve Declinol’s effect in alcoholism.

• During the baseline session, the placebo-randomized group consumed 2.7 ± 0.78 beers before treatment and increased consumption to 3.4 ± 1.1 beers after treatment.
• They then either took 500 mg kudzu plant capsules three times a day or a placebo for a week and then returned to the lab.
• Hirata et al. [136] found that genistein treatment increased the expression of sFRP1 and Smad4 tumor suppressor genes through hypomethylation of H3K9 and H3K27.

Daidzein combines with daidzin to form 7-0-glycoside daidzein, which is another major active component in Gegen, contains antioxidant and phytoestrogenic properties [113]. In 2012, I ordered some high quality organic kudzu capsules after reading about the potential for kudzu to curb alcohol consumption. I took several capsules per day before drinking, and went through all of the kudzu in about one month. When alcohol is consumed, kudzu may reduce the time it takes for it to travel to the brain. A slightly increased concentration of alcohol in the brain results in a quicker reward, which in turn reduces a person’s desire to drink more alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of illness worldwide (Shield et al., 2013) and has a significant impact on the health of millions people.

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. Online therapy and intensive outpatient treatment programs are widely available and can be accessed from the comfort and privacy of your home. Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) involve individual and group therapy and education to give you tools to help you stop drinking. The online recovery community expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 lockdown.

• Daidzin is a potent, selective, and reversible inhibitor of mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2), which is essential for the oxidation of acetaldehyde derived from ethanol metabolism (Keung & Vallee, 1993b).
• As with many other OTC herbal supplements, there’s little convincing evidence that the aforementioned supplements are clinically effective treatments of alcohol dependency.
• Beyond the kudzu in cures against addictions, kudzu is reputed to be effective against stress in general.
• People should consult with their doctor to determine if it is the right drug for their alcohol dependence.
• Puerarin suppressed the addictionmediated abnormalities but did not affect the inflammation-related abnormalities.
• Fascinated, we opted to evaluate kudzu in the real world, with a group of British drinkers.
• Our minds are a vast ecosystem of blooming ideas and growing life goals and ambitions.

The phytoestrogen genistein is an isoflavone found in various plants including lupine, soybeans, kudzu, and Flemingia vestita[33]. Genistein has been shown to improve the learning and memory deficits in Aβ peptide–treated rats, possibly by an attenuation in the production of nitrite content, suggesting that the reduction of Aβ peptide is related to an attenuation of OS [34]. Genistein, and the related compound daidzein, was also shown to protect neurons from HIV-1 Tat protein, which affects the cognitive processes in animal models of HIV dementia [35]. Genistein, which has a structure similar to 17β-estradiol, can activate ERK1/2 and the transcription factor NF-kβ, thus upregulating the expression of MnSOD [10,36]. Taken together, these results suggest that genistein could be an important modulator of oxidative processes in neurodegenerative diseases.

These problems may have to be addressed in future studies and may require additional therapies and neurochemical epigenetic modifications. While we only selected a small number of patients (Table 2) to study in this pilot because we wanted to capture a positive effect prior to a much larger https://ecosoberhouse.com/ study being planned in the future, we are encouraged with these preliminary results. Importantly, 40% of these patients relapsed more than five times indicating serious problems with alcohol abuse/dependence. Certainly we caution any real interpretation which must await further study.