Kudzu Uses, Benefits & Dosage Drugs com Herbal Database

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. Because this the first report on Declinol, we are compelled to briefly review these three important ingredients role in alcoholism including both central and peripheral actions. Stores typically sell it as a powdered drink mix, an oral capsule or tablet, liquid drops, or as a food-grade starch to use in cooking. You can find kudzu root supplements easily online and in a variety of natural food or supplement stores. Scientists need to do more research on the safe and effective dosages of kudzu root for various uses.

While some studies have shown promising results, others have found no significant difference between kudzu and a placebo. It is important to note that kudzu should not be used as a substitute for professional medical treatment for alcoholism. In 2005, for example, scientists at Harvard Medical School randomly gave male and female heavy drinkers kudzu or a placebo for seven days then had them stay in a mocked-up apartment, with television, sofa and access to as much of their favourite beer as they liked. After taking kudzu, participants tended to drink about half as many beers as after the placebo and also took more sips and more time to drink each beer. Lukas and Lee applied for, and were granted, a patent for kudzu extract to treat alcohol abuse and dependence.

Medical

In current research, doses of kudzu extract for issues related to alcohol have ranged from 300 mg to 2000 mg a day. It’s important to note that the standardized content of the important active compounds, primarily puerarin, varies among different products. Over time, if you regularly drink, you’re likely to develop a tolerance and need more alcohol to achieve the desired effects. When you stop consuming alcohol or reduce your intake, you may have withdrawal symptoms, including cravings. For hundreds of years, practitioners of Chinese medicine have prescribed kudzu root for reducing alcohol intake.

In some instances, even a single dose of kudzu extract reduced alcohol consumption and prevented binge drinking (4, 5). Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, and kudzu extract treatment is thought to influence the glutamatergic system, reducing the excitatory effects of alcohol withdrawal or cravings. Kudzu extracts may interact with GABA receptors and enhance the inhibitory effects of GABA. The modulation of this system could reduce alcohol cravings or help treat alcohol abuse by lowering anxiety levels and stress that are often triggers to drink. When it comes to how to take kudzu for alcohol cravings or alcohol abuse, we’ve briefly touched on its mechanism of action.

6 Alcohol Consumption—Follow-up Phase

Because your liver is connected to your pancreas through biliary ducts, he says, your pancreas will begin to overproduce enzymes and become inflamed, as will your GI system, your esophagus and your stomach. Continual inflammation of the organs, he warns, can eventually lead to them shutting down and then shutting off. It particularly disrupts REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is crucial for cognitive function, kudzu to stop drinking memory consolidation and overall restorative sleep. As your body metabolizes alcohol, it can cause you to wake up more frequently throughout the night, interrupting your sleep pattern and reducing overall sleep duration so you wake up feeling less rested. If you’ve made it through the Dry January challenge or are giving up alcohol for Lent, you’ve likely noticed some significant changes to your body.

Individuals who are dependent on alcohol often suffer from negative side effects such as physical dependence, anxiety, depression, confusion, organ damage, strained relationships and difficulty meeting major responsibilities. Making the decision to quit drinking can help alleviate these symptoms by improving mood and lessening the physical side effects. We had kudzu extracts laboratory tested – and they didn’t contain anything like the amount they said on the packet. A major limitation to this pilot is the small number of subjects evaluated and as such we caution any definitive interpretation of these interesting results.

Research on Kudzu and Alcohol

As a safe, over-the-counter preparation, kudzu may be used alone in initial attempts to curb alcohol consumption, but it may also become a useful adjunct to the currently available prescription medications. This latter scenario might very well permit the use of lower doses of prescription medications and thus reduce the incidence of side effects. Furthermore, because kudzu extract exerts its beneficial effects within hours of the first dose, it could be administered along with a prescription medication and provide “coverage” until the other medication begins to work.