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Disulfiram is a pill that causes unpleasant side effects when combined with alcohol. This causes you to feel hangover symptoms shortly after drinking. Your thoughts and emotions, your environment, and your physical responses to alcohol combine to form triggers that can lead you to want to drink. There are several ways you can help control alcohol cravings and better manage your urge to drink. Put simply, alcohol cravings are the urge or desire to have a drink.
- Penetar DM, Teter CJ, Ma Z, Tracy M, Lee DY-W, Lukas SE. Pharmacokinetic profile of the isoflavone puerarin after acute and repeated administration of a novel kudzu extract to human volunteers.
- 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 .
- One study co-author is a member of the scientific advisory board at Natural Pharmacia International.
- These are exciting findings, but much more research is needed before we can be sure.
- The body’s own process in this regard creates micelles, single layer or unilamellar spheres in the size range of approximately 100 nanometers that typically can transport single nutrients.
This article examines the kudzu for alcohol cravings, uses, and potential side effects of kudzu root. People have used kudzu root in Eastern medicine for many years. More recently, kudzu root has made its way to Western countries as an herbal supplement. A 2012 study on the kudzu species Pueraria mirifica suggests that doses of 50 to 100 milligrams of kudzu root per day have a low risk of negative side effects.
What is Kudzu Root?
Here is a list of 4 natural supplements that are just as effective as pharmaceutical drugs. While kudzu root may offer a few specific benefits, there are also some potential downsides to consider. A small case report involving 16 people with frequent cluster headaches found that kudzu root reduced headache intensity in 69% of people, frequency in 56%, and duration in 31% . Kudzu root offered heart-protective benefits to mice with burn-induced heart injuries. People have also used it in traditional Chinese medicine for heart disease, but scientists need to do more research on this . Some health companies sell the kudzu root species Pueraria mirifica as a supplement for menopausal and postmenopausal women. Kudzu root is rich in antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from oxidative stress that can lead to disease.
- Although it is widely recognized as a ground cover and fodder crop in the Western world, kudzu also has a history of medicinal use in Asian cultures.
- The protein in poultry and fish helps in the production of dopamine, which can help improve your mood as you fight alcohol cravings.
- It is better to accept them as normal and actively treat them through a variety of methods, including possibly taking medication.
- It is often touted as a means of restoring liver health and protecting against liver damage from too much alcohol.
Specifically, male and female “heavy” alcohol drinkers were treated with either placebo or a kudzu extract for 7 days and then given an opportunity to drink their preferred brand of beer while in a naturalistic environment. They found that Kudzu treatment resulted in significant reduction in the number of beers consumed. Another study found that kudzu may really “affect alcohol consumption patterns.” In this same study, people who took an isoflavone extract from the kudzu plant before drinking took longer to reach for the liquor cabinet. In fact, even a single dose of kudzu extract may be helpful if you’re looking to reduce your drinking. Kudzu is an ancient Chinese herbal supplement that is said to reduce alcohol cravings. It is the only natural supplement that is recognized by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Several peer-reviewed studies demonstrated that supplementation with kudzu can lead to a decrease in alcohol consumption in individuals considered to be heavy alcohol consumers.
Kudzu Root: Benefits, Dosage & Side Effects
This is only a brief summary of general information about this product. It does NOT include all information about the possible uses, directions, warnings, precautions, interactions, adverse https://ecosoberhouse.com/, or risks that may apply to this product.
- You should talk to your physician or an alcohol abuse specialist to find out the best approach in your situation.
- Counseling, Alcoholics Anonymous and detoxification are helpful and often necessary treatments, but current alcohol medication resembles unpleasant aversion therapy.
- Folic acid is a member of the B Vitamin family and is also known as Vitamin B9.
- Furthermore, the men who took kudzu had fewer heavy drinking days per week and had significantly more consecutive days with no alcohol consumption .
- Scientists need to do more research on the safe and effective dosages of kudzu root for various uses.
The kudzu group significantly reduced consumption from 3.0 ± 1.7 at baseline to 1.9 ± 1.3 beers after treatment. The placebo-treated group opened 33 beers during baseline conditions and 38 following treatment whereas the kudzu-treated group opened 32 beers during baseline conditions and only 21 following treatment. Research on the correlation between kudzu and alcohol consumption is still ongoing. From what we do know, it appears that kudzu can treat binge drinking and alcoholism–and there aren’t many other herbal and pharmaceutical medicines that can say the same. 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 . It may seem counterintuitive that kudzu plant can work both as a hangover cure and to curb the desire to drink, but the same elements that help ease the physical consequences may push the body to feel alcohol’s effects sooner.