Kudzu: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

An industry standard adverse event reporting form was used to collect information on potential adverse and serious adverse events during each laboratory visit. Side/adverse effects also were tracked on a daily basis by entries in their diaries; items addressed a wide range of somatic complaints. Because prescription medications are not universally used or have a perceived modest effect (Krystal et al., 2001; Mark et al., 2003), providing heavy drinkers with any type of intervention that yields even a modest reduction in drinking is desirable.

Can You Use Kudzu To Stop Drinking?

Additional details and photos of the device can be found in Lukas et al. (2005). 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. 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. Kudzu extracts may interact with GABA receptors and enhance the inhibitory effects of GABA.

How can I stay safe when buying medicines online?

A combination of alcohol while taking kudzu could increase your risk of side effects or GI discomfort. Unfortunately, there is not much information about the half-life of kudzu in the body. However, most of the effects of this herb are cumulative, so they mostly happen kudzu and alcohol in the long term rather than acutely.

• That will keep your body sensitive to the herb and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
• Various studies have used single, one-time doses or daily doses for a week without reported adverse effects.
• I took several capsules per day before drinking, and went through all of it in about one month.
• There isn’t much scientific evidence available on the dosing for kudzu root as a supplement.
• The arrowroot starch derived from the Kudzu plant is also used in cooking as a thickener.

Kudzu for Alcohol Cravings & Reducing Alcohol Consumption—Final Thoughts

• Because of this effect, it might also be helpful for people who have quit drinking and want to make sure that a potential slip doesn’t become a full-blown relapse.
• There’s also evidence to suggest that kudzu extracts may help improve hydration, and dehydration tends to be one of the big contributors to the symptoms of a hangover.
• One such natural medicine that has been found to be effective in reducing alcohol intake is Kudzu.
• And, contrary to disulfiram treatment, the drinking that did occur after kudzu administration did not result in any noxious side effects, increases in subjective ratings of nausea, uncomfortable, or feeling terrible.
• The ability of puerarin and related isoflavones to facilitate alcohol’s entry into the brain has not been systematically studied.
• While it does not completely eliminate drinking, it is clearly effective in significantly reducing intake, which offers individuals an opportunity to engage in more responsible drinking patterns.

However, there are a lot of supplements that claim to contain it that are mostly cheap fillers. It is known to be extremely safe, with very few reported adverse side effects. Because my drinking levels were so stupendously high in the first place, kudzu did not turn me into a moderate drinker by any stretch of the imagination.

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. For example, an older study published in 2005 found that kudzu extract reduced alcohol consumption in a group of drug addiction treatment heavy drinkers. In that study, participants who took kudzu extract consumed fewer beers and had lower alcohol intake measures compared to the placebo-treated group.

It’s also not a replacement for professional addiction treatment, which includes behavioral therapies and other approaches. 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. As mentioned, one of the main reasons people use kudzu is to help with alcohol cravings or to cut back on their use of alcohol. Regular, excessive alcohol consumption can have severe adverse health consequences.

David Y-W Lee

While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 1200 mg of dry powder daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects. Paradoxically, taking a higher dose would likely lead to fewer benefits as the body would quickly become accustomed to the herb. Pueraria lobata, also known as kudzu, is an adaptogenic herb with a long history of use for reducing the intensity of migraines and hangovers. This article is about the main benefits of kudzu, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more. They have also claimed that kudzu causes a decrease in their urge to drink.

This invasive weed is native to East Asia, particularly China, Japan, and Korea, where it has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Kudzu is a natural medicine that is extracted from the root of the plant. Overconsumption of alcohol has significant negative effects on an individual’s health and contributes to an enormous economic impact on society as a whole. Pharmacotherapies to curb excessive drinking are important for treating alcohol use disorders. While taking a kudzu supplement for alcohol cravings can be beneficial and has research-backed evidence to support it, there’s something critical to note. Changes in the activity of the D2 receptor pathways can impact the reinforcing effects of addictive substances.