Chinese Herb Kudzu May Help Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Recent study shows that consumption of the active compound in the herb Kudzu appears to help slow the compulsion to consume alcohol.From Health Matters

by Dr Charles Fiscella

Scientists believe they may have found a natural way to curb drinking.

 Researchers from Harvard Medical School conducting a study at McLean Hospital found that components of a Chinese herb, Kudzu, may help reduce an individual's desire to consume alcohol.
The scientists examined 10 men and women, all in their 20s, who consumed alcohol on a regular basis. As part of the study, the participants were entertained for 90 minutes each week in a room which provided a DVD player, television, and a refrigerator filled with their favorite beers and soft drinks. They were told that they could consume up to six beers during a session.

 Following the first session, the participants were divided into two groups. Both groups were given substances to take each day over the following week. One group received puerarin, an active ingredient of the Kudzu herb, while the other group received a placebo (a substance with no active ingredient). Following session 3, the substances were switched among the participants; the placebo group received puerarin, while the puerarin group received a placebo.

 The findings showed that in each case, participants who received puerarin consumed less beer than those given the Placebo. The average consumption of beer fell from 3.5 to 2.4 bottles.

 No side effects from the kudzu herb were noted.The project was led by David Penetar, Ph.D., from the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital, whose study appears in the latest issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence."Our study is further evidence that components found in kudzu root can reduce alcohol consumption and do so without adverse side effects. Further research is needed, but this botanical medication may lead to additional methods to treat alcohol abuse and dependence," said Dr. Penetar.

 "This was a simulation of a binge drinking opportunity and not only did we see the subjects drinking less, we noted that their rate of consumption decreased, meaning they drank slower and took more sips to finish a beer. While we do not suggest that puerarin will stop drinking all together, it is promising that it appears to slow the pace and the overall amount consumed,” concluded Penetar.

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/story/advice/health-matters/chinese-herb-help-may-reduce-drinking-168013496.html#ixzz283ncMhaA

Kudzu herbal pill may cure binge drinking?

For many suffering from alcohol additction, any option for help is one worth persuing. But what if a herbal supplement that could help those in binge drinking is literally growing all around? 

...kudzu may also prove helpful in cutting something else—alcohol consumption. Studies of the impact of kudzu on drinking alcohol have been conducted in the past, and this new study focused on puerarin, a specific component of the Chinese herb, to determine if it could reduce the amount of alcohol individuals consumed.

Ten twenty-something men and women participated in the study, which consisted of four 90-minute sessions. The sessions took place in simulated “apartments” which were equipped with a TV, DVD player, and a refrigerator stocked with the participant’s favorite beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

The participants were allowed to consume as many beers as they wanted (up to six) during the first session. After the session, they were each given either placebo or a pill containing puerarin and told to take it daily. They then returned for a second session.

Two weeks later, the subjects completed a third session, but after this occurrence they were given the pill they did not get the first time. After they took their assigned pills for one week, they returned for the fourth and final session.

When the subjects took puerarin, they drank significantly fewer beers (decline from 3.5 to 2.4). In addition, “we noted that their rate of consumption decreased, meaning they drank slower and took more sips to finish a beer,” explained lead author David Penetar, PhD, of the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital, which indicated an impact on binge drinking.

Read More: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/chinese-herb-kudzu-may-reduce-binge-drinking-alcoholism