Kudzu Recovery Mechanism for Alcoholism: How It Works

The major dependent variable was self-reported alcohol consumption as measured via the wrist actigraphy device. Using the continuous measure of alcohol consumption, drinking was quantified using a number of different variables as noted above. In addition, responses to the audible prompts multiple times a day were used to assess desire to consume alcohol. Participants filled kudzu to stop drinking out a daily diary every morning as soon as possible upon awakening. Three questions asked them to report how many alcoholic drinks, tobacco cigarettes and caffeinated beverages they consumed and two questions asked about bedtime and wake time. The ability of puerarin and related isoflavones to facilitate alcohol’s entry into the brain has not been systematically studied.

However, these studies were conducted on lone individuals drinking within highly controlled laboratory conditions. In China, it has been used to treat alcoholism since 600AD, and Western medicine is starting to take notice of this herbal remedy. It can be tricky to handle social situations as you cut back on drinking, especially if you’re around other people who are drinking or who are used to seeing you drink.

Kudzu Root Extract Does Not Perturb the Sleep/Wake Cycle of Moderate Drinkers

Keung, not directly involved in Lukas’ study, said he has extracted a compound from kudzu root that he hopes to turn into a drug for reducing alcoholics’ cravings. Lukas was not certain why but speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol levels and speeds up its effects. It’s important to note that these studies used kudzu extract, which may have contained other parts of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the kudzu plant besides the root. Thus, scientists need to do more research in this area on the effects of kudzu root specifically. The BDI and BAI scores remained unchanged during the course of treatment with both kudzu extract and placebo. The BDI for the kudzu extract-treated participants was 1.78 ± 2.11 and 2.63 ± 2.50 at baseline and during treatment, respectively.

Prior studies of its antidipsotropic effect have focused on taste-aversion, alterations in alcohol metabolism or effects on neurotransmitters. Overstreet et al.’s (1998) study provides cursory evidence that a taste aversion mechanism is not likely. Increases in 5-HIAL have been shown to be correlated with decreased alcohol consumption in hamsters (Keung et al., 1995).

7 Desire for Alcohol

The volunteers were all friends, and so were likely to enjoy a relaxed evening’s drinking. The first thing you have to do is take a step back and evaluate your habits. That means looking at your relationship with alcohol so you can understand why you drink, when you drink and how much you drink. There’s no one right way to go about quitting drinking; it’s all about figuring out what works for you and your lifestyle, starting with a plan.