Researchers Say Binge Drinkers Taking Kudzu Root Extract Drink Less
Harvard University Medical School researchers say that an extract taken from the kudzu root may help alcohol abusers drink less.
The researchers looked at the isoflavone puerarin, which is extracted from kudzu root. Puerarin was selected for study based on previous research which indicated its possible utility in the treatment of alcohol addiction and due its long track record of safe use in China, where it is approved for intravenous use in the treatment of angina, myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease.
The Harvard team wanted to know how taking an extract of puerarin would affect binge drinking patterns, and to find out, they developed a study modeled around afternoon binge drinking sessions.
The Study
A group of regular heavy drinking men and women in their 20s were invited to participate in a study on binge drinking.
The research team set up an apartment with a TV and DVD player and a refrigerator stocked with favorite beers.
- During the first week of the study each subject spent 90 minutes alone in the apartment, drinking as many beers as they wanted to.
- After the first session, subjects were given either puerarin to take daily or a placebo. Each subject then returned at weeks 2 and 3 of the experiment to repeat their afternoon binge drinking in the research apartment.
- For the last week of the study, subjects who had been taking a placebo were given puerarin and puerarin subjects switched to taking a placebo, and at the end of the week each subject revisited the apartment for a last session of afternoon drinking.
The Results
- Subjects using puerarin drank significantly less than subjects on the placebo pills . In an average session, subjects on puerarin drank 2.4 beers compared to the 3.5 beers consumed by those taking the placebo pills.
- Subjects on puerarin took more sips to finish a beer and drank a beer over a longer period of time.
Commentary
Commenting on the significance of the study results, Lead study author David Penetar, PhD, said, "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."
The full study results have been published in the current edition of Drug and Alcohol Dependence
More like this
Alcohol Abstinence Reverses Brain Damage – But Treatment Must Be 2 Weeks or Longer to Take Advantage of Healing
Your brain heals quickly once you stop drinking and after a couple of weeks people start to see big improvements. Researchers say alcohol treatment needs to be at least this long to take advantage of this return of function.
Experimental Medication Nalmefene Helps Alcoholics Drink Less
Heavy drinkers given Nalmefene to take as needed reduced the amount they consumed by 66%.
20 Common Things People Realize When They Quit Drinking Alcohol
Of all the culturally conditioned behaviors we’ve mindlessly adopted, alcoholism is one of the most curious.
Intervention Text Messages Get Heavy Drinking Young Adults to Reduce Their Consumption
Researchers in Pennsylvania say that text messages may be an effective delivery system for alcohol abuse interventions to heavy drinking young adults. Heavy drinking young adults drink substantially less when they get periodic text messages containing strategies to reduce consumption.
For Alcohol Abusers, Roughly 50% of Addiction Therapists Say Moderation, Rather Than Abstinence, Is an Acceptable Goal
Roughly half of American addiction counselors now believe that moderating consumption, rather than abstinence, is an acceptable treatment goal for people with alcohol or drug abuse problems.