Kudzu vine extract could reduce alcohol consumption by heavy drinkers

17/05/05 An extract of the kudzu vine may help heavy drinkers drink less, according to a new study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

In a unique laboratory designed to look like a relaxing studio apartment, complete with satellite television and a beer-stocked refrigerator, 14 men and women drank fewer beers after a week’s treatment with kudzu than they drank after a week’s worth of placebo pills.

Of the 11 participants who completed the entire study, “eight drank fewer beers while receiving kudzu versus placebo treatment, two drank the same number of beers and one drank one more beer,” according to Dr. Scott Lukas of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical Center and colleagues.

On average, the participants drank 1 1/2 beers while on kudzu treatment during the 1 1/2-hour sessions, compared with 2 1/2 beers during the placebo treatment. They also took more but smaller sips of each beer while taking the kudzu extract, the researchers found.

Kudzu, an invasive plant introduced to the United States in 1876 and subsequently dubbed “the vine that ate the South,” was used as early as A.D. 600 in China as an intoxication treatment. Recent research suggests that chemical compounds called isoflavones in the plant are the “active” ingredient in treating intoxication.

While the drinking pattern changed in kudzu users, the drinkers reported no change in their desire to drink when they began each session.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.