New Age Gathering

Kudzu and St. John's Wort May Curb Alcohol Intake


Kudzu
Kudzu root, a starchy white root native to Japan and China, has been used for nearly two thousand years as a traditional herbal treatment for alcohol abuse and hangovers.

It was first mentioned in the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica, which dates back to the late Han period.

Kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the United States. The Japanese exhibit was a beautiful garden decorated with kudzu vines which captured the interest of many people.
Kudzu grew in popularity.It became used not only as an ornamental plant but was widely planted in the southern United States to prevent soil erosion.

The problem was that the warm climate of the south is ideal for kudzu growth. In fact, in the summer the vines can grow up to one foot a day. There are many stories about kudzu growing inside people's homes through open windows, and growing onto roads and bridges. It's even been called "the plant that ate the south".

But this pesky vine may help decrease alcohol consumption.

Wing Ming Keung, a pathology professor at Harvard University, has studied kudzu since 1993, looking for active compounds that could one day be used as a drug for reducing alcohol cravings for alcohol rehab and treatment.

His research team gave hamsters alcohol or water, then injected them with kudzu extract and again gave them alcohol or water. Alcohol consumption dropped by more than 50% after administration of kudzu.

In May 2005, a study led by Dr. Scott Lukas at the McLean hospital near Boston was published, comparing the effect on kudzu and placebo on alcohol intake in humans.

Instead of taking patients to a sterile lab, Lukas and his colleagues used a real-life setting -- an apartment with a television, reclining chair, and fridge stocked with beer.

They found that male and female subjects who took the kudzu capsules drank an average of 1.8 beers in 90 minutes, compared to the average of 3.5 beers consumed by the subjects who took the placebo.

Although the way kudzu works is still unknown, Lukas speculated that it increases blood alcohol. As a result, people feel drunk after drinking less.

Kudzu is available in health food stores in capsules, tablets, and alcohol-free liquid tinctures. The dried root is also available in Asian herbal stores. Kudzu root has a bland, chalky taste. When the powdered root is mized with water, it acts as a thickener similar to arrowroot.

In Asia, kudzu is also used as a food. It is mixed into stirfries or made into tea.

More research is needed before it can be safely used for alcohol treatment and rehab. For instance, other studies have found that kuzdu contains isoflavones that have weak estrogenic activity (one of kudzu's traditional uses is for menopausal hot flashes). Kudzu has also been found to interact with the drug methotrexate.
St. John's Wort
St. John's Wort is one of the most popular herbs in North America and Europe. Although it's known primarily as a herbal antidepressant for mild to moderate depression, it has a long history of use as an antiviral, an antinflammatory, for nerve injury and pain, and as a topical treatment to promote wound healing.

Recent studies have found that St. John's Wort may also decrease alcohol intake.

Researchers at the Bradford School of Pharmacy in the UK found that a particular constituent in the plant, called hyperforin, appears to be responsible.

Hyperforin is in the red pigment that's released when the bright yellow flowers are crushed.


References
1. Carai MA, Agabio R, Bombardelli E, Bourov I, Gessa GL, Lobina C, Morazzoni P, Pani M, Reali R, Vacca G, Colombo G. Potential use of medicinal plants in the treatment of alcoholism. Fitoterapia. 2000 Aug;71 Suppl 1:S38-42.
2. Lukas SE, Penetar D, Berko J, Vicens L, Palmer C, Mallya G, Macklin EA, Lee DY. An extract of the Chinese herbal root kudzu reduces alcohol drinking by heavy drinkers in a naturalistic setting. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005 May;29(5):756-62.
3. Overstreet DH, Keung WM, Rezvani AH, Massi M, Lee DY. Herbal remedies for alcoholism: promises and possible pitfalls. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2003 Feb;27(2):177-85.
4. Chiang HM, Fang SH, Wen KC, Hsiu SL, Tsai SY, Hou YC, Chi YC, Lee Chao PD. Life-threatening interaction between the root extract of Pueraria lobata and methotrexate in rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Jun 2. 5. Perfumi M, Mattioli L, Cucculelli M, Massi M. Reduction of ethanol intake by chronic treatment with Hypericum perforatum, alone or combined with naltrexone in rats. J Psychopharmacol. 2005 Sep;19(5):448-54.

Posted by Cougar Tuesday, June 13, 2006 (02:52:43)