Kudzu Reducing Alcohol Consumption

Vine that ate the South depressive effects on the drinks.

Researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., suspected of drinking can be done through the provision of drinking extract of Kudzu, pesky, fast-growing weeds are often difficult in the southern states. They knew that they were used for this purpose in China since 600 AD More recently, researchers at Harvard University and tested in hamsters, bred and born to drink alcohol, and found that rodent consumption declines.
"These results led us to plant extracts in the same test person," said Scott Lucas, professor of psychiatry at McLean psychiatric hospital associated with Harvard Medical School. He and his colleagues on the work of women and 14 men, mean age 24 years. JSC "laboratory" has been flat, in which each person was allowed to drink lots of beer, which he or she wants, up to a maximum of six years. After determining the amount of drinks per person is usually half the Kudzu received capsules or a placebo, or placebo.

After washing, called the treatment period were eliminated. Those who have attained Kudzu placebo, and vice versa. The researchers studied their own drink, I do not know who got what and when.

The results were impressive. "Who is Kudzu drank significantly less than in the control group," says Luke. "Everyone had the first drink when he got home after work. Nevertheless, it was a group Kudzu slower and less likely to reach the second or third beer. Lap is on average one or two beers while the placebo group Three or four terminated. Alcohol consumption has almost halved.

In addition, Kudzu drank slowly. "They needed more gulps to finish each beer," Lukas continued. "This tells us that they respond to signals from your brain to tell them not to drink a lot.

Thus, in the first study of its kind, long-suffering grapes great potential to reduce drinking, as it was to put five or more drinks in one drinking for men, four or more consecutive drinks for a particular woman. Drinking is a huge problem in many universities. Harvard School of Public Health of the latest survey showed that one-third to abandon half of these students, alcohol use, which promotes the use of alcohol is the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States.


How it works

Rapidly growing plant has been in the United States, in Japan in 1920 has such a way as to maintain soil erosion. Nobody noticed that the lack of Kudzu type of natural enemies that it is under control in Asia - insects and climate. Appointed to his speed, all overgrown, which was not to evacuate people, "the grapes that ate the South".

But, as you can extract the expansion of these efforts is sobriety? Short answer, no one knows. McLean, the study was not designed to answer this question. Detailed response is the theory that the herb with alcohol, you can go faster in your head.

In China, the high concentration used one of the active ingredients Kudzu's (Puerarin) health to increase blood flow to the brain and heart, especially in emergency situations. "Where is the blood alcohol goes," says Luke. "We think this caused a quick response. The brain says" enough people in less time. Less beer, be happy.

"Kudzu is not taken to those who drink 30 beers a week, and his or her as a teetotaler, but he may be from 30 to 15 week range. This is not a panacea or a magic wand, but it seems a tool for people. Reduce"