Kudzu plant extract may reduce binge drinking episodes

A randomized trial conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that a standardized extract from the kudzu plant may help adults with alcohol use disorder reduce binge drinking. The 12-week study involved 120 participants who reported binge drinking at least once a week.

Participants were instructed to take the extract approximately two and a half hours before they expected to drink heavily. By the end of the treatment, the group receiving the kudzu extract saw their average binge-drinking days drop from 2.15 to 1.42 per week. In contrast, the placebo group saw a minimal decrease from 2.15 to 2.06 days per week.

Researchers noted that the benefits appeared to persist, as participants in the kudzu group continued to report fewer binge-drinking days three months after the treatment ended. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, also found that the proportion of weeks with at least one binge-drinking episode dropped from 88% to 58% in the kudzu group, compared to a drop to 81% in the placebo group. No serious side effects were reported.