How does addiction work?
Kudzu helps fight addictions, particularly to tobacco, alcohol, and sugar, and that may be its most noteworthy property. For now, only its impact on alcohol consumption has been scientifically proven. But its effect on smoking and excessive sugar consumption is being studied.
But how does addiction work? To put it briefly, there is in our brain a reward system that releases dopamine — the neurotransmitter responsible for the feeling of pleasure. It makes us repeat behaviors necessary for our survival and that of our species, such as drinking, eating, and having sex…
Some substances with addictive potential such as alcohol, tobacco, and sugar act on this reward system by releasing dopamine and thus producing a sense of pleasure when consumed, even though we are aware of their toxicity.
That’s what happens chemically, but other factors come into play when we talk about addiction: genes, the environment…
How does kudzu affect the body?
So how can kudzu help fight these addictions, especially alcoholism? It seems that its high concentration of isoflavones is responsible.
The role of isoflavones in the kudzu root is to protect the plant against attacks from bacteria and fungi… They not only have strong protective activity, but also antioxidant properties.
Among these isoflavones are puerarin, which is the main active substance found in kudzu, and daidzin. And it is these that help reduce alcohol dependence. They act notably by increasing blood flow, thereby accelerating the action on the reward system.
In short, if I take a course of kudzu and drink beer, dopamine is released faster, I will be satisfied more quickly and therefore I will need to drink less. In addition kudzu speeds up the sensation “of having had enough to drink”, and yet it does not promote faster intoxication!
Scientific studies
All of the mechanisms involved are still under study. But the initial results are promising – in 1993 the first tests on hamsters were carried out, followed by studies in 2005 and 2012 on humans.
And kudzu could also be effective against other substances that act on the reward system such as tobacco and sugar.
This study conducted by Harvard University on men and women considered “heavy drinkers” is the most significant. The researchers asked the subjects to drink their preferred beer. Those taking a course of kudzu spontaneously drank less alcohol, more slowly and in smaller sips than those given a placebo.
This more recent study, also conducted by Harvard University, has again shown that the puerarin contained in kudzu roots can reduce alcohol consumption in humans.
