Herb library · Herb · Pueraria lobata
Kudzu
An East Asian vine whose root is a food starch and an old Chinese remedy, sold today mainly to cut down on drinking. Small trials found it lowered drinking in heavy drinkers not seeking help, but a trial in people already in a counseling program found no added benefit.
Traditional use
A climbing vine of the pea family, grown in China for its fiber (woven into a fine summer cloth), its starchy root (eaten, and made into a starch like arrowroot) and as medicine. Chinese medicine used the root for colds, fevers and dysentery, and the seeds and flowers for drinking too much alcohol. It is now sold as an extract aimed at alcohol use, and in combination products for menopause.
What studies show
- Limited
Heavy drinking: in a small 2013 trial, 17 young men who drank heavily and were not seeking help took a standardized kudzu extract or placebo; on kudzu, weekly drinks fell by 34 to 57% and heavy drinking days dropped, with no change in craving. The researchers hold a patent on the extract.
- Limited· shows no benefit
Alcohol use disorder, with counseling: in a small 2026 trial of 19 men and women getting weekly counseling, kudzu extract did no better than placebo at reducing drinking over 8 weeks.
- Insufficient
Menopause: one 2020 trial found fewer hot flashes with a mixture of kudzu flower and mandarin peel, so it cannot show what kudzu alone does.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteIn the alcohol trials, the extract was well tolerated, with no changes in liver or kidney tests. Those trials were small and short.
- ConditionIt is not a substitute for care for alcohol use disorder. If you are trying to cut down, talk with a clinician.
- PregnancyThe sources read here give no safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding. Talk with your clinician first.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The seeds, 葛穀 (Ko-ku), are prescribed in adults for dysentery and in alcoholic excess. The flowers are also prescribed in the latter difficulty.”
Sources
- A standardized kudzu extract (NPI-031) reduces alcohol consumption in nontreatment-seeking male heavy drinkers (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Effects of kudzu extract on alcohol consumption among men and women seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy and Safety of Kudzu Flower-Mandarin Peel on Hot Flashes and Bone Markers in Women during the Menopausal Transition: A Randomized Controlled Trial (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.