Kudzu plant is native to Japan and China and was introduce to the United States in the late 1800s. Kudzu vine now grows well in several Southeastern states including Alabama and Florida. Kudzu is a vine that when left uncontrolled will eventually grow over almost any fixed object in its proximity including other vegetation, buildings, rooftops, and anything else in its surroundings. Kudzu vine is sometimes referred to as "the plant that ate the South", a reference to how kudzu's explosive growth has been most prolific in the southeastern United States due to nearly ideal growing conditions.

Kudzu Chemical Composition
Kudzu root is a rich source of isoflavones. puerarin, daidzein, and daidzin are some of the isoflavones found in kudzu. The exact way kudzu herb works is not fully understood.

Kudzu supplement 500 mg, Puereria Lobata
Kudzu is a thick, high-climbing vine prescribed by practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine. Kudzu root has isoflavones such as daidzein, as well as daidzin and puerarin. This kudzu supplement contains 500 mg of kudzu root extract and kudzu root, standardized to contain 1 percent daidzein.

Click here to buy Kudzu supplement, for more information, or to subscribe to a highly praised and FREE newsletter
Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics -- including kudzu -- and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Kudzu Binge Drinking
At least two rodent studies and one human study indicate that kudzu plays a role in reducing binge drinking of alcohol.

Kudzu and Menopause
Kudzu has compounds, such as puerarin and daidzein that are isoflavones. Some studies suggest kudzu may play a role in menopausal symptoms.

Kudzu and Cholesterol
Rodent studies indicate kudzu has cholesterol lowering properties.

Kudzu Recovery, 750 mg, 120 Tabs
Planetary Formulas
Botanical Support for Alcohol Cessation
Herbal Supplement

Kudzu Recovery features the roots and flowers of kudzu (Pueraria lobata), which have long been used in Chinese herbal medicine to help lessen the desire for alcohol. Researchers have identified two constituents in kudzu responsible for this activity, puerarin, daidzein and daidzin, which in animal research have been found to cause a similar effect. These are combined with coptis, a primary cleansing and liver-supporting herb from Chinese herbalism, and other key botanicals to support botanicals historically used to reduce cravings.

Kudzu Supplement Facts
Amount Per 2 tablets:
Proprietary Blend - 1.5 g *
Kudzu root, Kudzu flower, Hovenia fruit, CoptisChinensis root, Poria Cocos sclerotium, Grifola sclerotium, Atractylodes root, Codonopsis root, Saussurea root, Shen Qu-Massa Fermentata extract, Green Citrus peel, Cardamom fruit and Ginger root.

Suggested Use: One Kudzu Recovery tablet daily in the morning or as recommended by your health care professional.
* Kudzu Recovery daily values not established.

Kudu root  is known as Pueraria root (Pueraria mirifica from Thailand and Pueraria lobata from Korea). Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen and S. Almeida Pea family (Fabaceae).

Kudzu Research Update
Pharmacokinetic profile of the isoflavone puerarin after acute and repeated administration of a novel kudzu extract to human volunteers.
J Alternative and Complemententary Medicine. 2006 Jul-Aug. Penetar DM, Teter CJ, Ma Z, Tracy M, Lee DY, Lukas SE. Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
This study was done to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of puerarin, the major isoflavone found in a kudzu (Pueraria lobata) extract after acute and repeated administration. Participants were given either single or repeated doses of kudzu extract, and blood samples were collected for either 8 or 72 hours for subsequent pharmacokinetic analyses of puerarin. Results: Puerarin was found to be rapidly absorbed via the oral route, reach peak levels at 2 hours, and have a half-life of approximately 4.3 hours. The elimination half-life was not significantly altered after repeated administration. Conclusions: A formulation of kudzu extract delivers a large amount of the principal isoflavone in a rapid manner. The elimination rate constants and the mono-exponential decline in blood levels suggest that a one compartment model adequately explains how puerarin is handled by the body.

Chinese Herbal Root Kudzu Extract Reduces Alcohol Drinking by Heavy Drinkers in a Naturalistic Setting.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005 May;29(5):756-762.
Lukas SE, Penetar D, Berko J, Vicens L, Palmer C, Mallya G, Macklin EA, Lee DY.
From Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory (SEL, DP, JB, LV, CP, GM) and Bio-Organic and Natural Products Laboratory (DY-WL), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School (SEL, DP, CP, GM, DY-WL), Cambridge, Massachusetts; and New England Research Institutes (EAM), Watertown, Massachusetts.
Of the available medications for treating alcohol-related problems, none are universally effective, and all have side effects that may limit their use. Extracts of kudzu containing a variety of isoflavones have been shown to reduce alcohol drinking in rats and hamsters. The present study was designed to test the efficacy of a kudzu extract in a clinical population. Male and female "heavy" alcohol drinkers were treated with either placebo or a kudzu extract for 7 days and then given an opportunity to drink their preferred brand of beer while in a naturalistic laboratory setting. Participants served as their own controls, and order of treatment exposure was counterbalanced. Drinking behavior was monitored by a digital scale that was located in the top of an end table. Kudzu treatment resulted in significant reduction in the number of beers consumed that was paralleled by an increase in the number of sips and the time to consume each beer and a decrease in the volume of each sip. These changes occurred in the absence of a significant effect on the urge to drink alcohol. There were no reported side effects of kudzu treatment. CONCLUSION:: These data suggest that an extract of kudzu plant may be a useful adjunct in reducing alcohol intake in a naturalistic setting.

Antitumor activity of spinasterol isolated from Pueraria roots Kudzu.
Exp Mol Med. 2005 Apr 30;37(2):111-20.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology/Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747, Korea.
We purified phytoestrogens from Kudzu root (Pueraria mirifica from Thailand and Pueraria lobata from Korea), which is used as a rejuvenating folk medicine in Thailand and China. Dried, powdered kudzu plant material was extracted with 100% ethanol and further separated by concentration, filtration, and thin layer silica gel chromatography. Using the fractions obtained during separation, we first investigated their cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines from various tissues. The ethanol-extracted kudzu components (PE1, PE4) had significant antiproliferative effects on breast cancer cell lines, including MCF-7, ZR-75-1, MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3, and Hs578T. Second, we compared these results with the cytotoxic effects of known flavonoids, sterols, and coumarins from kudzu root. The known compounds were not as effective, and occurred in a different polarity region on HPLC. Third, further separation resulted in the isolation of eight different components (Sub PE-A to -H). One of these, PE-D, affected the growth of some breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA- MB-231) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as well as the growth of ovarian (2774) and cervical cancer cells (HeLa). Finally, a transfection assay showed that this kudzu component had an estrogenic effect similar to 17beta - estradiol, which activates both estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta. The NMR analysis determined that spinasterol is an active cytotoxic component of Kudzu root.

Analysis of the estrogenic components in kudzu root by bioassay and high performance liquid chromatography.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Mar;94(4):375-81.
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 161 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, PR China.
The estrogenic activity of the Chinese herb kudzu root was investigated by a recombinant yeast screening assay (YES). Isoflavones are the main components in the plant, of which puerarin is the most abundant one. The kudzu root extract was separated into four fractions according to the polarity. The crude kudzu extract and its sub-fractions, except the water fraction, showed clear estrogenic activity. The ligand potency was used to compare the estrogenic activity of these fractions. The crude kudzu extract and its sub-fractions were further analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to correlate the activity and the active components. Bioassay and chemical analysis showed that theoretical estrogenic activity expressed as equivalent 17beta-estradiol concentration or the cumulative effects are comparable to that experimentally determined by YES. The results showed that the high kudzu content of isoflavones as well as the high estrogenic activity could make kudzu root extract an interesting candidate for hormone replacement therapy.

In vitro estrogenic activities of Chinese medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of menopausal symptoms.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Apr 26;98(3):295-300.
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road No. 161, Dalian 116011, PR China.
The estrogenic activity of 70% EtOH extracts of 32 traditional Chinese medicinal plants, selected according to their reported efficacy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, was assessed using a recombinant yeast system with both a human estrogen receptor expression plasmid and a reporter plasmid. Among them, 11 (34%) species proved to be active. Polygonum cuspidatum had the highest estrogenic relative potency (RP) (3.28 x 10(-3)), followed by Rheumpalmatum (3.85 x 10(-4)), Cassia obtusifolia (3.49 x 10(-4)), Polygonum multiflorum (2.87 x 10(-4)), Epimedium brevicornum (2.30 x 10(-4)), Psoralea corylifolia (1.90 x 10(-4)), Cynomorium songaricum (1.78 x 10(-4)), Belamcanda chinensis (1.26 x 10(-4)), Scutellaria baicalensis (8.77 x 10(-5)), Astragalus membranaceus (8.47 x 10(-5)) and Pueraria lobata - kudzu (6.17 x 10(-5)). The EC(50) value of 17beta-estradiol used as the positive control was 0.205+/-0.025 ng/ml (RP=100). This study gave support to the reported efficacy of Chinese medicines used for hormone replacement therapy.

Ovulation Block by Kudzu - Pueraria mirifica: A Study of Its Endocrinological Effect in Female Monkeys.
Endocrine. 2005 Feb;26(1):33-40.
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
Pueraria mirifica - kudzu -, a Thai herb containing phytoestrogens, may act as estrogen and disturb reproduction. To investigate the effect of kudzu on the menstrual cycle length and related hormones, nine adult female monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were separated into three groups. Each group (n = 3) was fed with 10, 100, and 1000 mg/d of kudzu for three menstrual cycles. The menstrual cycle length increased significantly in monkeys treated with kudzu -10 and kudzu -100 and disappeared completely in monkeys treated with kudzu -1000. Serum follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, progesterone, and irinhibin were lower during the treatment period in a dose-dependent manner. Changes in menstrual cycle length and the hormonal levels recovered during the post-treatment period only in monkeys treated with kudzu -10 and kudzu -100. Kudzu greatly influences menstrual cycles and may suppress ovulation by lowering serum levels of gonadotropins.

Long-term treatment effects of Pueraria mirifica Kudzu phytoestrogens on parathyroid hormone and calcium levels in aged menopausal cynomolgus monkeys.
J Reprod Dev. 2004 Dec;50(6):639-45.
To determine the effect of Pueraria mirifica - kudzu - on serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium levels on aged menopausal monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), subjects were treated with 10, 100, or 1,000 mg/day of kudzu. Blood samples were collected every 5 days for 30, 90, and 60 days during pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment periods, respectively. Sera were assayed for PTH, estradiol, and calcium levels. Kudzu -1,000 had the strongest effect on the decrease in PTH and calcium levels during the treatment period. PTH levels remained low for the first 15 days of the post-treatment period. Kudzu -10 induced a significant decrease in PTH level on day 80 during the treatment period and a significant decrease in calcium level on day 75. There were no changes in serum PTH and calcium levels throughout the study period in the kudzu -100 group. Estradiol levels decreased significantly during the treatment period in all treatment groups. The results suggest that long-term treatment with 1,000 mg/day of kudzu decreases serum PTH and calcium levels in aged menopausal monkeys, indicating that kudzu ameliorates bone loss caused by estrogen deficiency.

Different effects of Pueraria mirifica Kudzu, a herb containing phytoestrogens, on LH and FSH secretion in gonadectomized female and male rats.
J Pharmacol Sci. 2004 Dec;96(4):428-35. Epub 2004 Dec 3.
Malaivijitnond S, Kiatthaipipat P, Cherdshewasart W, Watanabe G, Taya K.
Primate Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
To investigate the effect of Pueraria mirifica - kudzu - containing phytoestrogens on reproductive systems, both sexes of rats were gonadectomized and treated orally with 0, 10, 100, and 1,000 mg/kg BW per day of kudzu suspended in water (abbreviated as P-0, P-10, P-100, and P-1000), respectively. The treatment schedule was separated into 3 periods: pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment. The duration for each period was 14 days. Serum LH and FSH levels were significantly increased within 1 week after gonadectomy; and there were no changes after administration of P-0, P-10, and P-100. However, the increase of LH levels in both sexes and FSH levels in females were attenuated within 1 week after P-1,000 treatment. The attenuation of LH levels in males was smaller than that of females. The decrease of gonadotropin levels was recovered within 1 week in males and 2 weeks in females, respectively, during the post-treatment period. The increase of uterine weight and vaginal cornification were observed in female rats treated with P-100 and P-1,000, whereas only the increase of epididymis weight was found in male rats treated with P-1,000. From this study, it can be concluded that kudzu can influence the reproductive functions in both sexes of rats, but the response in females is greater than in males. kudzu seed.

Kudzu root extract suppresses voluntary alcohol intake and alcohol withdrawal symptoms in P rats receiving free access to water and alcohol.
J Med Food. 2004 Summer;7(2):168-79.
Benlhabib E, Baker JI, Keyler DE, Singh AK.
Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1333 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Alcohol-preferring (P) rats, given free choice to drink water or 15% alcohol, drank 7-10 g of alcohol/kg/day, giving blood alcohol values ranging from 16 to 24 mg/dL. Body weight and food and total fluid intake values in control and alcohol-drinking P rats did not differ significantly, while water intake was inversely related to the amount of alcohol consumed. Alcohol withdrawal after 50 days of alcohol drinking caused withdrawal symptoms such as hypersensitivity, poor landing coordination, and tremors. A daily 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 g/kg dose of kudzu root did not affect body weight and food and water intake values in control (no alcohol) P rats. Subchronic feeding of relatively higher kudzu root doses (0.75 and 1.0 g/kg) caused a 25-30% reduction in weight gain. The 0.5 g/kg kudzu root dose caused a 50-60% reduction in alcohol consumption, abolished the development of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but did not affect blood alcohol levels. The higher kudzu root doses did not further reduce alcohol consumption. Alcohol suppressed the weight-reducing effects of kudzu root. The kudzu root extract used in this study contained 150 mg/g of puerarin, 13 mg/g of daidzin, 4 mg/g of daidzein, 3 mg/g of genistin, 0.2 mg/g of genistein, and 1 mg/g of glycetin. Blood and liver samples contained mostly puerarin and a trace amount of daidzein that may have been formed by the hydrolysis of daidzin by liver enzymes. An important observation was that brain samples obtained from kudzu root-fed or alcohol + kudzu root-fed rats did not contain any of the kudzu root isoflavones. Thus, kudzu root isoflavones suppressed alcohol drinking and withdrawal symptoms without entering the brain. Kudzu vine.

Efficacy and safety of Pueraria mirifica ( Kudzu - Kwao Kruea Khao) for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms in perimenopausal women: Phase II Study.
J Med Assoc Thai. 2004 Jan;87(1):33-40.
Lamlertkittikul S, Chandeying V.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hat Yai Regional Hospital, Songkhla, Thailand.
To evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of Pueraria mirifica - kudzu - in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms. SETTING: Hat Yai Regional Hospital, Thailand. Pre and postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats. Other unpleasant symptoms, urogenital and psychological symptoms, were also evaluated. Patients were enrolled voluntarily and randomly received 50 mg or 100 mg of kudzu in capsules, once daily for six months. Of the 48 enrolled patients, 11 cases were excluded for failing to complete the initial work-up. Thirty-seven cases were evaluated. 20 of 37 (54%) randomly received a dose of 50 mg/day of Kudzu (Group A), and 17 of 37 (45%) received 100 mg/day of Kudzu (Group B). CONCLUSIONS: Kudzu Pueraria mirifica, containing phytoestrogens, relatively alleviated the climacteric symptoms in perimenopausal women. The transient negative profiles occurred in a small number of subjects that included anemia, and liver profiles. While there was a slight decrease in lipoproteins and an increase in hormonal profiles, Kudzu demonstrates great promise in the treatment of climacteric symptoms among perimenopausal women. However, optimal doses should be clinically assessed, to meet appropriate individual responses. kudzu root research kudzu plant.

[Estrogen-like effects of puerarin and total isoflavones from Pueraria lobata - Kudzu ]
Zhong Yao Cai. 2002 Aug;25(8):566-8.
To study the estrogen-like effects of puerarin and total isoflavones from Pueraria lobata - kudzu - in vivo. Puerarin and kudzu were orally administrated to ovariectomized rats, infancy or adult mice and estrogen-treated mice at the doses of 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg for 5-9 days. The estrogen-like effects were measured by viginacytology and uterus or ovary weights. Puerarin and kudzu significantly promoted uterus growth in ovariectomized rats and infancy mice, increased the ratios of keratocytes in vaginal smear in ovariectomized rats. The sexual cycle was partially recovered in dose-dependent manner. In E2-treated mice, puerarin and kudzu obviously inhibited the growth of vigina induced by E2. No obvious effect was observed in normal adult mice. CONCLUSION: The results showed that puerarin and kudzu acted as weak estrogen-like effect on estrogen-deficiency animals, while no effect on normal-estrogen level ones, but as antiestrogen-like effect in high-estrogen-level ones. These results suggested that puerarin and kudzu possessed property of partial agonist of estrogen receptor. kudzu vine

[Hypocholesterolemic effect of total isoflavones from Pueraria lobata in ovariectomized rats]
Zhong Yao Cai. 2002 Apr;25(4):273-5.
To observe the effects of total isoflavones from Pueraria lobata  - kudzu - on lipid metabolism in estrogen deficient rat. Female SD rats were bilaterally ovariectomized under anesthesia. TIP was administrated orally for 7 months. Serum lipids were determined at 1.5, 4.0 and 7.0 months, and liver lipids were detected at 7 months. CONCLUSION: TIP significantly decreased concentrations of serum TC and liver TG in OVX rats.

Kudzu Root Extract 90% Isoflavones Kudzu Vine and Kudzu Root

Kudzu cartoon
July 2007 - Doug Marlette, the North Carolina-born cartoonist who won a Pulitzer Prize and created the popular strip  Kudzu, was killed in a car accident in Mississippi. He was 57.

Kudzu emails
Q. Is it safe to take kudzu supplement and drive after a couple of drinks. I read one report that the Harvard study thought one possibility for the reduction in use of alcohol with kudzu supplement is because the blood alcohol is higher! I think I would like the health benefits of the Kudzu root e.g. menopausal effects, cholesterol lowering effects. I do drink one or two wines when I am out and drive home.
   A. Each person responds differently to wine and kudzu therefore it is difficult for us to make a prediction. Plus, there are a number of different kudzu products and each has a different dosage or combined with different other herbs.

Q. It was suggested that Kudzu might help to lower blood pressure, and clean arteries. I'm 90 yrs. and have claudication of legs.
   A. We have not seen much research on kudzu and blood pressure, and sometimes some herbs are very stimulating and may not be appropriate for those over the age of 70 or 80. Congratulations for being 90, it is not easy!!

Q. I read Dr. Sahelian's webpage on the herb Kudzu, and that it has estrogen like qualities. I am a male, and was considering using Kudzu based on other qualities it has, and I am wondering if the estrogen like qualities of Kudzu will affect my body and testosterone production?
   A. Long term human studies with kudzu and its influence on various hormone levels are not available, so we can't say. However, it is often a good idea not to take a particular herb daily but to take breaks. Hence, by taking breaks, any potential negative influence on hormone levels or other influences on organs and tissues, would be minimized.