Kudzu

A vine root with a surprising, replicated effect: it curbs how much alcohol people drink.

Overall grade: Grade C
Last revised: Jul 10, 2026; 2
graded outcomes: 0
references listed

A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.

1 at grade C · 1 at grade D — 2 graded rows

What is known

Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.

Outcome	Grade	Effect size	Agreement
Alcohol intakeFewer drinks/session	Evidence grade C	Moderate	mixed
Menopausal symptomsWeak	Evidence grade D	Small	low

Alcohol intakeEvidence grade C
Fewer drinks/session
Moderatemixed
Menopausal symptomsEvidence grade D
Weak
Smalllow

What is uncertain

Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.

Thin evidence: Alcohol intake (grade C); Menopausal symptoms (grade D).

The evidence in words

What it is

Kudzu (Pueraria) root is used in traditional medicine; its isoflavone puerarin is the studied active.

How it works

Proposed to rapidly increase brain blood flow and alter alcohol pharmacokinetics/reward, reducing the urge for the next drink.

What the evidence shows

Small controlled human studies consistently show kudzu extract reduces the number of drinks consumed in a session without a strong hangover or aversion effect — an unusually replicated behavioral finding. It's also used (as isoflavones) for menopausal symptoms with weaker data.

Safety & interactions

Generally well tolerated; isoflavones are mildly estrogenic (consider in hormone-sensitive conditions); may interact with methotrexate and diabetes/BP meds.

Bottom line

One of the few supplements with replicated data for cutting alcohol intake — a genuinely interesting, low-risk option for moderating drinking.

Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.

Kudzu for Alcohol intakeEvidence grade C — Fewer drinks/sessionEvidence grade C
Kudzu for Menopausal symptomsEvidence grade D — WeakEvidence grade D
Kudzu: side effects, safety & interactionsGenerally well tolerated; isoflavones are mildly estrogenic (consider in hormone-sensitive conditions); may interact witEvidence grade C
AHCCA cultured-mushroom immune extract with a genuinely interesting HPV-clearance signal.Evidence grade C

Sources

This entry lists no references of its own.

Last revised Jul 10, 2026. A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.