Study says kudzu may reduce binge drinking

Modern Brewery Age, May 30, 2005

Kudzu, the invasive plant found in the Southern US, appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol intake among humans. Researcher Scott Lukas at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital set up a makeshift "apartment" in a laboratory, complete with a refrigerator stocked with beer.

Findings show that subjects who took kudzu drank an average of 1.8 beers per session, compared with the 3.5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo.

Lukas speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol levels and speeds up its effects. More simply put, the subjects needed fewer beers to feel drunk.