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We should all be mindful of how much alcohol we drink, and not because it causes hangovers. Women need to be especially careful because they become intoxicated faster and alcohol has a worse effect on their bodies. One drink a day is considered healthy and actually has some health benefits, but anything over that is damaging. For each additional drink that a woman drinks every day, her risk of getting breast cancer raises by up to 10%. Many people find it hard to keep their drinking under control because of their social obligations which tend to include alcohol. Fortunately, there may be a herbal remedy to combat alcoholism.

Kudzu is a type of plant that is commonly used in China for detoxification and treating alcohol related diseases. Investigators in McLean hospital examined the effects of kudzu root on humans in relation to their alcohol consumption. They tested the plant on 14 men and women to spend 90 minutes drinking beer in a studio apartment containing a refrigerator stocked with alcohol. The subjects being studied were left alone and were allowed to drink up to 6 beers per session. Half of the subjects were given a placebo and the other half was given kudzu extract. Those that were given the placebo drank on average 3.5 beers and those given kudzu drink only about 1.8 beers. The kudzu extract also slowed the pace of drinking. Taking the herbal extract did not have an effect on the urge to drink the first beer but it seemed to curb the need to drink more after that. There were no side effects reported in this study.

It is not entirely clear why kudzu curbs drinking and much more research needs to be conducted. The researchers believe that the extract may prolong the effects of the first drink so the person drinking it does not feel the need to have another.