Scientists and doctors are currently in the process of confirming all the potential health benefits of kudzu.

Here’s a bit of a warning though. Since it can be used as a treatment for different aches and pains, is it advisable to grab a kudzu leaf and boil it for tea? That might not be a great idea.

You see, farmers usually spray these vines with pesticides and herbicides to control any potential infestation. Boiling any part of this plant for tea may be dangerous to your health.

If you are interested in using kudzu as a form of treatment, the best way to get about that is to purchase kudzu supplements.

People in Asia (e.g. Japan and China) use kudzu as a treatment for a variety of health conditions. They are used for diabetes, heart disease, and alcoholism.

At the moment, experts still don’t know everything there is about kudzu leaf, but there is enough evidence to suggest its potential health benefits. For instance, it is suggested that there are compounds from the leaf that can counteract alcohol.

Studies also show that extracts from this vine contain phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant based estrogen-like compounds that may be beneficial for treating menopause symptoms.

There are also other health benefits that may be derived from kudzu, including:

• Fever treatment
• Common cold remedy
• May help with symptoms of metabolic syndrome

In the next section, we will go over some of the potential medical uses of kudzu when used as an herbal treatment and as a supplement.

This is probably the most popular use for kudzu leaf, and one of its main uses in traditional medicine.

Take note that drinking kudzu concoctions and teas will not curb any alcohol craving. Instead, studies suggest that drinking concoctions or capsules with kudzu may help reduce alcohol consumption.

In some of these studies, test subjects were made to take kudzu supplement capsules for seven days prior to consuming alcohol. They were then made to drink beer for 90 minutes.

The results showed that they were only able to consume around 1.8 beers within that timeframe. Another group—those who were given a placebo—consumed an average of 3.5 beers.

These results seem quite promising for people with drinking issues, especially binge drinkers. It might boost their recovery and help them drink less in case they do give in to their urges.

So, how does kudzu leaf help reduce alcohol consumption? Researchers suggest that it may be due to the plant’s daidzein and daidzin content (two compounds from the isoflavones group).

These isoflavones affect the enzymes in the liver. When you take kudzu products regularly and then you consume alcohol, your liver will produce acetaldehyde.

Acetaldehyde has a powerful impact which triggers the usual reactions when you have taken too much alcohol. You begin to feel nauseated, your face becomes flushed, and you feel a lot of discomfort.

This overall negative reaction to drinking beer and alcohol is the trigger for people to stop drinking. Note that both daidzin and daidzein are the same compounds used in actual medication disulfiram, which is sold as the brand name drug Antabuse.

Experts warn us that inflammation is something that no one should take lightly. It can contribute to more serious medical conditions such as diabetes and cancer.

There are extracts from kudzu leaf have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.