07.01.05
A hearty, invasive plant introduced to this country decades ago to control soil erosion could have what it takes to curb binge drinking, new research suggests. Kudzu, an ever expanding vine considered a pest in much of the South, appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol intake among humans…[Researcher Scott] Lukas’ team at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital set up a makeshift “apartment” in a laboratory, complete with a television, reclining chair and a refrigerator stocked with beer. Findings show that subjects who took kudzu drank and average of 1.8 beers per session, compared with the 3.5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo. Lukas was not certain why but speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol levels and speeds up its effects. More simply put, the subjects needed fewer beers to feel drunk.
—Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press, 5/17/05
—Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press, 5/17/05