Kudzu root: an ancient Chinese source of modern antidipsotropic agents

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is one of the earliest medicinal plants used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has many profound pharmacological actions including antidipsotropic (antialcohol abuse) activity. Although both the roots and flowers of kudzu, Radix and Flos puerariae, respectively, have been used to treat alcohol abuse safely and effectively in China for more than a millennium, their true efficacy, active constituents, sites and mechanisms of action have never been critically examined. Recently, we have demonstrated that a crude extract of Radix puerariae suppresses the free-choice ethanol intake of ethanol-preferring golden Syrian hamsters and have identified two of its isoflavones, daidzin and daidzein, that account for this effect. Since then, we and other investigators have confirmed these findings in rats that were either trained or genetically bred to prefer and consume large amounts of ethanol. This article summarizes recent progress on the pharmacological and biochemical studies of the antidipsotropic isoflavones isolated from Radix puerariae.