May 22, 2005
Maybe We Should Let That Kudzu (that's theatening to overtake the house) Grow
In this week's issue of the Scout Report:
The Scout Report -- Volume 11, Number 20, In The News: Kudzu May Help Curb Excessive Drinking
"Study: Herb Helps Curb Binge Drinking
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/wire/sns-ap-binge-drinking-chinese-herb,0,179837.story?coll=sns-ap-health-headlines .....
For more than 100 years, kudzu has been seen by many as a curse on the landscape of the American South, growing up to a foot in a single day, and extending over thousands of acres of land. This pervasive plant may be getting a better name soon, as recent research has indicated that the plant may be able to help curb binge-drinking. In a recent study conducted by researcher Scott Lukas at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital indicates that those participants who took kudzu pills drank an average of 1.8 beers per session, compared with the 3.5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo. This research draws on many hundreds of years of anecdotal evidence from China, where various parts of the kudzu plant have been used in a variety of treatments. The initial reports seem to suggest that while kudzu won’t in fact turn heavy drinkers into complete teetotalers, it will in fact help them cut back."
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