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Botanical

Kudzu

Kudzu is a climbing plant of the pea family native to East Asia. Its root is used in traditional Chinese medicine and contains isoflavones such as puerarin.

Also listed as Gegen, Pueraria Lobata, Indian Kudzu, Kudzu Glycerite Liquid Extract

LongevityStress & MoodOrgan FunctionCardiovascular

Hormone-sensitive conditions and interactions

MSK advises avoiding kudzu with hormone-sensitive cancers or tamoxifen because of estrogen-like activity. Animal experiments also raise interaction concerns with methotrexate and diabetes medicines; the size of these interactions in people remains uncertain. 1

What do adverse reports tell us?

Reports include kidney injury after kudzu-root juice and liver injury after a mixture of kudzu and mistletoe. The latter cannot establish which ingredient caused the injury. These reports should not be confused with proof that every kudzu preparation causes organ damage. 1

Long-term safety remains an open question

BfR’s assessment could not exclude health risks, especially with prolonged use of kudzu roots or their preparations. A short study with good tolerability does not resolve that uncertainty. 2

In its 2013 assessment, BfR also advised precautionary avoidance during pregnancy and breastfeeding, in children and in postmenopausal women because of unresolved safety questions. 2

For information, not individual medical advice. Ingredient studies do not establish the effectiveness of these products.

Sources

  1. Kudzu Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center