Saturday, August 10, 2013

hangover relief?





In traditional Chinese medicine, kudzu—a fast growing gift to America from Japan—has been used as a remedy for hangovers. It's supposed to "detoxify" the liver and alleviate the symptoms of having one (or ten) too many.


However, a 2007 study suggested that "the use of the kudzu root is inappropriate as a hangover remedy due to increased acetaldehyde accumulation through mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) inhibition."

Say what? Well, that may be so, but it sounds like physiological body chemistry babble to me, probably involving a lot of expensive lab tests on mice forced to drink their weight in hooch. 

Yet, the proof is on the hillsides. It seems obvious to me that IF kudzu was a good medicinal for hangover relief, the fast growing invasive plant wouldn't be a problem in the South.

Now would it?

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