# The A-HACK Project: Addressing Heavy Alcohol Consumption with Kudzu

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $515,648

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
This study will evaluate the efficacy of targeted dosing of kudzu among binge drinking individuals with alcohol
use disorders (AUD). Binge drinking (defined as drinking five or more drinks on one occasion for men, and four
or more drinks for women), is highly prevalent in the US. Binge drinking accounts for more than half of the
80,000 annual deaths attributed to excessive alcohol consumption and its economic costs exceeds $191 billion
in the US. National HIV Behavioral Surveillance data indicate that 48% of heterosexual men, 58% of men who
have sex with men, and 40% of heterosexual women reported binge drinking (past 30 days). Binge drinking has
been independently associated with condomless sex and HIV infection. Binge drinking is by far the most
prevalent exposure linked to HIV infections. Thus, effective interventions to reduce binge drinking may function
as an important HIV prevention intervention by reducing alcohol-related sexual risk behaviors. Kudzu may be a
promising treatment for binge drinking that has been used for medicinal purposes to treat alcohol abuse in East
Asia since 600 AD. Kudzu contain isoflavones that have been consistently shown to suppress alcohol use in all
animal studies conducted to date. Among humans, kudzu was associated with significant reductions in number
of drinks consumed, volume of alcohol per sip and slower rate in drinking compared to placebo. In a double-
blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, kudzu significantly reduced the number of drinks consumed, reduced
the number of heavy drinking days, and significantly increased the percent of days abstinent during a 4-week
follow-up. Kudzu’s pharmacokinetic properties and rapid onset of action support targeted administration (i.e.,
use in anticipation of heavy alcohol use on an “as-needed” basis). Kudzu can reach peak plasma levels within 2
hours of oral administration and has a mean elimination half-life of 4.3 hours. A single dose of kudzu administered
before drinking has been associated with significant reductions in number of drinks and slower rate of drinking,
compared to placebo, providing evidence that kudzu can be taken on an as-needed basis. Despite the mounting
evidence of kudzu’s effects on alcohol, there have been no efficacy studies evaluating targeted kudzu among
binge-drinkers and no trials aimed at reducing alcohol-associated risk behaviors.
Study Design: This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 120 binge-drinkers with AUD to 12 weeks of
kudzu (2g), to be taken in anticipation of heavy drinking. Participants will be seen weekly for alcohol-metabolite
urine testing, study drug dispensing, and brief counseling for alcohol use. Safety assessments and behavioral
surveys will be completed monthly. Efficacy on alcohol use and alcohol-associated sexual risk behaviors (Aims
1-3) will be assessed using weekly time-line follow-back, screening for ethyl glucuronide (EtG)-positive urines,
and computer-administered monthly inte...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982736
- **Project number:** 5R01AA025930-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Glenn-Milo Santos
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $515,648
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-20 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982736

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982736, The A-HACK Project: Addressing Heavy Alcohol Consumption with Kudzu (5R01AA025930-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982736. Licensed CC0.

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