Kudzu, an invasive but medicinal plant, . . . Benzodiazepine withdrawal Syndrome -> histamine excess, Pomegranate, St. John's Wort, Kudzu & BDNF

Mother Nature has solutions for us. Some of them grow invasively, many in fact, of the medicinal herbs/foods are easy to grow plants that are invasive in many areas.

I was asked about what I thought or might do about benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Benzos act on the body in a way that is similar to alcoholism. Withdrawal from benzos may involve Retinoid Toxicity and histamine excess which can have a wide range of symptoms that seem unrelated to each other.

Summary points:

• Magnesium topically would likely help - Epsom salt soaks, 20 minutes in a bath every 5-7 days, or 40 minutes in a soak with lower legs & feet.

• Electrolyte balance - potassium intake in balance with sodium and calcium and magnesium is needed for preventing muscle cramps, tinnitus, or anxiety or irritability.

  • If queasy and hydration is at risk, Pedialyte products have the magnesium in balance - popsicles or sipping a beverage might help calm the stomach and prevent worse symptoms of pain or muscle cramps.

  • Pure Maple Syrup in water has magnesium in balance with other trace minerals too.

    • Recipe: 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup per liter of water, limit to once or twice a day for an adult. Manganese content is excellent, making it a risk of overdoing intake if used excessively.

• Pomegranate products and flush niacin would likely help reduce inflammation and with restoring butyrate producing species in the gut microbiome. Good butter is a source of butyrate which would help too, a comment from Rick Tapani, thanks! 😊 Reducing stress is also important, good sleep, sunshine and circadian cycle support.

• GABA and glutamate receptor activity is changed from chronic use of a depressant and that adds risk of seizures with rapid withdrawal, so gradually discontinuing use is important. This post gets into detail about how St. John’s Wort might help with GABA receptor function and Kudzu vine may help with other aspects of benzodiazepine, alcohol, or opiate abuse or withdrawal. Kudzu also helps promote BDNF, so this post has become part of the BDNF series.

• Avoiding glutamate and histamine dietary sources might help avoid some negative symptoms during withdrawal. (Glutamate food sources, Brave Summary) (Histamine food sources, Brave summary)

• Heavy metal toxicity is included as a potential risk for worse symptoms during withdrawal.

• Deep breathing and other mindfulness techniques might help with rebalancing brain activity and receptor activity.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can involve reduced GABA - calming messages within the brain - and overactivity of excitatory glutamate receptors

GABA receptors likely became affected from long term use of benzodiazepines, so withdrawal leaves the body set at a rate that is adjusted to chronic-use level of receptor activity - over supply of signaling chemicals. Time will be needed for the receptors to be readjusted to a normal level of activity - the normal level of signaling chemicals. See excerpt below for more details. From a reader share and request for my thoughts regarding benzodiazepine withdrawal. (Ashton, 1991) Background experience - I have seen what a combination of alcohol and benzo use can do to someone and the difficulty during withdrawal. I have not worked with benzo withdrawal alone.

Mental coping as a To-Do list item:

Life can seem duller without dopamine stimulation from an external substance. Take a walk, sing a song, paint a picture, phone a friend, garden or stare at nature in some form - a goldfish bowl, volunteer at a pet shelter. We can learn to have a variety of methods for increasing our reward and affection brain chemicals. Pull invasive plants, or harvest some of the edible ones like kudzu leaves, flowers and potato like roots.

Magnesium and sulfate:

The Epsom salt bath is soothing from a relaxing mindfulness perspective and by providing magnesium and bioactive sulfate through skin pores and at the nail beds and mucous membranes of the body.

Summary of benefits of kudzu for benzo withdrawal

Kudzu phytonutrients function similarly to Naltrexone and may help with withdrawal from opiates, alcohol or benzodiazepines, (Ozarowski, et al., 2013), or it may help with reducing the amount of alcohol that is consumed - reducing the preference or ‘need’ for more to achieve the same level of effect. (practicalrecovery.com; bbc.co.uk)

Summary of benefits of St. John’s Wort for benzo withdrawal

St. John’s Wort may help rebalance GABA receptor activity, which chronic use of benzodiazepines likely modified towards reduced activity. It can also increase breakdown of some drugs.

“Thus, the actions of benzodiazepines include not only enhancement of GABA activity at many brain sites but also decreased release of acetylcholine, noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin (Haefely, Pieri, Pole, & Schaffer, 1981). […] Any chronically used drug gradually engenders a series of homeostatic responses which tend to restore normal function despite the presence of the drug. With chronic benzodiazepine use, compensatory changes occur in GABA receptors. Such changes consist of decreased sensitivity of these receptors to GABA, probably as a result of alterations in affinity state and decreased density (Cowan & Nutt, 1982; Nutt, 1986). In addition, there are changes in the secondary systems controlled by GABA, so that the output of excitatory neurotransmitters tends to be restored, and/or the sensitivity of their receptors increases. The whole complex of primary and secondary changes eventually results in benzodiazepine tolerance.” (Ashton, 1991)

Histamine excess and Mast Cell Overactivity Syndrome (MCAS) may be a problem

So it might help to avoid histamine sources in the diet and flickering lights (strobe lights, action movies, driving at night with oncoming traffic headlights) which also degranulate mast cells. Niacin, butyrate, pomegranate peel and other Nrf2 promoting herbals or foods can also inhibit mast cell degranulation.

Histamine excess and food intolerances that are not standard ‘food allergies’ is a reported problem with benzo withdrawal, but the reason is not well-understood — hyperventilation was mentioned in the paper by Ashton, 1991. My theory is that it is related to retinoids being overactivated similarly to that seen in alcohol abuse, but I didn’t find more information on that topic - and this post got plenty long without more tangents. (Histamine food sources, Brave summary)

Glycine can be a calming and helpful amino acid for brain and gut health, and meat or bone broth are trendy ‘health foods’ now that are good sources of glycine. Both could be histamine trigger foods though. The longer cooking time of the bone broth would be worse than the shorter simmered meat stock.

Histamine release due to hyperventilating is mentioned in relation to increased reports of food intolerances that are negative for known allergies following benzodiazepine withdrawal. (Ashton, 1991)

• Hyperventilating is likely during withdrawal due to changes within the body. (Ashton, 1991) Consciously working on slower deep breathing techniques might be helpful then.

“…Lum (1987) reports that hyperventilation provokes histamine release and that the incidence of food intolerance and pseudo-allergic reaction is high in chronic hyperventilators. The effect of benzodiazepine withdrawal on gastrointestinal function and on corticosteroid and immune responses (known to be affected by stress) perhaps merits further attention.” (Ashton, 1991)

Histamine and GI symptoms excerpt, partially quoted in the text. (Ashton, 1991)

GRADUALLY Withdrawing from Benzodiazepines is VERY important, as seizures are a risk from the GABA and glutamate receptor changes.

Symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal may include seizures from the changes to the activity of the GABA receptors and other types of receptors. The risk of neurotransmitter imbalance causing seizures is worse with rapid withdrawal than gradual withdrawal which allows the body some time to adjust to the lower stimulus level. (alternativetomeds.com)

Glutamate receptors are up-regulated, so avoiding glutamate dietary sources may be helpful.

Glutamate receptors are up-regulated in response to chronic use, (alternativetomeds.com), so avoiding large dietary loads of glutamates during withdrawal might help prevent some symptom extremes. Glutamate rich foods include tomatoes and cheese and spicy nacho flavored chips or nacho sauce. Also, Chinese takeout and any fermented foods would be sources of glutamate. Fermented foods and tomato also add to a histamine burden if excess is a causal factor. (Glutamate food sources, Brave Summary)

“Benzo withdrawal inherently has the risk of seizure associated with rapid withdrawal. This is due to the up-regulated (more sensitive) glutamate receptors overstimulating the neurology once the benzo (or drug, alcohol, etc.) is removed.” (alternativetomeds.com)

Glutamate is excitatory, while GABA is inhibitory. Benzodiazepine use or alcohol acts as a depressant on the system and the body compensates in chronic use by causing up-regulation of glutamate receptors and down-regulation of GABA receptors. (alternativetomeds.com)

Glutamate is a stimulating neurotransmitter. 3 During the course of a person’s drug use, glutamate receptors have up-regulated in order to provide a satisfactory level of stimulation to the brain. The benzo was depressing the system, and the natural plastic response of the brain was to try to re-increase stimulation by up-regulating glutamate (to stimulate, to compensate).” (alternativetomeds.com)

“GABA is a main inhibitory neurotransmitter. 4” “The benzo was working to enhance the effectiveness of GABA at the inhibitory GABA receptors. This is thought to be the sedating effect of benzodiazepines. However, prolonged use of a benzodiazepine will cause the GABA receptors to down-regulate and become less receptive to the drug. This is the nature of benzodiazepine addiction. Actually the phenomenon is observable in all drug addiction. It is down-regulation of the receptor for the drug that precipitates increased use. The result is that it takes more to get the same effect.” (alternativetomeds.com)

Heavy metal toxicity may be an exacerbating factor - pomegranate peel could help with that, and Epsom salt soaks may help by providing bioactive sulfate.

At AlternativeToMeds.com, they suggest heavy metal toxicity like mercury is part of the symptoms and recommend a chelation treatment. (alternativetomeds.com)

My thoughts:

• Pomegranate peel helps the body remove heavy metals, it contains chelating phytonutrients. Discussed in the last post.

• Methylation support nutrients would also help support detoxification of heavy metals.

• Adequate protein helps support glutathione production, cysteine and methionine is needed along with glutamate, and Nrf2 promoting foods like omega 3 fatty acids and herbals.

• Sulfur containing phytonutrients or Epsom salt baths also help with sulfation which is part of detox. Cruciferous veggies have sulfur rich phytonutrients which are also Nrf2 promoting.

• Drinking adequate water is important for detoxification and not overeating or snacking all day and evening also helps. The body does better with ‘shift work’ - eating followed by ~ 4 hours to digest, then eat again, and have a 8-12 hour break from food during the night.

St. John's Wort might help modulate GABA receptor underactivity.

St John's Wort did help with opium withdrawal in an animal-based study - a reference used in this article, no Abstract available - Herbal detox - Benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment with the help of St. John's Wort? (Moeller, et al., 2019).

Hyperforin, a phytonutrient in St. John's Wort, (SJW), activate TRPC6 ion channels and that affects serotonin receptor activity. The number of serotonin (5-HT) receptors was increased in a study on rat brains when hyperforin was given. See excerpt below for more detail. (Klemow, et al., 2011)

Hyperforin, a phytonutrient found in St. John’s Wort, (SJW), seems to affect serotonin receptor function by activating TRPC6 ion channels. The number of serotonin receptors (5-HT receptors) is increased in studies on rat brains when hyperforin is provided. (Klemow, et al., 2011)

And St John's Wort induces expression of CYP 3A4 enzyme, (jamanetwork.com), which would increase breakdown of benzodiazepines (and other toxins) in the liver. (goodrx.com)

“St. John’s Wort induces CYP 3A4 and P-glycoprotein expression in vitro and in vivo.” (jamanetwork.com)

This standard medication used, flumazenil, is for during an overdose or current use of benzodiazepine rather than for managing withdrawal. (Benzodiazepine Toxicity)

Yes, alcohol withdrawal and benzodiazepine withdrawal has similarities. Brainy people use benzodiazepines to “aid” in alcohol withdrawal, but that has had the unfortunate side effect of benzodiazepine withdrawal later. And that tends to be worse than alcohol withdrawal. See excerpted screenshots below. (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

(Bharathi, et al., 2021)

(Bharathi, et al., 2021)

From a paper with an extensive list of research on different herbals that have been studied for use with alcohol withdrawal syndrome. (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

(Bharathi, et al., 2021)

Combining alcohol and benzodiazepines is dangerous as they have additive effects on the body. Combined alcohol and benzodiazepine abuse can take passed out drunk to a new level of drooling comatose behavior. I could no longer get drunk person to get up and go to bed - but the benzos were kept a secret, so I didn’t know what had changed. Sleeping it off in the LazyBoy becomes an inevitability. It would take small construction equipment to move the passed-out person. Unfastening the overtight belt, though, is a mercy in my opinion, and medically helpful. #LifeLessons

That might seem taboo to discuss, however, passing out is a discussion that is needed. A neighbor had lost their young adult son to drunkenness. He passed out on a porch and his friends just left him there. He froze to death, if I remember correctly, rather than it being a medical emergency. I am not sure though.

The article by Bharathi, et al., 2021, is a treasure trove of research on herbs trialed for alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which to me seems like it would have similar problems as benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Hypericum, St John's Wort is mentioned in that paper, I think as Hypericumper foratum Hypericaceae. (Coskun et al., 2006, cited by Bharathi, et al., 2021)

Use of St. John’s Wort for alcohol withdrawal (animal-based study) decreased locomotor hyperactivity and stereotypical behavior [associated with alcohol withdrawal syndrome or a normal rodent?]. (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

Hypericumper foratum Hypericaceae, ariel parts, 25, 50, 100 and 200/PO [by mouth], (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

“Decreased locomotor hyperactivity. Reduction in the stereotype behavior.” (Coskun et al., 2006) (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

BDNF was measured in a study with a different herb called Pueraria montana var Fabaceae. (Jiang et al., 2021, cited by Bharathi, et al., 2021) What is it? Kudzu vine….oh. We have no shortage of that in the southern states and elsewhere. It is a very invasive vine. Old cars and outbuildings can be lost under Kudzu vine. The rest of this post…. can be lost under Kudzu vine.

Pueraria montana var Fabaceae flowers [lobata is of that same family] (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

Helped ameliorate depression and anxiety in male Kunming mice vita brain hippocampal expression of BDNF. (Jiang, et al., 2021) (Bharathi, et al., 2021)

Pueraria montana var. lobata (Kudzu vine) root extract is an Nrf2 promoter. Which was observed in a study finding the extract inhibited photoaging on skin by promoting the Nrf2 pathway. (Heo, et al., 2019) The FDA could not ban Kudzu.

Kudzu is used against liver disease and grown for food and medicinal use elsewhere but in the US, it crowds out native species and can kill trees by blocking sunlight and overburdening it with weight from the vines.

“A variety of natural active products, including puerarin, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, and soyasaponin, have been isolated and identified from pueraria lobata. A large number of studies have shown that various natural active products of pueraria lobata can play a protective role in different types of liver diseases by regulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, lipid metabolism, etc.” (He, et al., 2021)

WebMD says caution if liver disease is a problem but (He, et al., 2021) says Kudzu may be protective in some types of liver disease.

“A variety of natural active products, including puerarin, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, and soyasaponin, have been isolated and identified from pueraria lobata. A large number of studies have shown that various natural active products of pueraria lobata can play a protective role in different types of liver diseases by regulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, lipid metabolism, etc.” (He, et al., 2021)

⚠️ Caution is advised against using kudzu if there is liver disease or a history of it, or if taking a medication to prevent blood clotting. Kudzu may affect metabolism of some medications leading to reduced effectiveness. See for a list of precautions: (webmed.com) Also, people who are taking tamoxifen or have an estrogen dependent cancer should avoid use of kudzu, or those who are using a hormonal based birth control method for the purpose of birth control. (mskcc.org; healthline.com)) Kudzu has estrogenic effects, seen in animal and human studies, which may be the Nrf2 promoting phytonutrients too. Genestein and resveratrol are both estrogenic Nrf2 promoters.

Kudzu crowds out native species in the southern states of the US. Credit: James H. Miller; USDA, Forest Service (invasivespeciesinfo.gov)

Time to start eating Kudzu… except for the seeds and seed pods, all parts of the plant are non-toxic and edible at different seasons of growth.

Kudzu is edible. Why aren’t we eating it? by Christopher Hassiotis, Aug. 1, 2018, ajc.com.

Search engine summary, Bing.

So, if we want to improve our BDNF levels and reduce withdrawal symptoms from benzodiazepine or alcohol, then we should take a walk in the sunshine harvesting some Kudzu root for dinner and medicinal extracts, and maybe also, pulling up some extra as an invasive plant control assistant to Mother Nature.

“The plant is a trailing vine that often grows over other plants and trees. As such, some people consider it to be an invasive weed.

For over 2,000 years, people have used kudzu root in traditional Chinese medicine for purposes like treating fevers, diarrhea, and even diabetes and heart disease (1Trusted Source).

In its raw form, kudzu root resembles other root tubers, such as potatoes or yams. It has tan skin, white flesh, and an oblong shape.

The kudzu plant resembles poison ivy, so it’s important to know how to identify it correctly.” (healthline.com)

Kudzu root - potato like and medicinal. It can be made into a flour-like starchy powder. Nicknames include “longevity powder” and “Asian ginseng”. The leaves are edible as a cooked green vegetable and the flowers are also edible, smelling like grapes, but with a taste of sweet peas. (civileats.com)

• Kudzu oxalate and salicylate content are not available on this extensive list. (oxalate/salicylate food list Pdf), no source given; nice list though. It looks like Julie Matthews special diet database of foods because GFCF and SCD status for the foods are included.

Extract of Kudzu potentially may be acting through opioid system antagonism, “influencing the opioid receptors mi and delta and the expression of opioid precursors (proopiomelanocortin), similarly to Naltrexone.” (Ozarowski, et al., 2013) Ironically.

Ironic, people dying from opioid, and a plant version of Naltrexone is covering the south with edible greens and starchy potato roots that have such medicinal benefits, kudzu root has the nickname of “longevity powder” and “Asian Ginseng”.

“Is kudzu like naltrexone?” “Moreover, studies on the CNS receptor gene expression showed that the extract of kudzu possibly acts through opioid system and exhibits antagonist activity by influencing the opioid receptors mi, delta and the expression of the endogenous opioid precursors (proopiomelanocortin) similarly as naltrexone.” (Ozarowski, et al., 2013)

Human trials have found a reduction in beer consumption when kudzu root extract was given. Diadzin is the active phytonutrient, and the effect is similar to the anti-drinking drug Antabuse. Less was drunk with slower pace of drinking and smaller amounts consumed with a swallow. (practicalrecovery.com) That is interesting. Isoflavones may be phytonutrients that promote slower intake as they speed up the effect of alcohol within the brain. (bbc.co.uk)

Why aren't we eating this in the US instead of importing kudzu root flour from Asia as a specialty item?

A tree half covered with Kudzu vines. That hillside would be full of potato like roots. Photo by Justin Wilkens on Unsplash

Kudzu flowers hide under the canopy of leaves, so we won’t see a season with purple flowers covering hillsides and trees. They hang underneath more like the bunches of grapes which they also resemble in fragrance. They are edible with a taste more like snow peas than grapes.

The flowers smell like grapes but hide beneath the canopy of green leaves. Photo by Leo Chane on Unsplash

Kudzu resorts - Bed and Breakfasts with a service element.

So, people who think we need more ‘black jobs’ or more jobs in general, start digging Kudzu tubers and harvesting the leaves and flowers for cooked vegetable use. The produce could be sold to local restaurants or at farm markets. People with property covered in Kudzu vine could also set up a camp-like atmosphere and have paying guests who come and help harvest the medicinal Kudzu and who get to eat medicinal meals while staying at the Kudzu Bed & Breakfast/summer camp.

The moist south is covered with Kudzu vine as brainy people planted it for erosion control - and it took off in moist and sunny areas, crowding out native plants.

Crown Vetch is an erosion control plant that won’t drown trees. It can tolerate partial shade or sun and does okay with drought, bad soil, and hillsides. (Brave AI summary) So, as the Kudzu vine is being dug up, replant the area with Crown Vetch to try to out compete the invasive (but medicinal and edible) vine.

• Kudzu recipes include jelly and tea made with the flower blossoms, and green veggie dishes from the leaves, and potato like dishes made with the roots. (Brave AI summary) Bon Appetit!

• Avoiding glutamate and histamine dietary sources might help avoid some negative symptoms. (Glutamate food sources, Brave Summary) (Histamine food sources, Brave summary)

Summary of benefits of kudzu for benzo withdrawal - it functions similarly to Naltrexone and may help with withdrawal from opiates, alcohol or benzodiazepines, (Ozarowski, et al., 2013), or it may help with reducing the amount of alcohol that is consumed - reducing the preference or ‘need’ for more to achieve the same level of effect. (practicalrecovery.com; bbc.co.uk)

Summary of benefits of St. John’s Wort for benzo withdrawal - it may help rebalance GABA receptor activity, which chronic use of benzodiazepines likely modified towards reduced activity.

Series on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which supports brain cells and promotes new growth of hippocampal brain cells - protecting us from Alzheimer’s dementia risk: (Part 1 niacin, butyrate, EGCG and BDNF) (Part 2 exercise & butyrate producing microbes) (Part 3 kynurenine pathway, tryptophan, butyrate producing microbes and peaceful thinking) (This post, Pomegranate peel, ALCAR & BDNF, Part 4)

Disclaimer This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health guidance.

Reference List

(alternativetomeds.com) https://www.alternativetomeds.com/blog/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-and-heavy-metal-toxicity/

(Ashton, 1991) https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sdl5gnq0251481vg3ki0s/1-s2.0-0740547291900234-main.pdf?rlkey=2684ig5qyx26zx3xxl7ess5jr&dl=0 Pdf in my Dropbox (it works on my phone)

(bbc.co.uk) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1V112xmHFxwYpvSPQHTnxgX/will-kudzu-supplement-pills-make-me-drink-less-alcohol

(Benzodiazepine Toxicity) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482238/#:~:text=While%20the%20mainstay%20treatment%20of,can%20reverse%20benzodiazepine%2Dinduced%20sedation.

(Bharathi, et al., 2021) Bharathi, G., Lalitha, V., Sethumathi, P.P., Sivakumar, T., Selvi, P.P., Kavitha, M., & Kumar, R.K. (2021). Plants and their derivatives as potential source in treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and other treatment strategies: A review. Annals of Phytomedicine: An International Journal. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6ws3larxvm53auzl3xs7z/APM-review.pdf?rlkey=r74kwu3jmo3tedwjzwimni8qa&dl=0

(goodrx.com) https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/supplements-herbs/st-johns-wort-interactions.

(He, et al., 2021) He H, Peng S, Song X, Jia R, Zou Y, Li L, Yin Z. Protective effect of isoflavones and triterpenoid saponins from pueraria lobata on liver diseases: A review. Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Dec 10;10(1):272-285. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.2668. PMID: 35035928; PMCID: PMC8751448. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.2668

(Heo, et al., 2019) Heo HS, Han GE, Won J, Cho Y, Woo H, Lee JH. Pueraria montana var. lobata root extract inhibits photoaging on skin through Nrf2 pathway. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019 Apr 28;29(4):518-526. doi: 10.4014/jmb.1812.12019. PMID: 30954034. https://www.jmb.or.kr/journal/view.html?doi=10.4014/jmb.1812.12019

https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/kudzu

(jamanetwork.com) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/197306

(Klemow, et al., 2011) Klemow KM, Bartlow A, Crawford J, et al. Medical Attributes of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 11. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92750/

Kudzu (civileats.com) civileats.com, https://civileats.com/2024/04/02/cooking-kudzu-the-invasive-species-is-on-the-menu-in-the-south/

(Moeller, et al., 2019) Moeller S, Sitter A, Darrelmann UG, Philipsen A, Müller HHO, Wang R, Olek A. Herbal detox - Benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment with the help of St. John's Wort? Asian J Psychiatr. 2019 Oct;45:26-27. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.08.006. Epub 2019 Aug 23. PMID: 31472310. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31472310/

mskcc.org, https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/kudzu

(oxalate/salicylate food list Pdf), no source given. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tkhpxprjxqfwn4z4moggl/alph_oxstat_chart.pdf?rlkey=r438vrihh36yfn5gi04n0d7bh&dl=0 nice list though. It looks like Julie Matthews special diet database of foods because GFCF and SCD status for the foods are included.

(Ozarowski, et al., 2013) Ozarowski M, Mikołajczak PŁ, Thiem B. Rośliny lecznicze stosowane w fitoterapii uzaleinień od nikotyny lub alkoholu--implikacje dla zastosowania roślinnych kultur in vitro [Medicinal plants in the phytotherapy of alcohol or nicotine addiction. Implication for plants in vitro cultures]. Przegl Lek. 2013;70(10):869-74. Polish. PMID: 24501814. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24501814/.

(practicalrecovery.com) https://www.practicalrecovery.com/kudzu-vine-extract-may-prove-useful-in-alcohol-treatment/.