Pueria Lobata (Ge Gen) commonly known as Kudzu is a Chinese herb that has a history of use in treating alcohol poisoning. A recent study has found that it is effective in stopping binge drinking. Researcher Scott Lukas, with Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, set-up an apartment-style laboratory, volunteers were then asked to spend a 90-minute session drinking beer and watching TV.

Those 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.

Apparently none of the test subjects had any side effects. But it seems that those given the herb reported feeling the effects of the alcohol eariler and were less inclinded to drink heavily.

"It's perfectly safe, from what we can tell," Lukas said. "Individuals reported feeling a little more tipsy or lightheaded, but not enough to make them walk into walls or stumble and fall."Though kudzu won't turn drinkers into teetotalers, Lukas said, he hopes it can help heavy drinkers to cut back. "That way, they're a lot closer to being able to cut down completely."