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Hovenia dulcis
Hovenia dulcis (Japanese Raisin Tree) is a source of dihydromyricetin (Ampelopsin) and has traditionally been used as
an anti-alcohol (/supplements/alcohol/) herb and hangover cure. At least one human study has noted that, when
taken before drinking, it can reduce circulating levels of alcohol.
This page features 14 unique references to scienti c papers.

History (/history/hovenia-dulcis/)

THINGS TO KNOW HOW TO TAKE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CITATIONS

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Things to Know

Also Known As
Japanese Raisin Tree

Caution Notice
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How to Take
Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

An ethanolic extract of 125mg/kg has been used in rats with e cacy, which translates to an estimated human dosage of:

1,400mg for a 150lb person

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1,800mg for a 200lb person

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2,300mg for a 250lb person

These are estimated human doses based on rat studies, and it is uncertain if they are the optimal dosage or not.

Scienti c Research

Table of Contents:
1 Source and Composition

1.1 Composition

2 Interactions with the Liver and Alcohol

2.1 Ethanol Metabolism

2.2 Protection

3 Immunology and In ammation

4 Safety and Toxicology

4.1 General

1 Source and Composition

Hovenia dulcis is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (/supplements/traditional-chinese-medicine/) for hangovers that is distributed
naturally in the areas surrounding China, Japan, Korea, and the Himilayas; it is also known as Japanese Raisin Tree. It belongs to the
genus Hovenia of the family Rhamnaceae and is one of three species of Hovenia, the other two being acerba and trichocarpa. This
particular species, dulcis, has two variants known as tomentella and koreana.[1][2] Both variants of dulcis and acerba have been used as
medicinal plants.

Medicially, the part of the Hovenia Dulcis plant that is used is either the fruit or the peduncles (stem of which holds the owers), and
the peduncles have been reported to have a taste similar to a combination of raisin, clove, cinnamon and sugar.[3]

Hovenia peduncles can be pressed into fruit juice, or fermented into wine or vinegar and appears to retain similar properties.[4][5]

1.1. Composition
Dihydro avonols called Hovenitins (I, II, and III)[6]

The dihydro avonol Dihydromyricetin, also known as Ampelopsin and a similar structure to Myricetin (/supplements/myricetin/),
Myricetin is also within this plant[6]

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Steroidal Saponins caled Hovenidulciosides (A1 and A2, B1 and B2)[7][8]

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Laricetrin[6]

Gallocatechin, one of the Green Tea Catechins (/supplements/green-tea-catechins/)[6][7]

The main active ingredient is usually touted to be Dihydromyricetin, although Hovenitin I appears to have similar anti-alcohol e ects.
[6]

2 Interactions with the Liver and Alcohol

2.1. Ethanol Metabolism

When administered to rats, a water extract of the fruits and seeds of Hovenia at 487.8+/-14mg/kg bodyweight with alcohol
(/supplements/alcohol/) at 3g/kg bodyweight was able to reduce circulating alcohol levels when administered either 30 minutes
before, 30 minutes after, or simultaneously; it showed most e cacy when taken 30 minutes prior.[9] 2 hours after ingestion of alcohol,
the levels of alcohol in control (ethanol only) reached 29nM whereas Hovenia pre-load reduced it to 5nM and simultaneous intake to
13nM.[9] These blood lowering e ects have been replicated in rats (reaching suppressions of 40% alcohol and 37% acetaldehyde) and
in man, where an ethanolic extract of Hovenia (0.125g/kg) 20 minutes prior to alcohol at 0.3g/kg was able to reduce levels of alcohol
and acetaldehyde in the saliva and reduce breath alcohol from 1.72 mg/L-1 to 0.24mg/L-2, or to 14% of control levels.[10]

When paired in rats, Hovenia did not appear to signi cantly in uence measured liver enzymes in rats (GOT, GPT) in either a benei cal
(reducing) nor exacerbating manner.[9]

Ethanol is metabolized to its rst metabolite (acetaldehyde) via the ADH enzyme, which is further converted to acetic acid by the ALDH
enzyme. Both of these enzymes are decreased after oral ingestion of alcohol, and Hovenia was also able to attenuate the decrease in
both ADH and ALDH activity seen with alcohol only when Hovenia was taken 30 minutes prior to alcohol, but not with concurrent
intake or 30 minutes after ethanol.[9] In this study the fruits of Mori Albae as well as Alpiniae Katsumadai and Dolichorus seeds were
able to attenuate the reductions of ADH and ALDH at all three time points.[9]

Hovenia dulcis appears to reduce circulating levels of alcohol in the blood when taken before drinking. This works
somewhat when taken during or after alchohol consumption, but is most e ective when taken 30 minutes prior to
drinking.

2.2. Protection

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The methanolic extract of Hovenia appears to protect rat and mouse liver from injuries from CCl4 as well as a

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galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide mixture, two methods used to induce liver damage under experimental conditions; this may be due
to the dihydomyricetin content.[11][12] A later study investigating mechanisms of the Hovenia peduncle (stalk)[13] noted that oral doses
of the extract at 100, 350, and 600mg/kg was able to o er protection from alcohol in reducing the increase in liver enzymes (AST, ALT),
with 100mg/kg signi cantly reducing levels but not to pre-drinking and both 350 and 600mg/kg reducing AST and ALT to levels not
signi cantly di erent than control.[13] The higher dose, 600mg/kg bodyweight, was not signi cantly di erent than the active control fo
bifendate at 150mg/kg.[13]

This methanolic extract (concentrated dihydromyricetin) of Hovenia also showed anti-oxidative capacities as assessed by TBARS (lipid
peroxidation) ferrous ion chelation (mineral chelating) and superoxide radical scavenging[13] and a fermentation product of the
penducles (about 4.4-5.8mg/kg total phenolics) administered 2 hours before ethanol daily for 6 weeks was able to prevent the
formation of fatty liver and signi cntly reduced ALT, AST, and y-GT levels relative to the ethanol group (so that they were not
signi cantly di erent than control).[4] This study also noted a normalization of serum triglycerides and hepatic glutathione, superoxide
dismutase, and catalse associated with Hovenia dulcis vinegar and water extracts although the levels of anti-oxidant enzymes were
still lower than non-ethanol control, and histological examination of the liver suggested it was not complete protection but merely a
degree of protective e ects.[4] Similar protective e ects on liver enzymes and histology have been noted against acute ethanol
overload in mice with 100, 350, and 600mg/kg bodyweight Hovenia extract.[14]

3 Immunology and In ammation

When tested in vitro, the saponins hovenidulcioside A1 and A2 (glycosides of hovenidulcioside A) appear to inhibit histamine release
from rat mast cells (an anti-allergenic mechanism) with IC50 values of 29.2+/-2.9mM and 53.2+/-1.1mM (respectively, against
Compound 48/80-induced release) and 10.1+/-3.4mM and 48.2+/-2.3mM.[8]

4 Safety and Toxicology

4.1. General
One animal study attempting to nd toxicity failed to nd any side-e ects associated with oral doses up to 22g/kg bodyweight in mice,
36.6 times higher than the highest active dose tested.[14]

Scienti c Support & Reference Citations

References
1.ApalynotaxonomicstudyoftheKoreanRhamnaceae(http://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search/display.do?f=1995/KR/KR95008.xmlKR9403869).

2.AdvancesinStudiesonBioactivityofHoveniadulcis(http://www.ksabc.or.kr/admin/contribute/journal_jabc/epaper/2004_47_1_1.pdf).

3.HyunTK,etal.HoveniadulcisanAsiantraditionalherb(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20379955).PlantaMed.(2010)

4.XiangJ,etal.EffectofjuiceandfermentedvinegarfromHoveniadulcispedunclesonchronicallyalcoholinducedliverdamageinmice(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22648047).FoodFunct.(2012)

5.ChangesinAntioxidantPropertiesofHoveniadulcisThunbVinegarduringFermentationProcess(http://124.205.222.100/Jwk_spkx/EN/abstract/abstract11772.shtml).

6.YoshikawaM,etal.BioactiveconstituentsofChinesenaturalmedicines.III.Absolutestereostructuresofnewdihydroflavonols,hovenitinsI,II,andIII,isolatedfromhoveniaesemenseufructus,theseedandfruitof

HoveniadulcisTHUNB.(Rhamnaceae):inhibitoryeffectonalcoholinducedmuscularrelaxationandhepatoprotectiveactivity(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9084227).YakugakuZasshi.(1997)

7.YoshikawaM,etal.Bioactivesaponinsandglycosides.IV.Fourmethylmigrated16,17secodammaranetriterpenegylcosidesfromChinesenaturalmedicine,hoveniaesemenseufructus,theseedsandfruitof

HoveniadulcisTHUNB.:absolutestereostructuresandinhibitoryactivityonhistaminereleaseofhovenidulciosidesA1,A2,B1,andB2(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8855368).ChemPharmBull(Tokyo).

(1996)

8.YoshikawaM,etal.AbsolutestereostructuresofhovenidulciosidesA1andA2,bioactivenoveltriterpeneglycosidesfromhoveniaesemenseufructus,theseedsandfruitofHoveniadulcisThunb

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7539722).ChemPharmBull(Tokyo).(1995)

9.EffectofWaterExtractsofCrudeDrugsinDecreasingBloodEthanolConcentrationsinRats(http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110006281669).

10.EffectofextractsfromHoveniadulcisThunb.alcoholconcentrationinratsandmenadministeredalcohol(http://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search/display.do?f=1996/JP/JP96002.xmlJP9600243).

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16/12/2017 Hovenia dulcis - Scientic Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects | Examine.com
11.FangHL,etal.TreatmentofchronicliverinjuriesinmicebyoraladministrationofethanolicextractofthefruitofHoveniadulcis(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17708635).AmJChinMed.(2007)

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12.HaseK,etal.HepatoprotectiveeffectofHoveniadulcisTHUNB.onexperimentalliverinjuriesinducedbycarbontetrachlorideorDgalactosamine/lipopolysaccharide(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9145214).

BiolPharmBull.(1997)

13.WangM,etal.Preliminarycharacterization,antioxidantactivityinvitroandhepatoprotectiveeffectonacutealcoholinducedliverinjuryinmiceofpolysaccharidesfromthepedunclesofHoveniadulcis

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22750723).FoodChemToxicol.(2012)

14.DuJ,etal.SemenHoveniaeextractprotectsagainstacutealcoholinducedliverinjuryinmice(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20673184).PharmBiol.(2010)

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