SCOTT SIMON, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News.  I'm Scott Simon.</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: News this week of a possible natural therapy for binge drinking.      Researchers at McLean Hospital near Boston report that an extract of the      kudzu vine reduced the amount of alcohol consumed by test subjects.      Kudzu is best known as a nuisance weed in the southern United States      where it chokes off other plants.  The scientists invited a group of      heavy drinkers into a studio apartment and told them to watch TV and      crack open a few beers.  What some people won't do for medical science.      Those given the kudzu extract seemed to drink fewer beers, maybe because      kudzu increases blood flow and delivers alcohol to the brain more      quickly.</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: (Disguising voice) Try Kudzu Brew, less sips, more stupid!</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: Coming up, a story of death and survival 9,000 feet below the      ground.
New research shows that consuming extract of kudzu root may help reduce binge drinking. But the reason may be that kudzu improves circulation, delivering the effects of alchohol more efficiently to the brain.