Hovenia dulcis has been used in traditionalJapanese,Chinese, andKorean medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as ahangover treatment.[3] Methods have been developed to extract ampelopsin on a larger scale, and laboratory research has been conducted with the compound to see if it might be useful as a drug in any of the conditions for which the parent plant has been traditionally used.[3]
Research suggests that ampelopsin protects againstdoxorubicin-inducedcardiotoxicity by inhibitingNLRP3 inflammasome activation via stimulation of theSIRT1 pathway.[4] In a study of 60 patients withnon-alcoholic fatty liver disease, ampelopsin improved glucose and lipid metabolism and yielded potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effects.[5] A study of rats demonstrated pharmacological properties of ampelopsin which suggest it would be a therapeutic candidate to treatalcohol use disorders.[6]
Additional research is required before claims of human efficacy and application, necessary dosage, and solutions to poor bioavailability, are met with scientific validation.[7]
Ampelopsin has been claimed to possess various health, wellness, andcosmetic benefits, including:
Anti-alcohol intoxication: ampelopsin is widely used in hangover remedies due to its claimed ability to accelerate alcohol breakdown in the liver and mitigate alcohol-induced damage.[3] However, a pharmacokinetic study found no effect of DHM on alcohol metabolism.[8]
Cosmetic applications: ampelopsin is used in skincare products for its purported ability to protect skin from UV-induced damage and aging.[9]
^Chen S, Zhao X, Wan J, Ran L, Qin Y, Wang X, Gao Y, Shu F, Zhang Y, Liu P, Zhang Q, Zhu J, Mi M (September 2015). "Dihydromyricetin improves glucose and lipid metabolism and exerts anti-inflammatory effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial".Pharmacol Res.99:74–81.doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2015.05.009.PMID26032587.
