Hovenia dulcis has been used in traditional
Japanese,
Chinese, and
Korean medicines to treat fever, parasitic infection, as a laxative, and a treatment of liver diseases, and as a
hangover 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]
In a trial of 60 patients with "
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease," dihydromyricetin improved glucose and lipid metabolism and yielded potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effects.[5]
A study of rats demonstrated pharmacological properties of DHM which suggest it would be a therapeutic candidate to treat
alcohol use disorders.[6]
Dihydromyricetin shows poor
bioavailability which limits its potential medicinal applications.[7]
Additional research is required before claims of human efficacy and application, necessary dosage, and solutions to poor bioavailability, are met with scientific validation.
^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.