Hovenia dulcis (Japanese Raisin Tree)

Also called Japanese raisin tree, oriental raisin tree, Hovenia dulcis Thunb., hovenia fruit extract, hovenia seed, zhi ju zi.

Best grade D across 3 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked

The short answer

From 7 sources

Hovenia dulcis, the Japanese raisin tree, is sold mainly as a hangover aid. In a crossover trial of 26 Korean men, its fruit extract eased hangover symptoms but did not change blood alcohol. Two industry-run drink trials reported slightly lower blood alcohol at some time points. A systematic review rated all hangover evidence very low quality.

Every graded outcome on this page

3 rows · line = participants
  1. Grade DBlood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinkingBlood alcoholn 30
  2. Grade DHangover symptoms after 50 g alcoholHangovern 26
  3. Grade DBlood alcohol and hangover symptoms with Hovenia blendsHangovern 25

Key facts

Hangover symptoms
With 50 g of alcohol, 2,460 mg of fruit extract led to larger declines in hangover symptom scores than placebo in 26 men with a common ALDH2 variant; blood alcohol and acetaldehyde did not differ1
Blood alcohol
A drink containing 0.475% Hovenia extract lowered blood alcohol at 0.5 and 6 hours vs placebo in 30 adults (six authors were Kwangdong Pharmaceutical employees)2
Blends
Hovenia drinks combined with kudzu or glutathione yeast extract lowered early blood alcohol and gut hangover symptoms in 25 adults3
Evidence quality
A systematic review of 21 hangover trials rated every efficacy outcome, including Hovenia, as very low quality4
DHM vs Hovenia
A 2026 systematic review of DHM for alcohol-related conditions found 22 studies, only 2 of them clinical; both used Hovenia extracts, and no trial has tested isolated DHM6
Drug enzymes
A Hovenia fruit water extract did not meaningfully inhibit major liver CYP enzymes in human liver microsomes, though its compounds DHM and taxifolin have in other studies5

What it is

Hovenia dulcis is an East Asian tree whose fruit and swollen fruit stalks are used in hangover remedies; they contain dihydromyricetin (DHM).

How it works

Proposed

Hovenia fruit contains dihydromyricetin (ampelopsin), myricetin and other flavonoids. Trial authors propose that the extract speeds alcohol and acetaldehyde clearance or dampens inflammatory signalling (IL-6, IL-10) after drinking. In the one trial without company authors, blood alcohol did not change, so the mechanism is unconfirmed.512

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Hovenia dulcis (Japanese Raisin Tree) forms compared

2 forms
Hovenia dulcis (Japanese Raisin Tree) forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 formsStandardized fruit extract (capsule or powder)Hangover drinks containing Hovenia extract
Absorption in peopleNot measured in humans; the review notes DHM is poorly absorbed in rats.15Not measured.23
GI toleranceNo adverse effects described in the 2017 trial abstract.15No differences in blood tests or vital signs vs placebo.23
Studied forHangover symptomsBlood alcohol, hangover symptoms
  1. Standardized fruit extract (capsule or powder)
    Absorption in people
    Not measured in humans; the review notes DHM is poorly absorbed in rats.15
    GI tolerance
    No adverse effects described in the 2017 trial abstract.15
    Studied for
    Hangover symptoms
  2. Hangover drinks containing Hovenia extract
    Absorption in people
    Not measured.23
    GI tolerance
    No differences in blood tests or vital signs vs placebo.23
    Studied for
    Blood alcohol, hangover symptoms
Every cell holds data from a cited page; citation numbers link to the page that holds them.Scroll the table for every column

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

3 graded outcomes, largest study first

All 3 graded outcomes found an improvement. The largest, a 2024 crossover trial of 30 people on blood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinking, found an improvement.

Bar: the ages a study enrolled (running to the edge when it states no upper or lower limit). Dot: only a mean age, counted as near your age within 5 years. Tick: the mean age inside a range.

3Blood alcohol and hangover symptoms with Hovenia blends: improved, 19–40

2Hangover symptoms after 50 g alcohol: improved, mean age 23.7

1Blood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinking: improved, ages not stated

1. Blood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinking: improved, 30 people12. Hangover symptoms after 50 g alcohol: improved, 26 people23. Blood alcohol and hangover symptoms with Hovenia blends: improved, 25 people3

1Blood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinking

Improved · Grade D · Crossover RCT, 30 people, 2024

Adults in Korea

Dose, result and source
Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
OutcomeFoundPeopleStudyWho was studied
Blood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinkingImproved30Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2024Adults in Korea
Hangover symptoms after 50 g alcoholImproved26Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2017Healthy Korean men (about 24 years old) with heterozygous ALDH2
Blood alcohol and hangover symptoms with Hovenia blendsImproved25Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2024Adults aged 19-40 with previous hangovers (Korea)
Each circle is one graded outcome on this page, numbered from the largest study down, and placed by how many people it studied (log scale). By age shows the ages each study enrolled, where it states them. It shows who was studied and what was found, not advice about your dose.

Every graded row

3 rows
Grade DBlood alcohol and acetaldehyde after drinkingBlood alcoholLower blood alcohol at some time pointsCrossover RCT
n 30 · 2024

Improved Blood alcohol was lower at 0.5 and 6 hours with the Hovenia and Hovenia-kudzu drinks; acetaldehyde was lower only with the kudzu blend at 6 hours. No differences in blood tests or vital signs.

Design
Crossover RCT, n = 30, 2024
Population
Adults in Korea
Form
Beverage with 0.475% Hovenia dulcis extract (alone or with kudzu or glutathione yeast) vs placebo drink
Dose
0.475% Hovenia extract in a drink (amount per serving not stated in the abstract)
Duration
Single dose per session, crossover
Source
Reference 2 · PubMed 39767027 (opens PubMed)
Grade DHangover symptoms after 50 g alcoholHangoverMilder hangover symptomsCrossover RCT
n 26 · 2017

Improved Hangover symptom scores declined more with the extract; blood alcohol and acetaldehyde did not differ. IL-6, IL-10 and AST differed between groups.

Design
Crossover RCT, n = 26, 2017
Population
Healthy Korean men (about 24 years old) with heterozygous ALDH2
Form
Standardized Hovenia dulcis fruit extract vs matched placebo
Dose
2,460 mg with 360 mL soju (50 g alcohol)
Duration
Single dose per session, crossover
Source
Reference 1 · PubMed 28750942 (opens PubMed)
Grade DBlood alcohol and hangover symptoms with Hovenia blendsHangoverFewer stomach symptomsCrossover RCT
n 25 · 2024

Improved Blood alcohol was lower at 0.25 and 0.5 hours with both blends; gastrointestinal hangover symptoms were lower with all test drinks.

Design
Crossover RCT, n = 25, 2024
Population
Adults aged 19-40 with previous hangovers (Korea)
Form
Hovenia extract drinks combined with kudzu or glutathione yeast extract vs placebo
Dose
Not stated in the abstract
Duration
Single dose per session, crossover
Source
Reference 3 · PubMed 39766963 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Symptoms vs blood alcohol

The academic trial (no company authors listed) found milder hangovers without lower blood alcohol, while the company-run trials reported lower blood alcohol at selected time points. The findings do not line up neatly.123

How we got this: Comparison of the three crossover trials

Very low quality overall

A systematic review found no two hangover trials tested the same remedy and rated all efficacy findings very low quality.4

How we got this: Addiction 2022 systematic review

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single 2,460 mg dose of fruit extract with alcohol to single servings of drinks containing 0.475% Hovenia extract; all trials tested one drinking session at a time, not daily use. These are research doses, not recommendations.12

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

What Hovenia dulcis meets

0 cited rows 4 tested together

Medicines 0

No medicine rows in our sources.

Hovenia dulcis0 medicines · 2 supplements

Supplements and foods 2

  • Tested together in a graded trial
Also cited: 4 tested together

  1. GlutathioneGlutathione page

  2. KudzuKudzu page

Rows as our evidence profiles cite them; links stay on this site. Line weight shows what backs a row, not how serious an interaction is. No line means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe. Not medical advice: ask your pharmacist.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Hovenia dulcis and your picks, and between your picks.

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Hovenia dulcis.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Not medical advice, and no dosing advice. An empty result means no row we cite names that pair, by name or through a drug class we can link the medicine to, not that a combination is safe. Where our sources name only a group of medicines we cannot match, the cabinet says so. Ask your pharmacist before you combine supplements and medicines.

Who should be careful

5 groups
Anyone relying on it to drink more safely
In the one trial without company authors, blood alcohol and acetaldehyde were the same as with placebo, so it should not be counted on to sober you up or protect against alcohol harm.1
People on medicines processed by liver enzymes
A fruit water extract did not inhibit major CYP enzymes in a lab model, but its compounds DHM and taxifolin have shown CYP inhibition in other studies; no human interaction studies exist.5
People with liver disease or heavy drinking
Hovenia is marketed for liver protection, but that evidence comes from animal and cell studies; a 2026 systematic review found only two small clinical trials, both on hangover. No human trial has tested it in liver disease or shown that it protects against alcohol-related liver damage.56
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No reliable data: LactMed has no Hovenia entry, none of the cited trials included pregnant or breastfeeding women, and alcohol itself should be avoided in pregnancy.123
Daily long-term use
All trials tested single drinking sessions; there are no human data on regular daily use.123
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks
Hovenia vs DHM

Some hangover products list Hovenia dulcis extract, others list purified dihydromyricetin (DHM). The trials on this page tested Hovenia extracts, not purified DHM.51

Blends

Korean hangover drinks often combine Hovenia with kudzu, glutathione yeast or other extracts; the evidence for one blend does not transfer to another.3

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, hovenia dulcis (japanese raisin tree) included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

6 answers
Does Hovenia dulcis work for hangovers?

One academic crossover trial in 26 Korean men found milder hangover symptoms vs placebo. Overall evidence is very low quality.14

Does it lower blood alcohol?

Not in the academic trial. Two trials led by Kwangdong Pharmaceutical staff reported lower blood alcohol at some time points.123

Does Hovenia dulcis protect the liver?

Not shown in people. Liver benefits come from animal and cell studies; a 2026 systematic review found only two small clinical trials, both measuring hangover rather than liver disease. In the academic trial AST differed between groups after one drinking session, which is not evidence of protection from alcohol-related liver damage.615

Is it safe?

The single-session trials reported no safety problems, but there are no data on daily or long-term use.12

Is Hovenia dulcis the same as DHM?

No. DHM (dihydromyricetin) is one of several flavonoids in Hovenia fruit. A 2026 systematic review found that the only clinical trials behind DHM claims for alcohol used Hovenia extracts; isolated DHM has not been tested in a human alcohol trial.56

When was Hovenia taken in the trials?

With alcohol. In the academic trial, men took 2,460 mg of fruit extract together with 360 mL of soju (50 g alcohol), and blood was sampled up to 12 hours later. Every trial tested a single drinking session; none tested daily use.123

Sources

7 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

7 sources
  1. 1A standardized extract of the fruit of Hovenia dulcis alleviated alcohol-induced hangover in healthy subjects with heterozygous ALDH2: A randomized, controlled, crossover trial.Crossover RCT J Ethnopharmacol, 2017 · PMID 28750942
  2. 2Efficacy of Hovenia dulcis Fruit Extract in Hangover Mitigation: Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Evaluation.Crossover RCT Foods, 2024 · PMID 39767027
  3. 3Clinical Evaluation of Hovenia dulcis Extract Combinations for Effective Hangover Relief in Humans.Crossover RCT Foods, 2024 · PMID 39766963
  4. 4The efficacy and tolerability of pharmacologically active interventions for alcohol-induced hangover symptomatology: a systematic review of the evidence from randomised placebo-controlled trials.Systematic review Addiction, 2022 · PMID 34972259
  5. 5Hovenia dulcis Thumberg: Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Regulatory Framework for Its Use in the European Union.Review Molecules, 2021 · PMID 33572099
  6. 6Therapeutic Effects of Dihydromyricetin on Wholly Alcohol-Attributed Conditions: A Systematic Review.Systematic review Nutrients, 2026 · PMID 42514290
  7. 7Citrus unshiu fermented vinegar and Hovenia dulcis fruit extract formulation enhances alcohol metabolism and attenuates alcohol-induced hepatic injury.RCT Food Funct, 2026 · PMID 41960680

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries
Dated changes to this page
DateChangeWho and why
key facts, evidence notes, who should avoid, FAQ, questions, relatedAdded a 2026 systematic review of DHM for alcohol-related conditions (only 2 clinical trials, both of Hovenia extracts) to a key fact, the liver note and the DHM FAQ; noted a 2026 trial of a vinegar-plus-Hovenia blend in the blends row; made the pregnancy and breastfeeding note an explicit 'no reliable data' (no LactMed entry); added FAQ on liver protection and when Hovenia was taken, page questions and links to DHM and the healthy-aging hub. Interactions checked: no LiverTox, LactMed, NCCIH or MedlinePlus entry for Hovenia, and no human interaction study, so the interactions list stays empty (lab CYP data are in Who should be careful). PubMed search (2023–2026) found no new single-ingredient trial.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z audit against docs/supplements/AUDIT-STANDARD.md
allInitial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page
evidence, safetyAdversarial review: single 26-person hangover trial regraded C to D; "independent" wording replaced with "no company authors listed" (funding not stated); Kwangdong ties named; added liver-claims caution (animal and cell evidence only).Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: adversarial review

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