Supplement

Dihydromyricetin (DHM)

Antioxidant · DHM, ampelopsin, Hovenia dulcis, Japanese raisin tree, Ampelopsis grossedentata

Dihydromyricetin, DHM for short, is the active ingredient behind many anti-hangover products. The idea comes from a rat study in which DHM counteracted the effects of alcohol at the GABA-A receptor, and in humans there are two small randomized studies in fatty liver with falling liver values. Against hangover, only extracts of the Japanese raisin tree have been tested so far, not DHM on its own.

What dihydromyricetin is

DHM, also called ampelopsin, is a flavonoid. It is the main active compound of Ampelopsis grossedentata, a plant that has been used in China for centuries as a food and medicinal plant (Chen 2015). The fruits of the Japanese raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis) also contain DHM, there in small amounts alongside myricetin and quercetin (EFSA 2020). In East Asian medicine, Hovenia has traditionally been regarded as a remedy for drunkenness (Paik 2024).

In the BK-Score, human evidence stands at 3 out of 10 points. This axis rates the state of knowledge, not the substance. For hangover, which is what DHM is mainly sold for, there is no human study with the single compound.

How it works

Shen 2012 gave rats DHM as an injection into the abdominal cavity. It counteracted acute effects of alcohol, eased withdrawal signs such as tolerance, anxiety and seizure susceptibility, and reduced voluntary alcohol consumption. In nerve cells, DHM blocked the alcohol-enhanced activity of GABA-A receptors and their remodeling after alcohol; the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil abolished the effects. DHM therefore acts at the benzodiazepine binding site of the receptor.

A 2026 systematic review also describes less oxidative stress, less inflammation and less alcohol-induced fatty liver in cell and animal experiments, via signaling pathways such as Nrf2 and AMPK. The findings on alcohol metabolism and on behavior, by contrast, were inconsistent (Skinner 2026). Whether DHM reaches the same pathways in humans at usual amounts has not been studied.

What is well supported

Falling liver values in fatty liver. In 60 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, ALT, AST, GGT, blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and insulin resistance fell more under DHM over 3 months than under placebo (Chen 2015).
Confirmation in a second study. With a DHM-containing combination product, ALT and GGT normalized after 12 months in 35 percent versus 5 percent under placebo (Michailidou 2026).
A clear mechanism in animals. The action at the GABA-A receptor has been shown in rat experiments and in nerve cells and can be abolished by flumazenil (Shen 2012).

What the studies show

Fatty liver: Chen 2015

60 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease received, double-blind for 3 months, two capsules of 150 mg DHM each twice daily or placebo. Compared with placebo, ALT, AST and GGT, fasting blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and the HOMA index for insulin resistance fell. In the DHM group, TNF-alpha, cytokeratin-18 fragments and FGF21 also decreased, and adiponectin rose.

Fatty liver: Michailidou 2026

55 patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) received for 12 months a product with 300 mg DHM daily, vitamins C and E and choline, or placebo. 9 patients dropped out early, 7 of them from the placebo group. After 12 months, ALT and GGT had normalized in 35 versus 5 percent, and liver stiffness was below the baseline value only in the treatment group. Which component had the effect cannot be separated.

Hangover: studies with Hovenia extract

In a double-blind crossover study on alcohol, Paik 2024 gave 30 participants drinks with Hovenia fruit extract, partly combined with kudzu or glutathione yeast extract, or placebo. After 0.5 and 6 hours, blood alcohol was lower in two Hovenia groups than under placebo, and acetaldehyde only in the combination with kudzu after 6 hours. The review by Skinner 2026 found two clinical studies on alcohol in total, both with Hovenia extracts; they showed fewer hangover symptoms and inflammatory markers, but did not test isolated DHM.

What users report

In a decentralized observational study, Song 2026 analyzed 2,958 morning surveys from 90 adults. After evenings of drinking with a combination product of DHM and L-cysteine, they rated mental clarity, physical well-being, energy and sleep quality somewhat better than after alcohol alone; the effects were small (Cohen’s d 0.20 to 0.32). The participants decided themselves when to take the product, and there was no placebo group. The authors therefore consider a randomized study necessary.

Where the data stop

DHM against hangover. There is no controlled hangover study with isolated DHM. The positive data come from Hovenia extracts and an observational study without placebo.
Protection against alcohol damage. The effects on alcohol-related liver damage have been shown in cell and animal experiments. The human studies concerned fatty liver unrelated to alcohol. What is proven against alcohol damage is less alcohol; more on this under Reducing alcohol.
Effect in the human brain. The rat study used injections into the abdominal cavity. Whether DHM, when swallowed, reaches the GABA-A receptor in humans in an effective amount is open.
Long-term safety. The longest study lasted 12 months with 55 patients and tested a combination product.

Status, approval and legal

Neither DHM nor a Hovenia extract is on the EU’s Union list of authorized novel foods (consolidated version of August 10, 2026). In 2020, EFSA assessed a hot water extract from the fruits and fruit stalks of Hovenia dulcis for food supplements and concluded that its safety has not been established; among other things, it could not be verified whether the studies submitted had been carried out with the product applied for. This extract is therefore not authorized as a novel food in the EU.

For isolated DHM, we found neither an authorization as a novel food nor an entry in the Novel Food Catalogue; whether a product may be marketed has to be checked case by case. There are no authorized health claims.

Safety

The abstracts of the two fatty liver studies over 3 and 12 months report no side effects. EFSA was unable to establish the safety of the Hovenia extract; as the target group, the applicant had named adults excluding pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with chronic conditions such as impaired liver function. In laboratory experiments, DHM and its sulfate breakdown product inhibited the enzymes CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 not at all or only slightly (Dombi 2024); interactions have not been studied in humans. No human study demonstrates protection against the consequences of alcohol. In the BK-Score, safety stands at 2 out of 10 points; this axis measures how well safety has been studied, not how safe the substance is. This text is for information and does not replace medical advice.

BK-Score Hype far ahead of evidence

Human evidence		3
Mechanism		4
Safety data		2
Hype gap		2
Track record of use		4

Evidence 3, because in humans there are two small randomized studies in fatty liver with favorable liver values (Chen 2015 with 60 participants, Michailidou 2026 with 55 patients and a combination product), but the advertised benefit against hangover has only been tested with Hovenia extracts and not with isolated DHM (Skinner 2026, Paik 2024). Mechanism 4, because the action at the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABA-A receptor comes from rat and cell experiments (Shen 2012) and findings on alcohol metabolism are already inconsistent in animals. Safety 2, because human data come from only two studies over 3 and 12 months and EFSA was unable in 2020 to establish the safety of a Hovenia extract as a novel food. Hype 2, because DHM is marketed as a hangover remedy without a controlled hangover study with the single compound; the only user analysis is an observational study without placebo with small effects (Song 2026). Use 4, because Ampelopsis grossedentata has long served as a food and medicinal plant in China, but isolated DHM has only recently become widespread as a supplement. Direction open: encouraging fatty liver data, no human study with DHM on the main promise.

The score rates the state of knowledge, not the substance. “Safety data 9” means well studied – not harmless. “Track record of use 9” means used long and widely – that is not proof of efficacy.
Subjective assessment by Biohacking Kompakt based on published scoring rules – not a scientific rating and not a medical recommendation. Rules and all ratings (German)

Frequently asked questions about dihydromyricetin (DHM)

What is dihydromyricetin (DHM)?

A flavonoid, also called ampelopsin, obtained mainly from the plant Ampelopsis grossedentata and from the fruits of the Japanese raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis). It is sold as a remedy for hangovers and for the liver. In East Asian medicine, Hovenia has traditionally been regarded as a remedy for drunkenness.

Does DHM help against hangovers?

That has not been tested in humans. The well-known rat study showed that DHM counteracts the effects of alcohol at the GABA-A receptor. Clinical studies exist only with Hovenia extracts, and a user study without placebo found small improvements in well-being.

How does DHM work?

In rat experiments and in nerve cells, DHM acts at the benzodiazepine binding site of the GABA-A receptor and blocks the effect of alcohol there. In cell and animal experiments it also dampens oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver. Whether this happens in humans at usual amounts is open.

Does DHM help with fatty liver?

Two randomized studies point in that direction. In 60 adults, liver values, blood sugar and LDL cholesterol fell more under DHM over three months than under placebo; in 55 patients, liver values normalized more often with a combination product. Both studies are small.

Is DHM permitted in Germany?

Neither DHM nor a Hovenia extract is on the EU list of authorized novel foods. In 2020, EFSA was unable to establish the safety of a Hovenia extract for food supplements. There are no authorized health claims.

Does DHM protect against alcohol damage?

There is no evidence for this in humans. The liver-protective effects come from cell and animal experiments; the human studies concerned fatty liver unrelated to alcohol. Isolated DHM has not been tested in any clinical study on alcohol.

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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-10-09.