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5 natural hangover remedies
All that beer (or whatever you were drinking) sounded good at the time, but now you're paying the price. We've got you covered.
Thu, Dec 30 2010 at 10:00 AM
Photo: biffspandex/iStockphoto
Regardless of the time of year, there are times when all the fun is followed by a throbbing head, a sour stomach, loss of appetite, fatigue, dehydration, vomiting and the impulse to become an aspirin-popping, daytime TV-watching recluse for a good 24 hours — and a mean recluse at that. Yep, we’re talking about the phenomenon known as the hangover, the wickedest of them often being those experienced after alcohol-inspired days like St. Patrick's Day or New Year's Eve.
While we certainly don’t promote alcohol abuse, we do realize that during these times, many light and moderate drinkers tend to overdo it for one reason or another. It happens. Maybe your despotic mother-in-law decided to extend her visit by another two nights. Perhaps you required the liquid courage to conquer the karaoke machine at your office party. Or maybe you just really like the taste of Prosecco.
Whatever the case, waking up with the symptoms of a hangover is a yucky reality any time of year. And while we all have our own tried-and-true hangover cures — ranging from greasy pizza with an Alka-Seltzer chaser to “the hair of the dog” in Bloody Mary form to sleep (and lots of it) — there are also numerous natural remedies. We’ve listed five of the best that will help get hangover sufferers back in tip-top shape in no time, without referring to the medicine cabinet. And speaking of time, allowing yourself to recover is the best way to beat the too-much-Beaujolais blues.
1. Bananas: When it comes to home hangover remedies, reaching for a humble banana or two is one of the most effective ways to combat a case of the post-Champagne nasties. Excessive alcohol intake can eliminate your body’s supply of potassium. Bananas fill you back up with this essential mineral quickly, safely and cheaply. If you anticipate that the morning after is going to be a rough one, place a couple of bananas on your bedside table.
2. Water: Even though you’re filling your body with liquids, boozin’ is a surefire way to become uncomfortably dehydrated. We recommend following the “two carafe rule": If you plan on imbibing, keep two carafes of tap water by your bed (alongside those bananas). Drink one before you go to sleep, and drink the other when you wake up the next morning. Many folks drink water only when taking aspirin, ibuprofen or other pain-relieving medicines. We say skip ‘em when treating a hangover, since they can only complicate things and make you feel worse if there’s still alcohol in your system. Opt to take B-vitamins instead.
3. Fruit juice: Guzzling fructose- and glucose-heavy fruit juices, particularly freshly squeezed varieties, raises blood-sugar levels and replenishes your body with the essential vitamins depleted during drinking. But if a sour stomach accompanies your raging hangover, it’s best to avoid O.J. due to its high acidity. Drink stomach-soothing ginger ale instead. Whatever you do, avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages. They may make you feel a bit less groggy, but they aren't helpful in conquering hangovers since they're diuretics, which will dehydrate you even more.
4. Honey: This potassium- and antioxidant-rich pantry staple boasts numerous hangover-helping qualities. Ingest it by itself or, better yet, spread it over a piece of dry toast or a cracker, since you do need to eat something during a hangover (even if your appetite tells you otherwise). In fact, the Royal Society of Chemistry believes eating a breakfast of honey-on-toast is one of the best ways to beat a hangover.
5. Soup: Does the sight of bacon and eggs — edibles that you’d normally scramble toward — make you feel even more nauseated while hungover? If honey-on-toast and bananas aren’t cutting it but you’d rather stay away from grease, opt for soup. Filled with vitamins and nutrients and that familiar “feel-good” taste that warms the senses, eating rehydrating soup is beneficial when battling hangovers. Something as basic as chicken soup can do the trick, but if you’re feeling ambitious, try experimenting with traditional “hangover soups” from around the globe, such as pho (Vietnam), haejangguk (Korea), pancita (Mexico) or borscht (Ukraine). It also helps to add a bit of spice to your hangover soup of choice, since sweating eliminate toxins from the body.Also on MNN:
Photo credits: Bananas: Jupiterimages; Carafe of water: U.S. EPA; Orange juice: pachd.com; Honey pot: Jupiterimages; Bowl of soup: U.S. CDC.
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I've written a page to showcase a number of natural products that are used to treat or prevent hangovers. They range from herbal tablets and shots to homeopathic capsules and even an aromatherapy stick! If you'd like to know more, you can visit my page at http://www.squidoo.com/natural-hangover-cures
Two things that work really well for me are:
1) Orange/pineapple/banana Dole fruit juice! (a LOT better than regular orange juice)
2) Campbells cream of mushroom soup + 1 egg cooked into to it throughly beaten....make sure its blended well and the whole thing is "gloopy" like porridge.
New england clam chowder is good too, but not as good as this!
Man Up People! What do expect from drinking? To feel great the next day? Dah! If you can't have a few drinks to relax and over do it,then you deserve to be in loads of pain the next day. Nothing worse than a lush that wines about a hangover the next day.
"wines" hahaha good one
Two words. Alka Seltzer. Natural? Debatable. Effective? Totally.
Cheerzhangover. Pills or shots before and with drink. Works like a charm!!
2 aspirin BEFORE bed and pound a big glass of whole milk. You will wake up feeling 75% of normal. The rest can be taken care of with coffee,water and food.
Try coconut water helps me everytime!!!!
Can't argue with water, juice, and bananas, and intend to try honey/toast tomorrow morning. But the best cure is to smoke some herb... helps the stomach, eases the headache, allows you to doze off... it's perfect.
I like your style
It is known that bats,which are mammals, consume fermented fruit and can become intoxicated. To counteract this they ingest large amounts of fructose.
Rolling over and getting a quickie before taking a shower is the best cure.
LIKE.
Following the principles of homeopathy, if you had too much beer last night, get some beer. If you had to much vodka, get some vodka. Well, hope you got the drift. Works like a charm.
Try Nux Vomica, an actual homeopathic remedy for overindulgence of food and drink.
The soup LOOKS like vomit. I would certainly not want to eat that hungover.
Uh, don't drink. Idiots.
Well said. Really the only comment required on this article.
Yep, too right about that one. Coffee is a joke and doesn't help hangovers.
Whoever thinks so has never been hungover and thinks 2 beers is a hard night.
Reliable evidence supports it! http://www.prevent-hangovers.com/hangover-cures-fake.html
Sounds are really good.. Superb remedies.. and also fantastic article..
Just wanted to bring up one point about coffee. Coffee is NOT a diuretic, it is a myth. I still wouldn't recommend drinking it off the bat, but it really won't set you back if you drink it.
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