Why those trendy hangover cures just don’t work
Feeling worse for wear this morning after a night of ringing in the new year? Well, don’t trust the latest hangover trends to stop a pounding headache.
Cures such as red ginseng, Korean pear juice and artichokes do not work, scientists have found.
in fact, the researchers from Kings College london concluded that no hangover remedy ever studied in a ‘goldstandard’ trial showed convincing signs of alleviating symptoms.
The most promising three remedies out of the 23 hangover trials they reviewed included clove extract, also used for toothache, which acts as a painkiller and may speed up the metabolism of alcohol and target important receptors in the brain linked to drinking.
it appears to help with the seven most common hangover symptoms – headaches, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, loss of focus, thirst and stomach aches. However, the findings were based on a study of only 16 people, which scientists say is not enough to reach definitive conclusions.
Otherwise, the most hopeful evidence was for tolfenamic acid – a type of painkiller taken before and after drinking – and pyritinol, which is a supplement containing vitamin B6, taken three times during an evening of drinking at three-hour intervals.
However, these studies were also based on no more than 30 people taking the remedy.
Dr emmert Roberts, lead author of the review published in the journal Addiction, said: ‘The message here is that anything being marketed as a hangover cure isn’t based on good science, and there can be a lot of snake oil salesmen out there.’
globally, only 386 people aged 18 to 65 have ever taken part in gold-standard trials for hangover treatments. Most studies were conducted in South Korea and Japan and mainly involved men. Three-quarters had fewer than 30 participating and no remedy has been studied more than once.
For those sticking to the popular cure of ‘hair of the dog’ – drinking more to get over a hangover – experts are adamant that you will end up feeling worse in the long run.