Reporting on Hangover Remedies From Around the Globe
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
Some of us celebrate hard; some hardly celebrate. Some of us wake up in the morning in an alcohol-induced fog; some of us wake up in our normal mental fog.
As a public service, I’ve researched hangover remedies around the globe. I’ve found the familiar and the bizarre, some simple, others elaborate; some chemical, others organic; some 21st century, others 14th century; some time-proven, others involving a double-blind clinical trial; some miracle cures, others desperate experiments; some ready to be patented, others worthless placebos.
Above all, the prudent advice is to know your limits and always drink responsibly.
If you don’t heed the advice in the previous sentence, here are several innovative and a few novel remedies in no particular order of effectiveness that I’ve gleaned from the media, casual conversations with friends and relatives and personal experience. If you’re inclined to try any of these remedies, you do so at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for any negative effects you may experience if you decide to experiment.
- Zaca Recovery Patch and Chewables. A homeopathy product you apply/consume before a night on the town. Also, don’t forget to apply your nicotine patch and maybe your birth control patch, as you may have cravings, and regrets, the morning after. As described on the producer’s website: “A simple, all-natural recovery patch/chewable is infused with 11 different organic ingredients, a powerful blend of antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids.” The theory is that the patch/chewable will replenish the vitamins and acids lost when consuming alcohol, restoring you to your former healthy state. This is a common theme in a number of the following remedies.
- A significant portion of the toxins we consume are excreted through the skin. Speed up the process with a hot shower or a bath infused with hot mustard or wasabi powder. (It lends new meaning to the term Asian “take-out.”)
- From the ancient Romans, who had many opportunities to need hangover cures, comes the deep-fried canary breakfast.
- Oh, you’re a vegan? Try a Polish favorite: A large glass of pickle juice.
- File this under hangover helpers in your recipe files: sauerkraut/cabbage soup. It’s an Eastern European feast that rehydrates and replenishes vitamins.
- An Irish concoction: In a beer mug, mix raw eggs, lime Jell-O and a few drops of flat Guinness.
- Leave it to the Mongolians: Pickled sheep eyes in tomato juice. “Here’s looking at ewe.”
- Here’s one reason the Wild West probably got its name: A cup of rabbit dung tea after spending a night on the range caressing a bottle of whiskey.
- Are you in the Sandwich Generation? Just reach for your child’s or parent’s Pedialyte to rehydrate and restore electrolytes.
- W.C. Fields contrived this recipe for “avoiding” the ill effects of a hangover: A martini made of one part vermouth, four parts gin and one olive, to be taken around the clock.
Disclaimer: To my knowledge, none of these remedies have been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Proceed at your own calculated risk.
Each of us has a physiology – and a psyche – that responds differently to the good and the bad that we ingest. If you haven’t yet found the right remedy for a hangover, you may be enticed to try one of the above formulas. It depends on how badly you want to feel good.
My personal remedy, bland but effective: Lots of water (or Gatorade, which has electrolytes) to rehydrate, offsetting the diuretic effects of alcohol and flushing out the toxic waste in the digestive system.
However, as countless generations have found, there is but one universally proven remedy: the passage of time.
Nick Antonaccio is a 45-year Pleasantville resident. For over 25 years, he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. Nick is a member and program director of the Wine Media Guild of wine journalists. He also offers personalized wine tastings. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
