Natural And Medical Hangover Remedies

Hangover: reminder of a good party

All of us who drink alcohol on a late night party would have experienced a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort on the next day. Though technical and medical reasons for hangover might be different but in lay man terms, we experience a hangover after drinking alcohol beyond the permissible limits of our body.

This limit would vary from person to person and hence the severity of hangover also varies from person to person. Most of us wake with a bad hangover and vouch to ourselves - “not to drink like I did last night”. It is hard to suggest ways to keep to your words but in this article we discuss some remedies to counter a hangover or contain the impact and severity of a hangover.

Dealing with a hangover can be quite unpleasant, and while there's no magic cure, some lesser-known natural remedies can help alleviate symptoms:

1. Ginger Tea: Ginger is known for its ability to reduce nausea and vomiting. Drinking ginger tea can help soothe your stomach after a night of drinking.

2. Prickly Pear Cactus: Some studies suggest that extract from this plant can reduce hangover symptoms, especially nausea and dry mouth.

3. Electrolyte-Rich Broths: Bone broth or vegetable broth, rich in electrolytes, can help replenish minerals lost during drinking and improve hydration.

4. Dandelion Tea: Known for its liver detoxification properties, dandelion tea may help your body process alcohol more efficiently.

5. Borage Oil: Derived from the borage plant, this oil is believed to help restore important fatty acids that can be depleted after excessive alcohol consumption.

6. Artichoke Extract: Some people find that artichoke extract can relieve indigestion and nausea, common hangover symptoms.

7. Tiger Balm: While not ingested, applying Tiger Balm to your temples can help relieve headache symptoms due to its cooling and soothing effects.

8. Honey and Lemon Tea: Honey can help normalize blood sugar levels, while lemon provides vitamin C and aids in digestion, both of which can be beneficial during a hangover.

9. Turmeric: This spice contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties that can help with headache and joint pain.

10. Schisandra Berry Tea: Used in traditional Chinese medicine, these berries are thought to have a protective effect on the liver and help combat stress, both of which can be beneficial for hangover recovery.

Prevention is better than cure

As the famous proverb says, it is better to take remedies before a binge drinking session. A few natural remedies, which can be used before or during drinking to contain the after effect and hangovers are listed below. However, note that not all of these measures might work well for you. The impact of alcohol varies from person to person and hence for a few of us, we might wake up to a morning with heavy head even after taking all or some of these remedies.

Lime

As soon as you wake up on the "morning after" add two teaspoons of fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of sugar to 8 ounces of water. Drink it slowly. This concoction will help stabilize your blood sugar, which will be low after imbibing.

Line the stomach

It is considered most effective to line the stomach before drinking. It reduces alcohol absorption through the stomach lining. Fat foods or milk work well.

Hydrate your body

Alcohol has diuretic qualities, so you end up expelling more liquid than you drink. Alcohol acts on the brain's pituitary gland and blocks production of a hormone called vasopressin, which usually directs the kidneys to reabsorb water that would otherwise end up in the bladder. Once this hormonal signal has been switched off, there is nothing to stop the bladder from filling up with all the water from the fluid that you drink. Thus during after and during alcohol consumption, the person urinates often and it results in dehydration of body.

As a result body extracts water from muscles. Also, alcohol attacks the body's store of glycogen, an important energy source kept in the liver, breaking it down to glucose which is then flushed out in the urine. People start feeling lethargic and some experience severe headaches. To counter such a situation, it is advisable to drink a lot of water before and during the consumption of alcohol. It can help contain the severity of hangover.

Choice of drinks

Certain type of drinks like wines, tequila, and whiskey are believed to contain certain impurities (congeners) in large quantities. It is believed that these impurities are largely responsible for hangover. Whereas clear drinks like white wines, white rum and gin contain less of these impurities and cause less severe hangover. This may help you in identifying drinks which are easily absorbed by your body and still not cause a hangover and you can choose your drinks appropriately to suit your body.

Avoid mixing of drinks

Body consumes different types of drinks at different rates and some of them can react with one another in interesting ways. Some traditional practices suggest not to mix the grape and the grain, and to keep wine/port/brandy separate from beer/whisky.

Remedies for the next day morning

We might land into situations wherein it is difficult to take precautions listed above. In such circumstances, there are still a few more options open for us to contain the severity and impact of hangover. A few of these options are listed below:

Drink water

Drinking a couple of glasses of water before going to bed or as the first thing in the morning can help hydrate the body. Though it may not be very effective in the morning but it never hurts to maintain a high level of fluids in the body.

Hot shower

Another way of relieving a headache on the next morning is to sit in a really hot, really powerful shower, and get the full force of it on the back of your neck. It is worthwhile because headaches are often caused by constricted blood vessels and tense neck muscles. A massage under a hot shower relaxes the tension.

Replenish the lost minerals

Alcohol causes loss of essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and vitamins such as vitamin B6. Loss of such nutrients from body can increase the severity and duration of hangover. Bananas are a very good of potassium and can also help replenish the supply of vitamin B6. Magnesium can be found in green leafy vegetables like spinach or legumes like peas and beans. As a mineral, magnesium is also found in tap water and in bottled mineral water but the quantity of magnesium may vary as per the source of water.

Eat a healthy breakfast

It is recommended to take a couple of eggs in the morning. Eggs contain antioxidant named cysteine, which helps in containing the impact of hangover by mopping up the free radicals. Some studies also recommend honey in the morning because honey is a good source of minerals like sodium and potassium. So a slice of bread with honey spread or eggs can help you in overcoming your hangover. You can also eat mineral rich food like pickles or canned fish.

Rest during the day

The consumption of alcohol in large quantities causes an intoxicating effect on our brain and as a result people don’t get a sound sleep. Studies have shown that the stages of rapid eye movement are reduced and hence the body doesn’t get a good sleep during the night. Next day morning, you might feel lethargic and tired and a short siesta can help you relax your body and mind.

Read More: Alcohol and Teen Drinking

Do some exercise

Go outside to do some exercise like mountain climbing, swimming, cycling or just about anything that keeps you sweating. It takes willpower to move like that when standing seems like a challenge, but it can prove helpful.

Avoid painkillers

While painkillers will provide immediate relief to the next morning headache, they can cause problems for the kidneys and liver with long-term use. Aspirin and ibuprofen are hard on your stomach (may promote gastrointestinal bleeding), while acetaminophen is hard on your kidneys and liver, too, which will be working overtime processing the alcohol. Excessive use of acetaminophen can lead to kidney failure and irreversible liver damage. Ibuprofen can lead to kidney damage when taken in large doses over prolonged periods.