The following three hangover cures are meant to address hangover misery before it even occurs – before you drink! Whether they’ll work for you can only be determined by a little experimentation. Cheers to that!
The holidays season is in full swing, which means there’s ever the more reason to let loose and enjoy family, friends, and the accompanying debauchery. If you are anything like me, you tend to drink (read: guzzle) alcohol a lot more than you’re used to during holiday season. This year, don’t just expect and embrace the morning after hangover, defeat it. Add the following three hangover cures to your arsenal and be in better spirits for the next festivity, sans the pounding headache and queasiness aftermath.
3 Natural (and Weird) Hangover Cures
1. Prickly Pear Cactus
Say what? That’s right: prickly pear cactus. I didn’t say this would be your average hangover cure list! Raid your local health food store until you find prickly pear cactus extract. If you can’t find it locally, it’s available online. One study found that when you take the extract a few hours before drinking, it alleviates symptoms such as dry mouth, nausea, and the sick-to-your-stomach feeling. Sign me up.
2. Olive Oil
Olive oil is useful at any stage in the buzz-turned-hangover story line. Before you drink, throw back a shot glass filled with olive oil. Myth has it that the greasiness of the oil lines the stomach wall and thus alcohol takes longer to absorb into the bloodstream. If the folk remedy turns out to be ineffective and you wake up with a hangover, go back to the olive oil. This time, drink a spoonful of the olive oil followed by a glass of water with lemon. Olive oil contains the compound oleocanthal (aka: natural ibuprofen!). Meanwhile, the lemon water hydrates your body with much-needed electrolytes.
3. Ginger, Tangerine Pith, and Brown Sugar
I swear I am not making this stuff up. This odd combination is actually a traditional Chinese remedy for hangover symptoms. It was further investigated in a study, in which researchers tested for its effectiveness in treating discomfort and the cold sensation in the abdomen after the ingestion of large amounts of alcohol. Researchers witnessed a significant decrease in the severity of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea among subjects who consumed ginger, tangerine pith, and brown sugar prior to consuming alcohol.
You don’t have to bite into an unpeeled tangerine to get the benefits of the pith. Instead, zest as much of the pith as you can stomach into a glass of water that also contains ginger and brown sugar. Bottoms up!
Related on EcoSalon
5 Tips to Fix a Hangover Face
8 Hangover Cures to Help You Survive the Holiday Circuit
Good News! Hangover Make Up is Actually a Trend