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Hangover cures from around the world.
The sun is peeping through your bedroom window, forcing you into consciousness well before you’re ready. Half asleep, you can feel the dull pounding of every drink you had the night before doing the cha-cha behind your eyes.
Good morning, hangover! We all know how dreadful the morning after a big night feels and it’s not pleasant. Sometimes you have the luxury of staying in bed, thrashing and moaning about how wretched your life is, swearing up and down you’ll never drink again. Most people, though, have to get on with things as though they feel perfectly normal. That’s a pretty tall order, considering you probably a) want to vomit, b) have a hideous headache, c) smell like you fell asleep on the bar floor and d) the act of opening your eyes sapped what little energy you had left. I’ve compiled a list of hangover cures I’ve tried (and some I’ve only heard about) and hopefully one or two of them will help get you through the day. While they might not make your hangover run away screaming, they will hopefully alleviate at least a little of your suffering.
Prevention is a good idea!
1. In some parts of Africa, eating peanut butter before drinking is supposed to stave off hangover symptoms. Maybe all the peanut buttery fat coats your stomach.
2. Eating raw almonds before drinking will help prevent intoxication, according to some American Indians. But beware - this is only if you’re not looking to get toasted. If you are, you should ignore this and have at it.
3. Buy evening primrose oil and gulp down two teaspoons. What this does, I’m not sure – but it’s supposed to help.
4. Before bed, drink 3-4 large glasses of water to re-hydrate yourself, and take a multi-vitamin, as alcohol depletes the vitamins in your body.
5. Sports Drinks! These are full of electrolytes, and will replenish what your kidneys have lost while drinking. Have one before going to sleep.
5. Don’t take an aspirin. A study published in the New York Times claims aspirin considerably lowers the body’s ability to break down alcohol in the stomach.
After the hangover has struck …
1. Exercise. It’s really the last thing you want to do when you’re lolling around half dead, but it does help. Exercise gets rid of the toxins still lurking in your body, and the increased circulation gets oxygen to your poor starving brain.
2. Eat something greasy. It’ll line the inside of your stomach and help with nausea. It’s also a good excuse to order everything on the $1 menu at McDonalds.
3. Coffee! The Italians swear by it – have a cup of strong, homemade espresso. It’ll perk you up, and you can grab a pastry on the side for a tasty breakfast.
4. The Aussies eat vegemite on toast. I can’t bring myself to try it, but my Australian friends swear by it. Hard to find in the U.S, it's easy to order online.
5. In Korea, there is actually a soup, haejangguk, that’s been nicknamed the hangover soup. It’s usually made with napa cabbage, congealed ox blood, and veggies in a beef broth. It sounds gross, but it’s delicious and it really helps your hangover.
6. In the Netherlands, the ‘hair of the dog’ approach seems most popular – have a drink for breakfast. Bloody marys or caesars are good pick-me-ups.
7. Strong green tea is the weapon of choice in China. Be cautious, however, as green tea usually contains caffeine which may dehydrate you even more.
8. Make fresh, raw vegetable juices. They replenish vitamins and electrolytes you lost while drinking.
Hangover, be gone!
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