Buttermilk. Coffee. More alcohol. Even among abstainers, everyone seems to have a favorite remedy for the Holiday hangover. But aside from drinking in moderation (or not drinking at all), what really works? Before you reach for that bottle of ibuprofen, try one of these natural remedies to help lessen next-day headaches, nausea, and dry mouth.
Vitamin B6: One small study has shown that taking vitamin B6 may reduce symptoms by half. Though researchers aren’t sure why, the active ingredient, pyritinol, seems to work as an effective intervention for a nasty hangover.
400 mg at the beginning, middle, and end of the party. Don’t take this remedy frequently. PRolonged use of high doses of vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage
Prickly Pear Cactus Extract: Opuntia ficus-indica, found in the pear extract, can reduce the body’s inflammatory response to alcohol, staving off nausea and dry mouth.
One capsule (1600 IU) five hours before drinking
Gen Gen (also known as pueraria or kudzu root) and JuHua (chrysanthemum flower): Kudzu root generates fluids, reduces thirst and nausea, and alleviates headaches and stiff muscles. Chrysanthemum flower, a common treatment to relieve headaches and irritability, clears toxins and brigthens eyes.
Either in powder tincture, pill form, or as a tea, before bed and the morning after. For the correct amount, contact a licensed herbalist.
Other Methods: Before Drinking
One easy way to feel less the effects of alcohol is to eat a 2 small or one medium bag of potato chips an hour or so before drinking alcohol.
An alternate method is to eat a sandwich (possibly baguette or ciabatta) made with lots of salami and butter (yes, I do realize the taste would be awful, but hey it helps; at the max you can eat one salami sandwich and one with just butter). This way the bread/potato chips will absorb some of the alcohol before it has the chance to get absorbed into your blood stream.
A good way to prevent getting wasted right away is to always drink the same thing, don’t mix alcohols, and if you order/make cocktails make sure to at least drink the same kind. Different alcohols consumed in the same time lapse will cause weariness quicker, splitting headaches and cause major hangovers, and, if you are a woman taking oral contraceptives, and you took your pill 4 hours earlier you are no longer protected (if you regurgitate that is, so be careful with that too).
Another remedy, used primarily by Native Americans was to eat raw almonds before drinking any alcoholic beverage to reduce the chance of suffering from any hangover.
Peanut Butter is also thought to be of somewhat remedy.
Remember to try to have a sports drink (like Gatorade) which will replenish the minerals that the kidneys excreted during your drinking. If you regurgitate due to excessive drinking, let it all out of your system and then have a sports drink to give you back some minerals.
If you had a long night of drinking, water (about 3 glass fulls should be enough) will help rehydrate you. Drinking makes you lose a lot of fluids, going to bed dehydrated will just leave the alcohol in your system at it’s concentrated levels and will cause you to feel their effects later on.
Remember to not take painkillers such as aspirin, ibrofen and the like. If taken in high quantities or on a continuous basis they’ll start to cause problems to your kidneys (such as kidney failure).
Other Methods: After Drinking Recipes
1. Lemon: Pour some lemon juice (of 1 lemon) to a cup of black coffee and drink it, no sugar, no milk.
2. Chicken soup – just as it works with colds, it can also help rid you of your hangover.
3. Honey: take about 2 table spoon fulls every 30 minutes since you wake up till you start feeling better.
4. Apples: Eat some as soon as you wake up, it will somewhat help you feel better.
5. Lastly, and probably most effective is to make a banana and honey milkshake. Take 3 bananas, pour in some milk and honey, blend it all till it’s all nice and smooth and gulp it down, it will help sooth and settle your stomach, calming your nerves and ultimately relieving you of your splitting headache due to a major hangover.
