Home Remedies for Hangovers
There are many theories on curing and relieving a hangover. But are they only theories or they are also effective? The remedies that seem to be or are really theoretical include the “hair of the dog,” eating burnt toast, fried or fatty foods, eggs, bananas, drinking black coffee and fruit juice.
The “hair of the dog” belief meaning drinking more alcohol in the morning after a night of heavy drinking is followed by some but it is really not an effective remedy. This may only seem to be working but it only offers temporary relief and may even give you a worse feeling afterwards. The reason why you are suffering is because the liver is still processing the alcohol toxins in your body so drinking more will just prolong the process of metabolizing the alcohol.
Others think that eating burnt toast is scientifically proven but they are actually basing it only with the effects of some over-the-counter cures like Chaser which claim carbon as he main content. The carbon can act like a filter. Activated charcoal can cure some types of poisoning but not really tested in curing alcohol poisoning and it is far from a regular hangover. The manufacturers of the products with activated charcoal claim that they attract the congeners.
Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant which helps in fighting fatigue but once its effect is no longer active the feeling of fatigue will just be worse. Caffeine is also a vasoconstrictor which also triggers the headache. Another thing about caffeine, it also is a diuretic just like alcohol and just contributes to dehydration. So, coffee is not really effective.
Eating fried or fatty foods before drinking will be a big help because eating something before drinking prevents a hangover. The fatty foods makes the absorption of alcohol slower, so the effect of alcohol is not that fast and it also allows the body have more time to process the byproducts of alcohol thus making a less hangover thing. But eating those kinds of food the morning after the drinking will just irritate a stomach. Taking in fruit smoothie will give energy to the body and replenish the electrolytes that are lost due to dehydration.
Eating eggs which contains cysteine is also good in curing hangover because this breaks down the toxin acetaldehyde in the liver. Eating bananas is also good because they help to replace the lost electrolytes in the body. And like kiwi and sports drink that are available in the market they are rich in potassium.
Drinking water helps in replenishing the water lost in your body, it also helps in diluting the byproducts of the alcohol. Adding some salt and sugar with the water you drink also helps to replace the lost sodium and glycogen. It also helps to drink water while you are drinking so that you will not easily get drunk and drinking before sleeping also helps in breaking down the alcohol in the body.
Drinking fruit juice rich in glucose helps to increase the energy of the body that is why there is a faster metabolism with the toxins of alcohol.