Currently, there’s no hangover “cure.” Sure, one day some brilliant scientist may solve our bender-induced woes, but until that day comes, we’re left with simply making them more bearable. Luckily, we’ve got a few scientifically proven ways to do so. Skip the hair of the dog and go with one of these methods to make yourself at least somewhat productive the following day.
Drink Pear Juice Before Going Out
The latest bit of advice, which comes from the Australian government’s scientific research organization, CISRO, suggests that just under a cup of Asian pear juice before your booze will help counteract the effects of a hangover. Besides helping you concentrate, the pear juice should make that headache less severe. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work if you drink the pear juice after you’ve stumbled home and fired off texts to your ex. Link
Skip the Bourbon
When it comes to the severity of a hangover, the choice of alcohol matters. It might not be a world of difference, but beverages with higher levels of congeners (minor compounds that occur naturally in alcoholic drinks) often lead to worse mornings. And the king of the congeners: bourbon. It might not be much, but you may be able to save yourself a little pain by passing on the Pappy. Link
Eat an “Old Sober”
Rumor has it American soldiers borrowed this recipe from the Koreans in the ’50s. The noodle dish, affectionately known as “Old Sober,” is packed with ingredients that help you survive the morning after. Research presented by Alyson E. Mitchell, Ph.D. at a meeting of the American Chemical Society suggests the dish, also known as “Yaka-mein,” has broth that replenishes salts, eggs that help remove acetaldehyde from the body, noodles rich in carbohydrates, and other beneficial ingredients, making it about the best meal you could consume after heavy drinking. Link
Chow Down On Asparagus
Yeah, those frequent post-beers bathroom trips will smell funkier, but eating some asparagus before or after drinking will help you out the next morning. Korean researchers published a piece in the Journal of Food Science outlining how asparagus helps the body break down alcohol, and study participants who drank a beverage with an asparagus extract had fewer symptoms when they stumbled out of bed the next day. Link
Chug Sprite
Chinese researches tested 57 different herbal and carbonated drinks to see which helped the banged-up boozehounds among us the most. The winner: Xue bi. Don’t know what xue bi is? No worries, you don’t have to hop a plane to get a few cans, it’s good old Sprite. Link
