Katharina Buczek
Nearly everyone who has ever indulged in alcohol has also experienced the terrible symptoms of a hangover.
Some people get a pounding headache, while others are hit with overwhelming fatigue or stomach-turning nausea.
For years, tons of products and remedies have hit the shelves, claiming to “cure” these symptoms.
But, a new review conducted by researchers from King’s College London and South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust found “only very low-quality evidence” of any self-proclaimed “hangover cures.”
In popular media, you may have seen the “hype” around red ginseng, clove extract, Korean pear juice, and other supposed methods to curb hangovers.
This review encompassed “twenty-one placebo-controlled randomized trials” that aimed to test the efficacy of methods just like these. However, it is essential to note that no common painkillers were evaluated.
Out of the twenty-one studies reviewed, the researchers deemed any evidence of a “hangover cure” to be very low.
While the researchers believe these “cures” are not as miraculous as they claim to be, there were still some research limitations.
For example, it was challenging to report the timing of alcohol consumption. Additionally, there were significant differences in the types of alcohol consumed and if participants paired their consumption with meals.
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