At Portland Cocktail Week, we attended a very informative seminar on how to drink healthier. You might ask, is that really possible? We think that it is. As part of the seminar, we reviewed a number of popular hangover cures to see if they were purely a myth or if there was some substance behind them. We thought that we would bring the most popular ones to you. Here you go, hangover cures – fact or fiction:
- Hair of the Dog (drinking the next morning) – Fiction. It might help you feel better but it doesn’t cure your hangover.
- Alka Seltzer – Fact. But, it only works a little.
- Burying yourself in sand (my personal fave) – Fiction. And, it might be dangerous for your health if you get buried alive.
- Burnt toast – Fact. The charcoal on the burned toast helps process the alcohol.
- Fatty Food – Fiction. Fatty food can help prevent a hangover by helping absorb the alcohol when drinking but doesn’t seem to help after the fact.
- Spicy Food – Fact. The spice helps sweat out the alcohol.
- Taking a sauna – Fiction. This alleged cure is dangerous as the heat doesn’t mix well from the toxins from the alcohol.
- Fruit Juice – Fact. Make sure its fresh and doesn’t have too much sugar.
- Black Coffee – Fiction. The caffeine dehyrdrates you. It has the opposite effect.
- Bananas – Fact. The potassium helps rebuild your electrolytes.
- Rubbing limes on your arms (don’t know where this came from) – Fiction. It might help your skin but certainly doesn’t help your hangover.
- Water – Fact. Helps to rehydrate.
