From the hairsbreadth of the dog to overprice green smoothies , there ’s no shortfall of purportedtonicsfor the lingering effect of a night on the sauce . Unfortunately , however , new enquiry suggests that these supposedhangovercures may be nothing more than folk remedy , as there ’s no real scientific evidence that any of them actually work .
look in the journalAddiction , the systematic critical review looks at 21 placebo - master trials involving an raiment of unlike compound that are often used to alleviate hangover . Using a tool address the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation ( GRADE ) framework , the source concluded that all of these trials were of very depressed quality , and that the grounds they bring home the bacon can not be considered robust .
That ’s not to say that none of the meat inquire render promise as hangover therapeutic . On the contrary , clove excerption , red ginseng and Korean Pyrus communis juice were all discover to reduce discomfort while hang . Other compound that brought about improvements included a type of non - steroidal anti - inflammatory painkiller called tolfenamic acid , a vitamin B6 analog get laid as pyritinol , and the amino group acid L - cysteine .
However , the bailiwick authors say that all of the test included in their review were stymie by “ methodological concerns and imprecision ” , and that none of these findings are particularly credible . For example , they point out that most of these trials imply low numeral of participant , while the fact that none of these supposedhangover cureswere investigated in more than one study makes it impossible to conduct any sort of meta - analysis .
Furthermore , the studies generally fail to report on central variables such as the type of inebriant used , whether or not this was ingested on an empty stomach , and how much time elapsed before the hangover remedy was distribute . A general deficiency of female representation also detracts from the reliability of any determination , with eight of the 21 studies involving only men . Of the 386 participants across all of these trial , only 38.6 percent were women .
Interestingly , the study authors maneuver out that common painkillers like aspirin or paracetamol have never been investigated as hangover cures in any placebo - control tribulation . establish on these notice , they call for “ adequate scientific exploration [ of potential hangover cures ] in club that practitioner and the public be provided with accurate evidence - based info and do not rely on non - effectual or potentially harmful interventions . ”
add up up the finding of this followup theme , subject area author Dr Emmert Robertsexplainedthat “ grounds on these hangover remedies is of very depressed calibre and there is a demand to provide more rigorous judgement . For now , the surest way of preventing holdover symptoms is to abstain from inebriant or drink in moderation . ”