A cheap pill that you can take before drinking that banishes hangovers for good? It sounds too good to be true, but if it is, I want to know before Christmas.
Since turning 30, shaking off a hangover has become increasingly difficult, and I have to choose my social occasions carefully. So when I heard about Myrkl, a 'miracle' pill that has the potential to cure hangovers for good, I was suitably intrigued.
With the festive season ahead of me, and more than enough temptations to drink alcohol, there's the potential for many a Christmas hangover. But I'm also I'm training for the London marathon next year, so I can't afford too many off-days.
The product, called Myrkl, is the 'first formula in human history to show promising results of breaking down alcohol effectively in the gut before it reaches the liver'. Containing vitamin B12, it is said that Myrkl will 'make sure you feel fresh the next day', and has enjoyed a 75% satisfaction rate in an independent survey of customers.
In a peer-review study, it was found that Myrkl managed to break down up to 70% of alcohol within 60 minutes, and 50% after 30 minutes of consumption.
Of course, there are many things people can do to limit a hangover the next day – don't drink on an empty stomach, don't mix your drinks, make sure you stay hydrated – but Swedish company De Faire Medical claim this 'pre-drinking pill' is all you need.
They recommend to take two of the pills between two and 12 hours before drinking alcohol, which should technically allow you to drink without the impending doom of the next morning's sore head. They cost £1 each, but unfortunately you won't find them in a pharmacy. You can only buy them in batches of 30 through the Myrkl website, so you'll have to fork out £30 to try them yourself.
In the name of science, I decided to try it out ahead of the festive season to see if these pills are going to become a regular in my kitchen cupboard. As the box says, I took two of the relatively large capsules two hours before I started boozing.
With a full belly of food, I drank two gin and tonics to start me off at home, before going a bit rogue and having a pint at the local pub. At this point I was feeling fine and completely sober.
Back at home (it was a Thursday night, give me a break) and not wanting to mix alcohols too heavily, I went back to gin and tonics, and still waited for any feeling of being tipsy – but it never came. Usually at this point I would start feeling a bit fuzzy headed, but I still felt sober.
You might say it could be a placebo, but to be honest I wasn't thinking about the effect Myrkl might have on me while drinking – but more the next day. Thinking about how it supposedly breaks down alcohol quicker, it makes sense.
To mix things up a bit (and because I was fed up with gin tonics) I finished the night off with two cocktails. All in all a suitable amount that would no doubt guarantee a bad night's sleep, nausea and tiredness the next day.
When I woke up the next morning I was incredibly surprised. Not only had I a fallen asleep straight away (unheard of when I drink alcohol), but I'd slept the whole night through. Yes, my mouth was a little dry, but other than that I felt absolutely fine. No nausea or headache.
After a hearty breakfast I was open to the idea that the hangover might come throughout the day – but it never did. And to prove how great I felt, I even went on an 8K run. Could this be the answer to my dream of training for the London marathon without having to give up alcohol?
Well, as Myrkl itself states, whether or not it will work will depend on "internal and external factors", and I think I'd need to try it out a few times, with more and less alcohol, drinking and eating different things, before I know for sure.
I asked pharmacist Abbas Kanani, who works at Chemist Click, whether he thinks Myrkl can actually work as a hangover cure. He said: "Whether it works or not? Well, there has been one small study, to support its effectiveness in reducing alcohol levels.
"More studies are required for us to gain a deeper understanding of the product. For example, does certain medical conditions, gender, age, general health, ethnicity come into play? What if you have liver disease? The point I am trying to make is that we need more data, from a wider data set, spanning over a longer period. This will help to provide a conclusive answer.
"These pills appear to work after alcohol has passed through the stomach to the intestine, they are unlikely to prevent the action of alcohol on the stomach, which can still cause dehydration from alcohol, which may still cause a hangover effect. As the pills are natural and vegan, in principle, they should be safe to take for most people, unless you have an allergy to the specific ingredients.
"There are a number of questions that need answering, however, the reviews seem positive, and it appears to be a relatively safe product."
Keep in mind that Myrkl is not suitable for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under the age of 18.
Have you, or would you, try the Myrkl pill? Let us know in the comments below.
