Christmas is a time of year where some people let their hair down and have a few drinks.
But come the morning after many people regret their choices and reach for a hangover cure.
One of the more popular hangover remedies when waking up feeling worse for wear is 'hair of the dog'; to have another alcoholic drink to help you over your sore head.
But is there any truth behind this method?
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According to research carried out by Wren Kitchens, no. No, more alcohol will not help.
While more alcohol may make you temporarily feel better by topping up your alcohol levels, you’re only delaying the inevitable hangover and will probably end up feeling worse.
Variations of the phrase go as far back as medieval times, it was originally attached to the belief that you could cure rabies by drinking a ‘magic potion’ containing “hair from the dog that bit you.”
Of course, that’s complete nonsense, but over time the saying shifted away from its literal meaning and was used to refer to the act of drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover.
In 1546, English poet and playwright John Heywood used the phrase about a hangover cure: "I pray thee let me and my fellow have a hair of the dog that bit us last night. And bitten were we both to the brain alright. We saw each other drunk in the good ale glass.’’
The truth is, while drinking more may alleviate your hangover for a short time, you are only delaying your hangover and will inevitably crash and burn later.
Alcohol is a ‘poison’, and hangovers symptoms hit hardest when the alcohol levels in our body have dropped to zero.
How to cure a hangover?
Unfortunately, there is no proven cure for a hangover except simply not drinking alcohol. Some of these may help alleviate the symptoms though:
- As well as drinking a good amount of water, drink fresh fruit juice for a vitamin boost
- Painkillers or stomach settlers may ease the hangover symptoms
- Try a rehydration tablet to replace minerals and salt lost from drinking alcohol
- Eat something! Bananas and kiwis are a great source of potassium, the mineral lost when you drink alcohol
