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In the new issue of mental_floss, we reported why bacon is a miracle drug when it comes to dealing with the morning after:
Cure Your Hangovers—with Bacon!
Ah, bacon. For years, we’ve devoured it in all its crispy glory without worrying about the side effects. But now, scientists at Newcastle University’s Centre for Life have given us a new reason to gorge on the stuff. They say that when it comes to hangovers, bacon is a miracle drug. In fact, the study found that bacon is most effective when united with bread in sandwich form. The protein in bacon supplies the body with amino acids, which the brain needs to restore the neurotransmitters damaged by alcohol. Meanwhile, the bread’s carbohydrates give the body energy to get up and go. Now, if only sausage could delete all of those text messages you sent last night.
Of course, that doesn’t do much for the vegetarian boozehounds in our audience. But fear not, the wonderful blog blurtit has assembled quite a few of the hangover cures in the world. Here are a few hangover cures that I have no intention of trying:
*Jackrabbit Tea- A Wild West morning-after beverage made from rabbit droppings and hot water. Like Blurtit says, “There is no medical reason why water and pre-chewed plant matter would help with a hangover, and it certainly won’t help with your morning breath.”
*Soot and Warm Milk- 19th century chimney sweeps used this charcoal based “cure all” to soothe their stomachs.
*Pickle Juice- Apparently, the high levels of electrolytes and minerals are supposed to help cut through the headache. I’m guessing they mean dill pickles, not kimchi or Bedekar’s lime pickle, but I’d be equally unwilling to try any of them.
*Tsar Nicholas II’s lemon wedge- Probably the tastiest (and certainly the most blue-blooded option) on the list, the shooting Tsar used to coat a lemon slice with sugar and ground coffee and then chomp down.
In any case, the site also lists plenty of meaty options from various cultures (ground swallow beak and myrrh, deep-fried canary) and even a few traditions you can embrace before drinking (like rubbing lemon wedges under your arms per the Puerto Ricans, or placing a voodoo curse on the beverages New Orleans’ style). Or, I guess you could just drink in moderation. So, do you have a favorite/fail-safe hangover cure you’d like to share with the world? Drop it in the comments!
Link via The Presurfer.
Comments (20)
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Where I grew up in Oregon, my Mexican friends used to tell me to eat Menudo. Its Like a soup with tomato broth and pig intestines and look like GIANT noodles. I never had the stones to try it, but they SWEAR by it for hangovers. I’ve only been hungover once (because I don’t like to drink) but my older sister told me to eat pickled Jalapenos and it wasn’t too bad! Helped quite a bit!
posted by Kate on 6-25-2009 at 10:13 am
Living here in San Antonio, I’ve heard the Menudo cure are many occasions.
My favorite is orange juice and ramen noodles. Not in the same bowl, but consumed in close time proximity to one another.
posted by nutmeag on 6-25-2009 at 10:32 am
Lots of water before bed for prevention. If I forget, then it’s scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast washed down with gatorade.
posted by kirsten on 6-25-2009 at 10:47 am
Ah yet another reason to love bacon… Through college, I always just relied on Gatorade and Taco Bell (not always together).
posted by Geoff on 6-25-2009 at 10:53 am
it’s interesting that they uesd charcoal soot to soothe their stomachs since it’s regularly used in emergency rooms today as a purgative. maybe that WAS their definition of a stomach ache cure….
posted by Corbet on 6-25-2009 at 11:50 am
I usually get pretty bad hangovers. But recently I find that when I get in after a hard night’s boozing, if I drink a glass of fresh orange juice followed by a pint of water I’ll wake up feeling much better.
Still, the Tsar Nicholas’ lemon wedge sounds intriguing, may have to try it.
posted by John on 6-25-2009 at 12:01 pm
drink another beer
posted by steve on 6-25-2009 at 12:43 pm
A bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a large chocolate milkshake from Dairy Queen followed by 6 more hours of sleep always did the trick in college!
posted by Patrick on 6-25-2009 at 1:32 pm
What is invisible and smells like carrots?
Bunny farts.
—————-
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
posted by Witty Nickname on 6-25-2009 at 1:34 pm
I usually drink Gatorade before bed and have a reallly greasy breakfast (must include bacon). But if you’re not working the next day, get a drink of whatever you had the nigh before…works like a charm! Doesn’t help your breath though.
posted by Diego on 6-25-2009 at 1:51 pm
I agree with steve, drink another beer.
But if that’s a bit too hard to handle, my go-to cure in college was always dry, plain Cheerios (not Honey Nut) and Powerade. I am finding these days that going for a good long run tends to help; if it makes you hurl, at least you got that out of the way.
posted by Molly on 6-25-2009 at 1:53 pm
I am metabolically incapable of getting a hangover (though I realize that every night of drinking is a game of hangover Russian roulette at my age). That said, these are the tried and true methods I use for my wife and friends.
Prevention: Pint of Water and a multivitamin before bed.
Cure: 2 pints of orange juice and a massive diner breakfast.
posted by EMStoveken on 6-25-2009 at 2:42 pm
Pho. Vietnamese Beef Noodle soup. “The” hangover remedy.
posted by T-Vo on 6-25-2009 at 5:31 pm
Tons of water before bed, preferably some food before bed and the fail-safe for me is staying awake until you feel you’ve sobered up, then you can sleep through the hangover.
posted by Gwan on 6-25-2009 at 7:08 pm
I go for either Olive Garden’s Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks or a massive hoagie, chips, cookies, fruity iced tea, and a cappuccino (all from WaWa).
posted by Jo on 6-26-2009 at 1:25 am
A banana, either before bed or in the morning. It’s something about the potassium. They give you potassium in the hospital if you get alcohol poisoning.
A friend swore by Ovaltine. Maybe there is a lot of potassium in there too.
posted by Nicole on 6-26-2009 at 1:32 am
What I use is Brazilian Engov. It’s a cheap and easy hangover cure sold online. For me it’s the only thing that really works.
posted by Dave on 6-26-2009 at 9:06 am
A midnight Pie Floater is local hangover preventative here in Adelaide South Australia. It’s meat pie turned upside-down in a bowl of thick green pea soup, topped with tomato suace (Ketchup)
posted by Ange on 7-6-2009 at 11:52 pm
the ultimate hangover cure goes as follows: two milky bong loads, followed by a swim session in the ocean, getting pounded by the shorebreak..
posted by coolbreeze on 7-9-2009 at 10:44 pm
The night before chug half a bottle of pedialite. If you forget, and have one of those lingering hangovers, grab sushi for lunch. The fermented rice and fish are very quick energy.
posted by chetamar on 7-15-2009 at 8:53 pm