If you popped the cork last night but don’t want to pop an aspirin the next morning, these are the holistic hangover cures to consider
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’Tis the season of parties and cocktails. And while it’s the perfect excuse to release your inner social butterfly, it often leads to feeling a bit worse for wear the next morning.
After drinking, dehydration is the most common underlying cause for a thumping headache and a mouth as dry as sandpaper. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it encourages water loss from the body through urine. If that’s not bad enough, alcohol goes through a lengthy process to be eliminated from the body. Liver enzymes metabolise the alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is essentially a toxic compound that causes nausea and sweating.
“Once you have a hangover nothing is going to magically cure it, but there are ways to help the body get back on track again,” says Christina Santini, a clinical nutritionist specialising in biological medicine.
Here are four ways to speed up your return to normality:
Drink water with trace minerals to combat dehydration
“A great hack is to add trace minerals to your water,” says Santini. “Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and bicarbonate will replenish the hydration that you may have lost during the night's escapades. It also helps the body absorb water better, keeps its pH balanced and regulates muscle and nerve functions.” For a powerful boost look no further than a scoopful of Rejuvenated Ltd H30 Hydration.
Drink homemade lemon and ginger tea
Used alone in hot water, both lemon and ginger have a balancing effect on the body. Together, they mean your hangover doesn’t stand a chance. “Lemons are full of antioxidants,” explains Santini. “They offer liver support in addition to preventing free radical damage after a heavy drinking session. Whereas alcohol is acidic, lemons are alkalising so it makes for a good counterbalance. Ginger, meanwhile, is widely used in Chinese medicine for its anti-nausea effect and to stimulate blood flow, which aids in detoxifying the body.” She swears by adding three slices of ginger to boiling water, then adding the juice of half a lemon and one to two teaspoons of raw honey. Sip as needed throughout the day.
Top up with raw honey
Rather than binge on surgery snacks, eat a spoonful of raw honey or add it to your glass of water. “Honey is good product to keep in your kitchen cupboard as it helps to manage dips in blood sugar levels, which typically occur after heavy drinking and worsen a headache,” says Santini. “It also helps the liver to metabolise alcohol better by providing it with the fuel it needs to function.”
Sweat or freeze it out
“Sweating in a sauna can help to get rid of accumulated toxins faster,” says Santini. “But note that if you’re already severely dehydrated and struggling to drink water, this is not for you.” On the flip side, an ice bath or cold water swimming might be just what your body is crying out for. “Plunging the body into cold temperatures helps to mobilise energy stores, reduce puffiness and get the circulation pumping,” she adds. Not to mention the endorphin kick you get, which literally ‘shocks’ your body into happiness when you’re battling the hangover blues.