Hangover Cures from Different Cultures

In nearly every country on this planet, social drinking is a favorite pastime activity. Whether you’re sipping beer, wine, tequila, or vodka, if you drink too much you’ll wake up with a hangover. Most of the time, a bloody mary will solve the problem and make you feel brand new, but you may need a little more help.

We scoured the globe to find to the best and most interesting hangover cures from all around the world.

UK – THE FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST

A hearty breakfast usually consisting of eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, and fried toast is the United Kingdom’s solution to the hangover. This meal’s abundance of carbohydrates will help replenish depleted sugar levels.

SOUTH KOREA – HAEJANGGUK

Haejangguk literally translates to “soup to chase a hangover”. This Seoul remedy consisting of dried Napa cabbage, vegetables, beef broth, and even congealed ox blood is sure to soothe your stomach from an intense night of Soju drinking.

MEXICO – MENUDO

This flavorful soup from south of the border is sure to ease your tequila induced pain away. Made with a red chili broth, hominy, and tripe which is the lining of a cow’s stomach, Menudo’s spices will stimulate your senses and help clear your head.

JAPAN – UMEBOSHI

In Japan the cure happens to grow on trees. The ume fruit, cured for months with sea salt, tastes immensely sour and helps improve liver function and digestion. The ume is also a folk cure all remedy dating back several centuries.

POLAND – PICKLE JUICE

If you are low on food and really need to keep that hangover in check, the answer may lay in the back of your refrigerator. Drinking pickle juice is an effective way to replenish your missing electrolytes with its high sodium content.

USA – PRAIRIE OYSTER COCKTAIL

We even have our own magic elixir here in the States in the Prairie Oyster. This drink is composed of a whole raw egg, hot sauce, salt, pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. The aim is to try to knock the Prairie Oyster back without breaking the yolk. This is a one two punch against hangovers with the drink’s spices helping to combat the toxins found in alcohol while the egg helps you get some much needed nutrients. While the Prairie Oyster remains a beloved traditional remedy, in recent years, people in the USA have sought alternative ways to combat hangovers, and one such trend gaining popularity is the use of IV treatments. For example, individuals may research the locations near them, such as hangover IV therapy in Boston, to find services that offer intravenous hydration and nutrient replenishment to overcome the effects of a night of indulgence.

AUSTRALIA – GREEN ANT TEA

Drinking tea is certainly a proven hangover cure. In this case the native Aboriginals of Australia have discovered a hangover cure in the form of green ant tea. This tea is several ground up green tree ants mixed into hot water. Perhaps the reason this technique is effective is from the high protein content found in these insects.

PHILIPPINES – BALUT

Perhaps the median point between an egg breakfast and a duck lunch is the Filipino cure of balut,  a fertilized duck egg. This solution is proven to work as the embryo serves as another uncommon source of protein.

HAITI – CURSE THE BOTTLE

In Haiti, voodoo practitioners take the fight against hangovers right back to the source, the bottle their drink came from. According to legend, sticking 13 black headed pins into the cork of the bottle will curse the sickness you bottle is attempting to curse you with.

So there you have several options to quickly heal up after a big night of drinking. Another solution to keep you out of a painful hangover predicament would be to drink in moderation and take in plenty of water.