Hangover cures

No matter what your good intentions, it can happen that you might have raised a glass too and are faced with the effects of a hangover. If you have then there are some natural remedies that can help, but first let me just suggest that however you feel, before you go to bed do drink a large glass of water, preferably with some vitamin C to counteract the dehydration alcohol can bring. Then in the morning, try these:

** Honey and Lemon may be something you associate with a cold, but it is a wonderful way to get plenty of liquid and the sugars that are also lost when you overindulge. Couldn’t be simpler, just squeeze a lemon into a mug, add honey and hot water then stir and sip. Please don’t substitute sugar for honey, as you need the fructose honey contains as it prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches. Plain sugar contains sucrose, which isn’t absorbed as quickly, so get out the honey jar and make several cups a day to help you recover.

** Rice, Soup, or Toast is what you need to give you some energy, and although you may not feel like eating you do have to give your body some fuel to start the rebuilding process. You don’t want a heavy meal, but some easy to digest foods are just what your body wants so either use an organic vegetable stock cube and make a cup of soup for yourself or if you can manage it have some plain toast, very lightly buttered and with no topping, or some plain boiled rice with just a little miso or soy sauce to flavour it.

** Slippery elm bark was traditionally used by Native Americans as a poultice for boils, ulcers and for wounds in general. If you were caught up in the obligatory hugging and kissing at the stroke of midnight, (on New Years eve for example), then you might have a few bruises if the hugging got too enthusiastic, but generally it’s recommended for that irritated stomach that often follows over indulgence. It has been used to treat IBS because of it’s soothing effect on tissue and will certainly help calm down an upset stomach. It can be obtained in powder or capsule form, and personally I would get the capsules as the texture of the powder when mixed with water is quite gelatinous in nature and some find it difficult to swallow.