While the process of splitting ethyl alcohol into acetaldehyde and then into acetic acid is going on in your liver, you manage to repent not only of the events of yesterday night, but also of the fact that you were even born one day.
However, mankind used to look for and find hangover remedies at the dawn of epochs, as well as in times not so distant. Sometimes, they were quite extraordinary, or to say the least, even ridiculous!
1. Rabbit manure tea
During the times of the pioneers of the Westward Expansion, alcohol and skirmishes with the Indians were, in fact, the only form of entertainment. But while it was pointless to treat a headache after an unlucky meeting with a couple of scalp hunters, it was still worth a try after a few glasses in a local saloon!
The cowboys fought the "blue devils" (the name for a hangover in the Wild West) with a drink called Jackrabitt Tea. It essentially was the droppings of a white hare, dried and brewed in boiling water.
Why you shouldn't try it:
It can be used exclusively as a remedy for dehydration. The healing properties of hare droppings have not yet been discovered. Although we have a suspicion that the scientists just didn't even try.
2. Green ant tea
A remedy that is actively used by indigenous Australians nowadays. To make it, they collect green tree ants, grind them, and boil them into something like tea. Disadvantages of this method: this species of ants is quite aggressive.
Why you shouldn't try it:
On the one hand, some scientists attribute the anti-hangover effect of ant tea to the fact that ants contain protein. On the other hand, like any other liquid, tea helps to reduce dehydration.
3. Deep-fried canaries
In ancient Rome, hangovers were treated with canaries. To cook this remedy, the historian Pliny advises to burn the freshly killed bird in the brazier's fire so that the feathers burn out, and the meat itself remains raw, and then to eat it with a raw owl's egg.
Why you shouldn't try it:
Raw eggs by themselves or as part of cocktails are present in the anti-hangover cuisine of many nations. But as for canaries, it is still better to replace them with regular fried chicken or a quail if you are an aesthete.
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4. Vodka socks
In northern countries, for example, in Finland, there is a wonderful remedy for colds and hangovers, which is called "vodka socks." To make them, you need to dilute vodka in equal proportions with hot water, soak the socks in it, and put the socks on your feet. But make sure not to wear them and then go buy some beer, but crawl underneath the warm blanket instead.
Why you shouldn't try it:
When ethanol gets into an already intoxicated body, it relieves unpleasant symptoms. But after a while, the hangover will come with renewed vigor.
5. Voodoo magic
In Haiti, hangovers are fought with voodoo magic (and apparently many other things as well). The ritual is simple: in the morning, you need to insert 13 pins into the cork from the bottle that seduced you. And it's not about revenge! Haitians believe it helps with headaches, nausea, and other symptoms.
Why you shouldn't try it:
Dear reader, we value you too much to send you to the Haitian voodoo priests. In turn, we are even more afraid to reach out to them ourselves!
6. Sheep eyeballs
One of the oldest anti-hangover cures of the nomadic peoples, which is popular to this day, is pickled sheep's eyes in tomato juice. Of course, when it takes seven days to gallop across the steppe to the nearest pharmacy with effervescent aspirin… No, still no!
How does it work?
Probably as a great remedy to induce nausea and thus detoxify.
