Home Remedies for Hangovers

For those who may occasionally over-indulge in their favorite brew, home remedies for hangovers offer a quick and convenient way to lose that hit-by-a-truck feeling.

The throbbing headache, shaky hands, bloodshot eyes, nausea and aching muscles – these are some of the typical symptoms you must deal when you have a hangover. Why? Because your body has been poisoned with toxins that are now building up in your bloodstream much faster than you get rid of them.

As your body tries to flush them out, it uses up as much water as it can find for this purpose. Inevitably, this leaves your body dehydrated, and certain vital organs such as your brain are quick to show it. Along with the water loss, the body is denied glucose and other nutrients, leaving it a little malnourished.

There are a number of different home remedies for hangovers. Here's a three-part remedy that you can use the next time you wake up with a raging hangover.

Drink water. Lots and lots of water. Drink eight glasses, at a minimum, over the course of your day. This can be tap, bottled or even carbonated water. If you still have your faculties about you on the night (or day) of your overindulgence, you should, ideally, drink water before you go to sleep. This will help pre-empt the dehydration that leaves you feeling battered in the morning.

Bananas make a surprisingly big difference in your hung-over day. This is because they replace some of the potassium your body has lost, and they are also a good source of energy. What's more, they come in easy-to-open packaging. Other sources of hangover-busting nutrients are:

• B-vitamins – Take 50 to 75mg of B-complex before you go to sleep, or as soon as you wake up. Vitamin B helps the body metabolize the alcohol and also dilates the blood vessels. B-Vitamins will also help boost your energy levels.
• Tomato juice – This juice is rich in fructose, which helps the body burn alcohol and flush it out of your system. (Ever wonder why the "morning-after" Bloody Mary works?). It is also an effective prevention remedy if you drink it before you drink alcohol.
• Lemon tea – Stabilize your blood sugar by stirring a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey into a warm glass of water, and sipping on it.
• Chicken soup – Granny's old stand-by helps replenish the salt, potassium and other soluble nutrients that have been flushed out of your body. If you can't get chicken soup, broth made from bouillon cubes will do.
• Sports drinks - Chugging down sports drinks will not only hydrate your body, but also replace some of the glucose and other water-soluble nutrients that are flushed out of your system along with the toxins.
• Amino acids – Replenishing the amino acids that are flushed from the system helps to repair the ravages of a hangover. If you can keep it down, bacon and eggs are a good source. Alternatively, capsule supplements can also be purchased.
• Coffee – Two cups of coffee will help relieve your headache because it is a vasoconstrictor - it reduces the swelling of your blood vessels that causes the throbbing pain.

While falling into a coma-like sleep that lasts more than six hours may seem to be sufficient – it isn't. Unfortunately, as the body battles the toxins, your normal sleep patterns are disrupted, so that your sleep is not refreshing or revitalizing. As such, the number of hours you sleep doesn't matter but rather its poor quality.

Do as much as you can to make your bedroom conducive to sleep. Darken the room, turn off the phone, put the dog out and settle down for a long siesta.

The next time you wake up with that hit-by-a-truck feeling that comes from over-indulging in alcohol, home remedies for hangovers can help you minimize your symptoms. Time, however, is the most effective remedy. In 24 hours, you won't recall ever having uttered those immortal words: “I'm never drinking again!”

• Photographs of Wild Berries
• Herbs for Pets
• Health Benefits of Tumeric

• Boil Drawing Salve
• Black Drawing Salve
• Black and Blue Cohosh to Induce Labor
• Homemade Herbal Hair Dye
• List of 40 Spices

• Honey for Cuts and Burns
• Category:Herbal Remedies
• Herbal Bitters