A hangover, or in Hebrew “chamarmoret”, stems mainly from changes in the balance of the digestive and blood system by making it more acidic. This process is accompanied by all those oppressive phenomena that include, among others, a decrease in the percentage of minerals in the blood, dehydration, headache, heaviness of the limbs, fatigue, nausea – and everything we would want to avoid after an event and drinking.
In order to cope with the phenomenon, below are several available and very easy-to-implement recommendations:
– Calcium is one of the most important minerals in our body and takes an integral part in almost every action in the body. Using this mineral as a basic nutritional supplement after drinking alcohol will help restore the acid/base balance in the digestive system and the blood, after drinking a lot of alcohol.
In fact, most minerals assist in this process, but the most prominent of them all is calcium – which is considered the most fundamental. At the same time, in order to assist the absorption of calcium it is recommended to add vitamin D (calciferol) or to find a nutritional supplement that contains both.
Due to the importance of many minerals in their support of calcium assimilation, it would be advisable to consider taking a multi-mineral containing several minerals that take part in the acid/base balance process.
– Other well-known minerals in common use can also help, such as: magnesium, boron, potassium and even phosphorus, which are considered acidity regulators and as a result also help prevent heartburn and improve the electrolyte balance – salts in the body. In this way, by virtue of their role, they prevent the danger of dehydration, the most common after drinking a lot of alcohol, and one of the causes of the notorious headache – the one after.
– Drinking plenty of water and avoiding coffee the morning after is essential. Many believe that the headache will subside after coffee. Many times the situation even worsens because coffee is a diuretic and it too causes dehydration that aggravates the feeling of pain, nausea and problems with vision and light exposure.
– One of the well-known and good medicinal herbs for calming a hangover is the ginger plant. Ginger is famous for its ability to almost immediately calm stomach aches, including pain, heartburn, nausea and vomiting.
Ginger has a direct effect on strengthening the digestive system; it has a slightly sweet and pungent taste that supports the activity of the stomach and spleen and enables better and more balanced bowel movement.
* A particularly effective off-the-shelf product is “Emetix”, marketed in Israel by the Bio Pro company, which is not a medication but a nutritional supplement containing a concentrated and generous amount of ginger. The results are quite fast in calming nausea/heartburn and a general feeling of weakness after drinking a lot of alcohol. The advantage of taking this nutritional supplement over using the fresh root is the high concentration of the active substance in ginger, the bother of preparation, and also the taste of ginger that not everyone likes.
** For those interested in preparing a fresh infusion:
4-5 slices of fresh ginger, a chamomile tea bag (or 2 pinches of chamomile), leave in the cup for at least 7-8 minutes before drinking the infusion. A little honey can be added. This infusion will relieve the headache and the feeling of nausea.
– Another original way to relieve a hangover: prepare a decoction from two whole banana peels, and drink a full cup of the decoction – tasty and effective as it contains many minerals that help balance acidity and bring quick improvement.
*** Dr. Roy Gonik ND OMD is an expert in Chinese medicine and naturopathy, a senior lecturer in Chinese medicine, a lecturer in naturopathy at Broshim College, Tel Aviv University, and the owner of a clinic in Ra’anana with 12 years of experience.