As people around the world shake off their post-New Year's Eve hangovers, some may be surprised to find out that a lot of purported cures actually don't have much science to back them up.
A review of past studies into a number of claimed hangover cures has found no convincing scientific evidence to show that they in fact work.
A team of researchers from King's College London, as well as the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, found only "very low-quality evidence" that these remedies are effective in treating or preventing alcohol-induced hangovers.
The hangover cures assessed as part of the review, which was published Friday in the journal Addiction, include:
- Curcumin
- Duolac ProAP4 (probiotics)
- L-cysteine
- N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC)
- Rapid Recovery (L-cysteine, thiamine, pyridoxine and ascorbic acid)
- Loxoprofen (loxoprofen sodium)
- SJP-001 (naproxen and fexofenadine)
- Phyllpro (Phyllanthus amarus)
- Clovinol (extract of clove buds)
- Hovenia dulcis Thunb. fruit extract (HDE)
- Polysaccharide rich extract of Acanthopanax (PEA)
- Red ginseng
- Korean pear juice
- L-ornithine
- Prickly pear
- Artichoke extract
- 'Morning-Fit' (dried yeast, thiamine nitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride and riboflavin)
- Propranolol
- Tolfenamic acid
- Chlormethiazole
- Pyritinol
"Hangover symptoms can cause significant distress and affect people's employment and academic performance," lead author Emmert Roberts said in a press release. He added that because of this, the effectiveness of hangover cures "appears to be one with considerable public interest."
"Our study has found that evidence on these hangover remedies is of very low quality and there is a need to provide more rigorous assessment," Roberts said.
The review looked at 21 placebo-controlled, randomized trials of the various hangover cures.
While some studies showed statistically significant improvements in hangover symptoms, the researchers say all of the evidence was of "very low quality," mostly due to limitations in the methodology or because of imprecise measurements.
In addition, the researchers noted that no two studies reported on the same hangover remedy and none of the results have been independently replicated.
Of the 21 studies examined, eight were done exclusively with male participants. The studies also had "considerable differences" in the type of alcohol given and whether it was served with food, the researchers found.
Along with adopting more rigorous methods in order to assess hangover symptoms, the researchers advise that future studies also include more gender diversity.
"For now, the surest way of preventing hangover symptoms is to abstain from alcohol or drink in moderation," Roberts said.
