Traditions surrounding the December holidays put incredible emphasis on drinking -- and we're not talking about Publix eggnog.
Christmas Day is when Mom breaks out champagne over breakfast and mimosas are poured for the entire family. Drinking isn't just acceptable; it's encouraged.
That's why December 26 comes as a horrible wake-up call for so many people. The bright lights?
Oh please no.
The sound of footsteps?
Puke.
It's hangover city. In 2006, Forbes magazine released a list of the ten best hangover cures. Drinkers worldwide have sworn by these remedies for decades. So drink up and shut up, because you have no excuse to mope.
5. Berocca
This Bayer-branded tablet is full of vitamins B and C, magnesium, zinc, and assorted sugars and salts. Although it's not marketed as such, residents of Australia and the U.K. swear its ingredients will quickly replenish the nutrients those 12 cocktails robbed you of.
Sorry, guys; it's not sold in the U.S. But that's what eBay is for.
4. Prickly Pear
There's no need to drive to the desert and suck on this cactus of the genus opuntia. The prickly pear is actually the flowering fruit that blossoms on Opuntia cacti, and its extract is sold at nutrition stores nationwide. A study at Tulane University found that prickly-pear extract cures symptoms like nausea, dry mouth, and loss of appetite.
Still feeling that killer headache? Grab some aspirin, because prickly pear won't help that.
3. Tripe Soup
El Maguey y La Tuna, a restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side, serves a soup called pancita that promises to cure the worst hangovers. Walk in there in the morning and you're likely to see bleary-eyed young'uns gulping it down with as much enthusiasm as a hangover can muster.
The secret ingredients? Tripe and a slew of fiery spices. Residents swear by it, telling Forbes that it "gets your blood going." The likely reason it helps? Forbes guesses the spices provide a distraction to the hangover symptoms.
2. Haejangguk
The name of this Korean soup literally translates to "soup for the stomach." According to Forbes, street vendors in Korea sell this item from trucks during morning hours. The ingredients aren't the most appetizing. We warned you. Cow bones and cow blood are mixed with varied spices, and you bet your ass there will be a pep in your step postconsumption.
1. Rosiglitazone
This medication is prescribed to diabetics. While diabetics should avoid alcohol, the medication has been proven to ease hangover symptoms by boosting glucose levels. That doesn't mean you should rob the next diabetic you find or, God forbid, engage in illegal activities. But if you ask kindly, maybe your diabetic aunt will offer up a pill in good faith.
Finally, please make sure you consult a doctor prior to trying this method. Better yet? Exhaust options two through five first.
