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Myths and Beliefs about Hangover Remedies Across Ages and Cultures
Since the dawn of time, and in all cultures, alcohol has been widely consumed, generating countless "hangovers", as well as various myths and local beliefs about the best remedies to avoid or treat them.
In ancient Greece, amethyst was a stone originating from the Greek "amethystos", meaning preservation from drunkenness. The Greeks would pour an amethyst into their glass, or wear it as a necklace when drinking, to ward off hangovers.
In ancient Egypt, the laurel leaf usually offered to athletes, philosophers, etc. served as a remedy. Indeed, the Egyptians wore laurel necklaces to avoid getting sick the next day.
In the XVIIᵉ century, an English physician developed an anti-hangover recipe: Goddard's drops (or English cephalic gout). Goddard's drops were designed to treat a number of ailments, including hangovers, and consisted of ammonia, dried viper and powder extracted from a skull.
Each country has its own solutions, so here's a short world tour of current anti-hangover remedies.
In many countries, vegetable or preserved juices are renowned for their effects on hangovers.
Thus, we find sauerkraut juice in Russia, the juice in which pickles are bathed or beet juice in Poland, the leche de tigre in Peru (the juice used to marinate dried fish) and turnip juice in Turkey.
Some countries have also developed their own recipes.
Germany's Katerfrühstück, for example, consists of marinated herring wrapped in gherkins and onions.
There is also the menudo in Mexico (soup served with hot pepper and tortillas), or the leventa de muertos (a pork stew) in Bolivia...
For the more courageous, in Hungary, the recommendation is a mixture of brandy and sparrow droppings.
And then there are the more atypical techniques. Like rubbing a lemon under the armpit in Puerto Rico, sleeping with vodka-soaked socks in Estonia, sticking scotch tape to the forehead in Vietnam, or burying yourself in sand in Ireland.
In France, there's HANG-OVER, a dietary supplement that helps metabolize alcohol and reduce the side effects of alcohol consumption!
10 Rue de la Paix 75002 PARIS
