Hallelujah Herbs! Indoor Herb Gardening

Modern cultures have diverse beliefs about effective hangover cure. Russians simply sweat it out in the sauna. Germans eat a mixture of herring, pickles, and goulash. Many Americans used to create a stomach clenching drink made of tomato juice and a raw egg.

The modern methods for hangover treatment and its painful symptoms contain natural pain killers, like willow bark or feverfew. Do not take any headache drugs when you have a hangover. Many people think these tablets will help them with hangover relief. But taking over the counter pain killers is a terrible idea when dealing with a hangover headache. Aspirin and ibuprofen can upset the stomach and will increase the chances of a hangover, and the leading ingredient in analgesics, Acetaminophen (or Paracetamol) can cause your liver to explode when it mixes with alcohol that is still in your body.

How to prevent a hangover.

1. Make sure your body is well hydrated, try drinking a glass of water or other no caffeinated drinks for each alcoholic beverage you drink. As the body is 70% water and alcohol is a diuretic (it dehydrates you) you will need to continuously hydrate your body. Having fun through the night while you are dehydrated will definitely lead to a hangover the next day. Just drink lots of water. If you can remember one thing while intoxicated, remember this: drink lots of water before going to bed. It will help eliminate dehydration, and you'll feel much better in the morning.
2. Stick to 1 drink or less per hour, and try to drink it slowly. One hour is about the time it takes for the average adult to process an alcoholic beverage. One drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer, or 1.5 ounce of hard liquor.

3. No bubbles please! If you mix an alcohol with any kind of bubbly beverage next morning you will have a hangover for sure.

4. And definitely don't drink on an empty stomach. Food is very important to avoid hangovers because food helps slow the absorption of alcohol, giving your body time to metabolize it and get rid of the toxins found in alcohol, decreasing the chances of hangover.

But, for now, what do you do with that nasty throbbing headache and the groggy feeling that accompanies a hangover?

Hangover Recovery

- The morning of your hangover, stay off the caffeine. No matter how tempting that cup of coffee smells, it won't help to cure your hangover. Nor will a cola drink. Caffeine dehydrates your body, so it will only make the effects of the hangover even worse.

- Going back to sleep is also an effective hangover cure. By definition, sleep is the most restful state for your body. So, if it is an option for you, going back to sleep can be a good idea for the natural hangover cure.

Herbal Remedies for Hangover Cure

Milk Thistle is a good hangover helper. It is a spectacular little herb that has amazing rejuvenation powers for your toasted livers. This herb removes free radicals and protects the liver's cells from damage plus helping to remove those toxins already there. It can even assist in the regeneration of new cells in the liver. Take two 20 milligram capsules with a meal prior to or while drinking.

Feverfew. Use feverfew herb instead of aspirin. Aspirin is very hard on the stomach, while feverfew is not.

Rosemary is a natural stimulant and is great for relieving feelings of tiredness. For a hangover relief related to upset stomach, Rosemary can be used in the bath or as an inhalation agent, or it can easily be used in food or tea.

Peppermint is another anti hangover herb. The peppermint herb, either in tea form or chewing the leaves, will relax the intestines. Peppermint is a carminative, which is a substance that removes accumulated gas from the stomach and intestines. Make a tea by pouring one cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of the dried herb; cover; steep for fifteen minutes; strain. Drink 1-2 cups as soon as you can.

Chamomile tea is great for general soothing and relaxation, but as a hangover remedy, it works wonders on headaches and indigestion, especially when sweetened with honey.

Thyme. Make a tea by lightly crushing five fresh or dried leaves; place in a cup and fill with water cooled to just below boiling; cover and leave to infuse for five minutes; remove leaves and drink.

Folk Remedies for Hangover Cure

Bifidus powder. Also known as bifidum, is a helpful bacteria that inhabits the large intestines, and keeps nasty bacteria at bay. It produces B vitamins, helping the bowels stay regular. But it has another very helpful property, it detoxifies acetaldehyde, a digestive byproduct of alcohol consumption that is blamed to cause most of the symptoms of the hangover. Another hangover remedy is to take a probiotic supplement, such as acidophilus, to help restore the flora balance in your stomach.



Honey and Lemon. The classic drink of honey, lemon, and warm water is one of the best hangover medicines. Honey contains fructose, which competes for the metabolism of alcohol. This healthy competition is needed, since it prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches. To make the drink, take 1 cup of warm water and mix in honey and lemon juice to taste. Enjoy and drink several times a day.

Spirulina. Take 15-20g of spirulina with water. After too much alcohol, two glasses of water are essential for rehydration. Spirulina adds protein, vitamins and minerals to rebuild the body's depleted nutrients. It does not aid sobriety, but with water, helps avoid that dehydrated and depleted feeling the next morning.

Activated charcoal. Take one tablet of activated charcoal per drink while you are drinking. The charcoal absorbs the impurities in the alcohol which are the cause of the hangover. The charcoal also absorbs important nutrients, so if you are a heavy drinker, don't use this remedy daily as you will end up with nutritional deficiencies.