A host of products on the market - including
Sober-X, which includes ingredients "FDA
Generally Recognized as Safe," if not
approved - claim to prevent hangovers
entirely.
Most are a mixture of herbal supplements
and vitamins, which allegedly counteract
a hangover - your body's way of trying
to repair itself after you've consumed
more alcohol than your liver can break
down. The excess alcohol continues to
circulate through your body - resulting
in vomiting (your body needs to expel
it somehow) and minor inflammation of
the brain (the headache).
But as it turns out, some of these ingredients
may help the drinker who has overindulged,
according to Carol Dean, a Brooklyn-based
M.D. who specializes in naturopathic medicine.
She was particularly enthused about Sober
X, the newest product on offer.
"This product has milk thistle, which
totally protects the liver - and it may
help the liver break down substances,"
she says. "It also has artichoke, which
is a natural detoxifier."
In fact, just about all these elixirs
had ingredients Dr. Dean believes would
be effective - though she cautions against
the most tried-and-true method: two aspirin
and a glass of water before bed.
"I'd advise against it," she says. "It
can cause a strain on the liver."
Several dedicated Post staffers happily
volunteered to test these elixirs, each
guinea pig consuming the same types and
amounts of alcohol that would normally
induce a hangover.
Sober X patch
Reduce and/or prevent hangovers through
"unique blend of natural extract formulations
and vitamins."
Two glasses of shiraz, two pints of Stella
Artois beer, one rum-and-Coke
Very good. No hangover; tester just felt
a little "jet-laggy" the next day.
Sob'r-K pills
Same as with the patch, though you must
take two pills before drinking, two pills
while drinking, and two pills after drinking
Eight glasses of red wine
Excellent. Our drinker went home drunk,
but woke up with no headache and no nausea
- just "a bit out of it."
Ravive
"Annihilates the after-effects of too
much partying"
Four glasses of wine
Upsetting. Though tester suffered no
hangover - "and by all means, I should
have been on the floor"- she had no appetite
and was so wired she couldn't fall asleep:
"Not worth the racy, hyper feeling."
Chaser
Blockshangovers
Two glasses of white wine, one glass
of red wine, three glasses of champagne
Very good. Our guinea pig, who has a
very low tolerance, had just a "small
headache" the next day.
Two aspirin and a glass of water before
bed
Common sense
One glass of white wine, 2 1/2 vodka
tonics, one beer
Excellent. Tester woke up with no hangover
at all, though pacing and a heavy meal
while drinking also helped.
Research: Michael Kane, Letitia Rowlands,
Debra Birnbaum, Elisa Lipsky-Karasz
