20 Weird Hangover Cures

Let’s go over twenty weird hangover cures across time.

20 Weird Hangover Cures

1.     Ancient Rome

The old Romans, awed by massive orgiastic bacchanals (huge orgie parties) were often awakened to the feeling that a bumpy race of chariots was inside their heads. 

However, what about a bird’s feathers instead of a dog’s hair? Pliny The Elder suggested deep-frying a canary before eating it up. 

There is debate over whether or not the animal was killed and skinned or eaten in its entirety. However, all seem to agree that the crunchy bones were among the most delicious bites.

2.     Namibia

In the morning, after a rough night, Namibians drank Buffalo Milk. 

Guess what’s not in it? Buffalo milk. It’s clotted milk (from cows), dark rum, cream liqueur, spiced rum, and whole cream. 

It’s like drinking a cup of it is the way you’d feel hungover. Along with a stomach overflowing with dairy and alcohol. Buffalo Milk adds a sugar crash to the mix of negative feelings.

3.     Puerto Rico

It is believed that drinkers from Puerto Rico have figured out ways to avoid an alcohol-related hangover. After a night of splurge, it is suggested to rub a slice or a wedge of lime (or lime) into the armpits of their drinking arm. That’s right. It is believed to prevent dehydration.

Some thoughts on this:

A) It’s impossible to imagine how it is possible to work. Like, at all. There isn’t any scientific basis for it.

B) The practice is often reported as a well-known remedy. However, none of the Puerto Ricans I spoke with during my research claimed to have used the lemon method. To consider it to be an urban myth would be generous. This makes me think:

C) This is probably an elaborate prank made up to see if they could fool their friend into rubbing a lemon on his armpit. Maybe the man smelled terrible, and someone wanted him to eliminate the smell before a night out.

4.     Japan

After drinking too much sake in one of Tokyo’s tiniest Ninomiya bars, Japanese drinkers eat umeboshi, a pickled dry ume like a plum or the apricot. It’s not just a tiny bit pickled, however. Instead, it’s pickled to the point that it puckers. Some people steep this in tea and then drink it to reduce the concentration, but it’s still shockingly acidic (even the less sour, dried one, umezuke, is difficult to digest).

There’s a bit of research behind this since the salt in the plum can aid in replenishing depleted electrolytes. But what if you put something that can be sour inside an already-sour stomach? Pass.

5.     Germany

Are you overflowing with Bitburger? It’s time for Katerfruhstuck, also known as “hangover brunch.” Make yourself a bowl of rollmops that are raw and pickled herring wrapped around slices of onion and gherkin.

6.     Canada

O, Canada! You guys do it right. Canadians stop in for poutine to finish the final installment with LaBatt. It’s a bowl of French fries with a thick cut and bits from Canadian cheese curd covered in a delicious gravy with fresh peppercorns. It’s not as tasty as it may sound. It’s better.

7.     Sicily

Three words to say to you. Dried. Bull. Penis. Chew it up! It’s been a bit old-fashioned; however, Sicilians with hangovers would nibble on a lovely old dry bull penis in the past. It was believed that it would restore your health. Perhaps your brain removes the hangover as swiftly as possible to prevent your body from consuming more penis-jerky.

8.     Haiti

A few Haitian people who practice voodoo are known to go on the offensive in response to their hangovers. They put 13 black-headed black pins in the bottles’ corks that caused the same thing to them. I’m not a scholar of Voodoo, but I’ve got to believe this is retribution against the drink that caused this horrible thing at night. What are they doing with screwtops? I don’t know.

9.     Ancient Greece

In no way are they beaten by their canary-eating counterparts. The ancient Greeks were able to treat their hangovers by eating a meal consisting of sheep lungs and two eggs from owls. But the lungs are incredibly sticky (I tested some buffalo lungs during my travels in Southeast Asia long ago). I don’t know how they could bounce around with the stomach of an unhappy one. Yeesh.

10.  Ireland

According to Irish legend, the most effective method of getting rid of hangovers is to be buried in moist river sand. Ireland isn’t a warm country, and the sand from the river is likely to be quite cold. It may have similar effects as a shower. 

It can make you feel awake and stimulate your blood flow, but there’s not much medical evidence to prove that it relieves nausea and headaches. This is, in reality, another joke that has become a legend. “Up the whole night drinking poteen, is that it? To the river!”

11.  Vietnam

This is horrible on many levels. In Vietnam, some people grind the rhino horn into hot water, then drink it. The same method can “cure” all sorts of ailments, from cancer to allergies. This is why there is a huge demand for rhino horns. Has become so great that these incredible animals are being taken in a staggering amount. It’s not possible that it’s going to work, So stop killing rhinos, Okay? Okay.

12.  Turkey

Do you have trouble with your stomach? It’s just a matter of having more courage. That’s why Turkey’s remedy for hangovers is tripe soup. The innards are cooked using onions, garlic, and occasionally cream. It is also possible to eat it to avoid an immediate hangover. Perhaps there’s something in it; this is also a well-known remedy in Mexico and Romania, but it makes headaches seem less harmful.

13.  Mongolia

The most stomach-pushing of the lot? Arguably, it’s Mongolia. After a night of drinking and wrestling, Mongolians shake off the morning dust with a drink of tomato juice and… picked eyes of sheep. Pickled. Eyeballs. From an animal. A couple of these. Mixing in tomato juice. I’m not adding anything.

14-18. United States

With the myriad of bizarre customs and traditions of this bizarre world, you’re content that we Americans aren’t just a group of Voodoo-eyed riverbank weirdos. We drink plenty and are just as crazy as everyone else.

Raw eggs. Let’s begin with the Prairie Oyster, a popular recipe throughout the Western U.S. There are a variety of variations. Still, they all include Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and a whole egg. So take a sip and down the hatch. The ingredients you can choose are vodka, ketchup, tomato juice, and vinegar. Also, maybe salmonella.

Sweat flowing. Certain Native American cultures, according to the BBC, consider that it is essential to go for an exercise and then work up a sweat. Then, you take the sweat from your arm, swish the sweat around, and then spit it out. Exercise helps eliminate toxins in your body. That spitting and licking? You can leave that out.

Hangover Heaven. In Vegas, there’s a morning after-bus experience known as Hangover Heaven. Take a ride; the crew will administer fluids, vitamins, and other supplements through IV as you walk along the strip. For many reasons, Vegas is not a pleasant place; however, Hangover Heaven might be the location to meet the Gizmodo crew early in the morning at CES 2013.

Eggs Benedict. This is one of the things which the U.S. got very, precisely right. According to the story, back in the 1800s, a wealthy socialite drank way too much. In the morning the next day, he contacted the dining establishment at Waldorf Astoria to make this bizarre sandwich, which included poached eggs and ham, as well as the sauce of hollandaise, over an English muffin. You’re welcome, world.

Pellet tea. Eggs Benedict aside, the U.S. is also responsible for one of the most disgusting cures listed on this list. In the wild west days, the drunk cowboys drank “tea” made of rabbit droppings. Take the pellets and then steep the tea in boiling water. Tea made from rabbit shit. Yep.

20.  Brooklyn, NY

In the past, I used to have an effective hangover cure that worked nearly every time, but we would not suggest it, nor will your physician. So after a night of drinking and drinking, here’s what I did once I returned home:

1.) Take as much fluid as you can.

2.) Drink a vitamin B complex as alcohol depletes your body of these vitamins.

3.) Take a few aspirins.

After doing these three things, I’ve seldom woken up with a hangover. I woke up drunk, yes but not with a hangover. Science is always ahead of the myths, every time. However, doctors have advised us to stay clear of this remedy. 

Taking aspirin when there’s alcohol in your system could increase the risk of your stomach bleeding. If you are taking ibuprofen as well as other NSAIDs can be riskier as well as taking Acetaminophen (Tylenol) might be more dangerous and could result in fulminant liver failure.

The latest and most effective treatment is to drink the most water you can (if you are taking Emergen-C or similar products containing electrolytes, then all the better). Make sure to have plenty of food in the stomach, and possibly you can take B-complex. You can then just pray for the most effective.