Which Chinese herbal medicine can help with hangover
With the approaching of the Spring Festival, it is inevitable to drink too much when gathering with relatives and friends. Drinking too much alcohol can cause symptoms such as vomiting and headache. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to discomfort in the body, which is known as "alcohol toxicity" in traditional Chinese medicine. Some Chinese herbal medicines can alleviate these uncomfortable symptoms.
1. Zhi Mu Ju Zi (Gardenia Fruit)
It has a sweet and sour taste and can treat alcohol intoxication, restlessness, thirst, vomiting, and constipation.
"Dian Nan Ben Cao" clearly states that it "treats all left paralysis, right paralysis, rheumatism, numbness, and can relieve alcohol toxicity..." "Shi Yi De Xiao Fang" prescribes Zhi Zi Wan to treat "frequent accumulation due to drinking." In addition, Zhi Ye (Gardenia Leaf) can also relieve alcohol intoxication.
2. Ge Gen Hua (Kudzu Flower)
It has a sweet and mild taste and is good for relieving alcohol toxicity, refreshing the spleen and stomach, and relieving thirst. It is mainly used to treat excessive drinking, headache, dizziness, restlessness, thirst, vomiting, and fullness in the chest and abdomen. "Pi Wei Lun" has a prescription called Ge Hua Jie Cheng (Kudzu Flower Decoction) for relieving drunkenness (confusion after intoxication). "Dian Nan Ben Cao" has prescriptions like Ge Hua Qing Re Wan, which are used to treat drunkenness. In addition, Kudzu Root and Kudzu Seed also have sobering effects.
3. Cao Guo (Tsaoko Fruit)
It has a pungent and warm nature and enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It has the functions of drying dampness, dispelling cold, resolving phlegm, and treating malaria. It also has the ability to remove turbidity due to its aromatic nature. "Ben Cao Gang Mu" cites Li Gao Yun: "Warms the spleen and stomach, stops vomiting, treats spleen coldness and dampness, phlegm coldness...reduces food stagnation, relieves alcohol toxicity and fruit retention, and also dispels malaria and resolves pestilence."
4. Gao Liang Jiang (Greater Galangal)
It has a pungent and hot nature and enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It has the functions of dispelling cold, relieving pain, warming the middle, and stopping vomiting. "Ben Cao Cong Xin" states that it "warms the stomach, dispels cold, aids digestion, and relieves alcohol intoxication, treats stomach pain caused by cold."
5. Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum Flower)
It belongs to the category of dispersing wind and heat to relieve exterior, with a pungent, sweet, bitter, and slightly cold nature. It can dispel wind and heat, clear the liver, improve vision, and clear heat and detoxify. "Yao Jian" states that it "...relieves the confusion of drunkenness, helps to wake up, and is commonly used with Gan Geng (Kudzu Root) to make a decoction."
6. Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings)
It has a sweet and slightly cold nature and has the functions of clearing heat, transforming phlegm, relieving restlessness, and stopping vomiting. It has a good effect on vomiting caused by stomach heat or phlegm heat. "De Pei Ben Cao" mentions that it "combines with chicken eggs to treat headache caused by drinking." "Yao Pin Hua Yi" also states its use in treating "vomiting caused by alcohol injury".
7. Bai Bian Dou (Hyacinth Bean)
It is a spleen-tonifying medicine. It has a sweet and warm nature and can invigorate the spleen, transform dampness, and relieve heat. "Ben Cao Tu Jing" states that it "treats women's excessive menstruation. It also has the effect of dispelling alcohol toxicity and treating puffer fish toxicity."
8. Ku Shen (Sophora Flavescens)
It has a bitter and cold nature and has the functions of clearing heat, drying dampness, killing parasites, and promoting diuresis. "Ming Yi Bie Lu" states that it "eliminates hidden heat in the intestines, relieves thirst, and wakes up after intoxication..." Zhang Shanlei explains this by saying: "...relieving thirst and waking up after intoxication are both effects of clearing heat." "Ben Cao Jing Shu" also mentions that Ku Shen "relieves drunkenness, relieves thirst, improves vision, and has excellent effects on treating bloody dysentery and infantile dysentery."
9. Rou Dou Kou (Nutmeg)
It has a pungent and warm nature and belongs to the category of warming the middle and stopping diarrhea. It has the functions of warming the middle, promoting qi circulation, solidifying intestines, stopping diarrhea, and aiding digestion. "Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao" states that it "regulates the middle, relieves qi stagnation, stops diarrhea, opens the appetite, aids digestion. It is externally used for external disorders, relieves intoxication, and treats cholera." "De Pei Ben Cao" also considers it as "relieving indigestion, relieving alcohol toxicity".
Which Chinese herbal medicine can help with hangover, what to do with hangover, what to eat to relieve hangover
Other methods to relieve hangover
1. If you feel nauseous and uncomfortable, vomit
The most direct and quickest way to relieve hangover is to vomit out all the unabsorbed alcohol in your stomach. Try to make yourself vomit by inserting your fingers into your throat. Although it is painful, it is better than feeling uncomfortable with the alcohol in your stomach. I usually go to the bathroom and vomit a few times, then wash my face and clean my mouth.
2. After emptying your stomach, eat some fruits, such as bananas
After emptying your stomach, eat some fruits to fill your stomach a little so that you won't feel too uncomfortable on an empty stomach. In general, I prefer to eat two bananas, which are also effective for sobering up.
3. Then, drink some fruit juice
If you have the means, you can drink some fruit juice to neutralize the alcohol. Personally, my wife would make me some tomato juice, which helps to relieve the burning sensation in my body after drinking.
4. If you like drinking milk, you can have some
To alleviate the absorption of alcohol, you don't necessarily have to choose fruit juice, which can be more troublesome. Sometimes, there is milk at home, and I would slowly drink a glass of milk, which is also effective for sobering up.
5. Other sobering drinks vary from person to person and depend on the available options
Of course, there are many other methods for sobering up. Besides the ones I have personally tried, I haven't tried others. For example, there is celery juice, vinegar, fresh grapes, orange peel water, and many other tips. I think, no matter what, it depends on your own preferences and the available options at the time. Just eat something simple.
The main thing is to vomit and clean up, and then replenish with something.
6. Eat a little and then go to sleep
Eat a little bit, because at this time, I guess no one can eat much, and the head is very dizzy, so lie down and rest for a while, sleep, this is necessary. It is also a process of regulating metabolic function. You must rest.
7. If you have a headache after waking up, drink some honey water
When you wake up and find that you still have a headache, make some honey water to relieve the hangover. This is very effective for relieving headache after alcohol consumption.
