The cactus extract to prevent the symptoms of "hangover"

A dietary supplement containing extracts of cactus (Opuntia ficus indica, the prickly pear) appears to reduce the symptoms of "hangover", according to a U.S. study published in the journal "Archives of Internal Medicine."

The severity of symptoms experienced after a drunken evening (headache, nausea, anorexia, dry mouth, abdominal pain ...) is probably related to inflammation caused by impurities in the liquor and the metabolic products of alcohol.

Knowing that an extract of prickly pear reduces the inflammatory response to stress, team members Dr. Jeff Wiese, Department of Internal Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, wanted to verify if the effects of the cactus extract applied in the case of a hangover.

Their study involved 64 healthy volunteers aged 21 to 35 years, 55 participated in both phases of the study. While half of the participants received five hours before alcohol intake, a capsule containing cactus extract, the drug given to people in the second group was a placebo. Two weeks later, the experiment was repeated by reversing the income received by the participants.

Each time, the volunteers first had the right to a qualified "standard" by American researchers meal (ie, cheeseburger, fries and soda) before consuming up to 1.75 g of alcohol per kg body mass (a dose which capacity to cause a hangover have been proven in other studies) over a period of four hours.

Three of the nine characteristic symptoms of a hangover studied, namely nausea, dry mouth and anorexia, were significantly reduced by the plant extract.

Overall, the result of the self-assessment of the severity of symptoms was reduced by 2.7 percentage points on average (on a 7-point scale) and the risk of severe hangover (ie ie corresponding to a state in which the person is unable to be on time to work or school the next day) was halved, say the authors.

The rate of C-reactive protein (or CRP, which reflects the degree of inflammation) proved closely associated with the severity of the hangover, and reached, after taking placebo, higher values than 40% those measured after taking the plant extract, they said.

"The symptoms of a hangover are largely due to the activation of inflammation," the authors write, adding that "an extract of Opuntia ficus indica appears to reduce the severity of hangover by inhibiting the inflammatory response ".

If this cactus extract helps relieve the symptoms of hangover, it does not completely disappear, they warn, however, and the only way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much.