We may know many quick ways of getting over a hangover and the best foods to cure hangover but you would be surprised that a lesser known cure can be just right there in your kitchen.
You guessed it right, it is those humble lemons which can cure a hangover miraculously.
Although alcohol can be a very gratifying substance when consumed, the after effects which is colloquially referred to as a hangover can cause intense physiological discomfiture, characterized by dehydration, chronic headaches, nausea, loss of appetite and mental disorientation.
However, all is not awry as nature has provided us with a simple yet effective method to cure this malaise in the guise of the humble yet refreshing lemon.
Lemons Cure Hangover It is no secret that lemons have been used over the years to cure, if not alleviate the symptoms of a hangover.
But just how much truth there is to this posited theory has always been the subject of debate among the scientific community.
While it has not been conclusively proven that lemons do in fact cure hangovers, there is an expansive body of compelling research, which seems to suggest otherwise.
Let us analyze some of these findings in an unbiased light.
The consumption of excess alcohol the night before leads to low blood sugar levels in the body, which in turn induces chronic headaches, nausea and all the other tell-tale hangover symptoms in a person as he awakes.
This is because the glucose production gets hampered as the body attempts to metabolize the alcohol in the blood, resulting in a condition known as hypoglycemia.
It is a known fact that all fruits contain a form of sugar called fructose.
Hence, when a fruit such as lemon is consumed in the form of juice, its fructose content instantly elevates the levels of glucose in the body and reverses the effects caused by hypoglycemia.
Lemons have a high content of citric acid, a chemical that has been found to hasten the metabolism and removal of alcohol from a person's body.
The fructose present in lemon has been widely believed to curtail the changes in alcohol levels in the blood, which cause splitting headaches.
When consumed in the form of juice, the citric acid present in lemon alters the body's PH levels and transforms it into an alkaline condition, which further diminishes the effects of alcohol on the body.
As a member of the citrus family of fruits, lemons have been found to possess a high content of antioxidants, which are basically chemicals that exhibit anti-inflammatory and curative properties in the body.
Now, as you are aware that most of the notorious side effects associated with a hangover revolve around severe headaches, nausea and overwhelming feelings of general discomfiture in the body.
The antioxidants present in lemon effectively flush out the toxins in the blood caused as a result of alcohol abuse.
The much-revered medicinal science of Ayurveda has always stressed the importance of staying hydrated in order to facilitate healthy circulation in the body.
Binge drinking leads to acute dehydration, which in turn exacerbates all the symptoms associated with a hangover.
Hence, a tall glass of refreshing lemon juice would work wonders for your hangover by replacing the essential chemicals and bodily fluids that were depleted due to alcohol and restore normalcy in the body.
From the above discussion it is thus safe to infer that lemons do in fact cure hangovers.
However, prevention is better than cure and the key to avoiding a hangover is to drink in moderation so that you don't experience the negative side effects, which arise after a night of unbridled revelry.