Holiday Hangover Detox

I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed the 4^th of July!  Anyone feeling a bit under the weather after all that celebrating?  I personally celebrated our independence long after the fireworks ended and then went to bed late with too much champagne in my belly.  If your head is throbbing, nose is running, throat is scratchy, or you’re participating in an early service at the porcelain bowl of worship after last night’s fun, fear not, there is hope!  Brought to you courtesy of wondrous nourishing foods. 

First, let’s address that nausea, since you won’t be able to keep the other cures down if you don’t get a grip on this one.

Ginger tea– peel and roughly chop a chunk of ginger about the size of both your thumbs.  Place the ginger in a sauce pan with 2 cups of water and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon and bring to a boil.  Cover the mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain the liquid into a cup, add in juice of ½ lemon and honey to taste (this is a STRONG tea with a good ginger “bite” so you may need quite a bit of honey to balance it out).  Sip and repeat tea as needed.

Ginger has strong anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory properties so you can start soothing the stomach and easing the inflammation on the sensitive digestive tract (alcohol is very caustic to the sensitive lining of the intestines).  Cinnamon is great to bring blood sugar under control (which is a potential cause of that headache you’re currently experiencing), as well as a powerful decongestant.  Lemon juice is a powerful detox agent to help the kidneys and liver process toxins, and also helps regulate blood sugar.  Honey is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, as well as a well-known sore throat soother.  This will give your body a bug fighting boost while your immune system is down trying to repair the damage done by the booze.

Next, let’s handle any dehydration, which is likely causing a miserable headache and preventing you from flushing out those toxins.  Dehydration is the cause of numerous problems, from digestive distress to brain fog to major decreases in athletic performance.  (stay tuned for a later entry devoted to the benefits of proper hydration).

Bone Broth.  If you’ve got access to a good bone broth or chicken stock, grab a glass and start drinking.  Broth is full of trace minerals that are often depleted during the processing of alcohol.  The collagen in bone broth is also healing to the digestive system, soothing the irritation caused by the caustic nature of alcohol.

Coconut water is also a wonderful addition to the hangover cure.  Full of electrolytes and potassium, this is an especially helpful for anyone who suffers leg cramps after drinking.

Kombucha will help support your body’s detox pathways, aid in electrolyte replacement and give you a boost of good bacteria to keep your digestion on track.  See HERE for more information on the benefits of this awesome drink.

Now that we’ve pumped you full of antiemetics and replaced your fluids, ease into whole foods slowly with a few eggs cooked loosely in coconut oil.

Eggs have so many great properties, full of easily digested, bio-available protein and healthy fats, tons of vitamins and minerals, including selenium and lutein, but for this particular occasion we’re interested in the cysteine content. Cysteine counteracts the poisonous effects of acetaldehyde, one of the major toxic by-products of alcohol metabolism that causes so many of those nasty hangover feelings.   Cysteine supports the body’s ability to turn acetaldehyde into acetic acid (the main compound found in vinegar).

Coconut oil has a multitude of health benefits. It’s great for getting your body running on fat as energy and is gentle on the digestive system, helps your brain function, and it has strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, helping you fight off any bad bugs while your immune system is down and out.

I hope these remedies give you some much needed relief.  What are your favorite home remedies after a night of over imbibing?