Cactus extract takes some pain out of hangover: study

CHICAGO – Extract of a prickly pear cactus may reduce nausea, dry mouth, and appetite-loss and other symptoms of hangover, a study released Monday said.

In a preliminary trial, volunteers who were given extract of the plant, also known by its botanical name Opuntia ficus indica, reduced their risk of severe hangover by about half compared to volunteers given a placebo before a drinking binge. “We found hangover symptom severity to be moderately reduced by an extract of the prickly pear plant,” the authors wrote.For the purposes of the study, 55 people were given either 1600 i.u. (two supplements) of the extract or a placebo five hours before imbibing five to 10 drinks of gin, vodka, scotch, rum, bourbon or tequila.The following day, participants were quizzed about their symptoms and submitted blood and urine samples for analysis.The results showed that participants given the plant extract had less severe dry-mouth, nausea and appetite-loss than the placebo group, and scored lower on tests for “C-reactive protein,” a protein produced by the liver that is thought to be involved in hangovers.Researchers speculated that the plant extract dampens the body’s inflammatory response to alcohol impurities and promotes cellular repair.The economic costs of binge drinking, in terms of absenteeism and lost productivity are substantial, but only Vitamin B6 and an anti-inflammatory drug made from tolfenamic acid have shown much value in treating the condition to date, according to the study.Three-quarters of drinkers are estimated to suffer from a hangover at least once a year, while 15 percent report one a month, according to background information in the study in the journal, the Archives of Internal Medicine.The study was funded in part by Extracts Plus, San Diego, California and carried out by researchers at Tulane University, in New Orleans.- Nampa-AFP”We found hangover symptom severity to be moderately reduced by an extract of the prickly pear plant,” the authors wrote.For the purposes of the study, 55 people were given either 1600 i.u. (two supplements) of the extract or a placebo five hours before imbibing five to 10 drinks of gin, vodka, scotch, rum, bourbon or tequila.The following day, participants were quizzed about their symptoms and submitted blood and urine samples for analysis.The results showed that participants given the plant extract had less severe dry-mouth, nausea and appetite-loss than the placebo group, and scored lower on tests for “C-reactive protein,” a protein produced by the liver that is thought to be involved in hangovers.Researchers speculated that the plant extract dampens the body’s inflammatory response to alcohol impurities and promotes cellular repair.The economic costs of binge drinking, in terms of absenteeism and lost productivity are substantial, but only Vitamin B6 and an anti-inflammatory drug made from tolfenamic acid have shown much value in treating the condition to date, according to the study.Three-quarters of drinkers are estimated to suffer from a hangover at least once a year, while 15 percent report one a month, according to background information in the study in the journal, the Archives of Internal Medicine.The study was funded in part by Extracts Plus, San Diego, California and carried out by researchers at Tulane University, in New Orleans.- Nampa-AFP