A throbbing head, a tongue that feels like a carpet and a strong sense of regret are all symptoms of New Year's Day. Researchers have chosen New Year's Day to tell us that most will offer cold comfort.
The scientists evaluated studies looking at 23 different substances and found that all of them had low-quality evidence for how well they worked.
Seven of the substances showed some sign of potential benefits for the overall health of the body, with participants giving a lower symptom score compared with a placebo.
A hundred percent is not good. The research was based at the National Addiction Centre at King's College London.
clove extract, the anti- inflammatory drug tolfenamic acid, and pyritinol were the substances with the strongest effects. The participants who took a clove extract pill while drinking had a higher symptom score than those who took a placebo pill.
It seems more research is needed to find out if using such substances helps the morning after. The clove extract study had 16 participants.
Roberts and colleagues looked at 21 studies, all of which had 386 participants.
There are some surprising gaps in the list. While some may find a pill like aspirin or paracetamol to help with a sore throat, neither has been studied for this purpose in randomized control trials.
The team notes that eight of the studies only involved male participants, while none involved adults over the age of 65. It's not clear if the findings of studies in one country would apply elsewhere.
The team points out that many of the studies had significant degrees of imprecision in outcome measures of treatment effect.
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to the effects of a bad night of partying. He said that the most sensible thing to do is not to drink alcohol.
Roberts said staying hydrated was likely to help those who are planning to drink more.
Roberts has purchased another option. He said he had purchased a bottle of clove extract.
Prof David Nutt, who was not involved in the work, said the only way to stop a bad night was to drink less and not drink alcohol. Nutt claims that his alcohol-free spirit Sentia can make people feel a bit lighter and less stressed, without causing them to have a bad night.
He said that over 10 billion dollars a year is spent on major health impairment in the UK.
