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We Tried 10 Weird Hangover Cures. Here's What Happened

We tested the weirdest hangover cures to see what works -- and which hangover remedies will make you more miserable
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Lemon Juice in Your Armpit: The Sober Truth
I'm skeptical of this remedy, but not so skeptical that I'm not willing to make a coworker try it. Former associate editor Emily says she was driven to drunkenness by a friendly bartender who coaxed her with free shots of flavored vodka. Whatever you say, ya boozehound! The next day, "I had trouble concentrating and generally enjoying life," she reports. "I felt weak and slow."

Our hangover cure experiment contains one minor variable: I mistakenly instruct Emily to keep the lemon slices in her armpits, not rub them on her armpits. "It was kind of awkward because you just have to keep your arms clamped down for a while," she says, making me feel like the world's worst editor. "I left them under there for about 45 minutes. They did nothing, obviously. They didn't even make me smell like a lemon."

So she reformulates her hangover remedy strategy. "I used the rest of the lemon to squeeze into my water, which was actually really refreshing and helped me feel better," she says. And the armpit trick? "I would never do this again."

Grade: 1/10

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Hangover Cure No. 4: Mercy
With a logo featuring a big-busted angel, Mercy is clearly a drink (and claimed hangover cure) aimed at college-age, Red Bull-guzzling YOLOs. Lest this fizzy, orange-flavored beverage appear to be all sugar and no substance, a recent independent study indicates that 73 percent of subjects experienced an improvement in the physical symptoms (nausea, headache, dizziness, etc.) of a hangover and a 122 percent improvement in certain cognitive symptoms (reaction time and information-processing speed).

Pace is optimistic about Mercy's potential. "It contains a lot of vitamin B," she explains. "Pairing different forms of vitamin B together helps your body produce more of the detoxifying agent glutathione. When you have a shortage of this, you often get headaches and irritability." Pace also notes the presence of chamomile extract, which soothes an upset stomach -- which some of us desperately need in our hangover remedy. "What is most effective in these drinks is the vitamins, so another option could be to just take a multivitamin before you go out drinking." Bah! Too easy.

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Mercy: The Sober Truth
Given my perception of Mercy as the Official Drink of Frat Boys™, I'm surprised to learn that my classy coworker Dawn had been hoarding Mercy in her fridge. She calls upon the Angel of Mercy after a bachelorette party that involved a series of "fancy cocktails."

Obstacle No. 1 to Hangover Cure: Mercy's directions indicate that you must drink it after imbibing, but before you go to sleep, "which means the first challenge is actually remembering to drink it," Dawn explains. "But I did -- well, I drank half of it."

Obstacle No. 2 to Hangover Cure: "I didn't love the citrus flavor. It reminded me of Red Bull." (Ah ha!)

"The next morning, I was hungover -- but not very," she insists. "It's hard to know how much worse I would have felt if I hadn't had the Mercy, but I do think it made a small difference."

Grade: 7/10

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Hangover Cure No. 5: Pürblack
An Ayurvedic treatment for ailments ranging from skin wounds to anxiety, shilajit resin -- mineral pitch that resembles charcoal in color and odor -- is the subject of our next hangover cure experiment. It's the active ingredient in Pürblack, which its manufacturers claim "naturally assists your body in reaching its maximum genetic potential" (whatever that means). Pürblack's website links to studies that find the resin effective in treating conditions like peptic ulcers and inflammation, but its materials are vague on the subject of Pürblack's ability to alleviate hangover symptoms.

Pace claims that shilajit is effective in "detoxifying" the body post-alcohol. "As I said previously, properly hydrating and taking multivitamins are just as effective," she says tactfully. (Yeah, yeah, yeah.)

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Pürblack: The Sober Truth
After one too many dances with Maker's Mark the night before, former editor Heidi arrives to the office feeling less than her typical bubbly self -- and in need of a hangover cure to get through the day. Pürblack's directions recommend mixing a pea-size amount of the tarlike substance into a beverage. First, Heidi experiments with stirring it into a cup of water:

Heidi: [Gingerly sips drink, then wrinkles nose.] "It's not so bad." [Sips and wrinkles nose again.] "Yeah. It's not so bad."

Mixing it into Coke Zero yields slightly more delicious results. "I can't even taste it," she proclaims. After finishing the hangover cure concoction, she has "a distinct taste of charcoal in [her] mouth. Very Weber Smokey Joe." Two hours later, Heidi still feels the (heart)burn, headache and stomach upset. "[I'm] no better, really," she says. A Carl's Jr. burger makes her churning stomach feel "a little better," but her head is "still blah."

"I was also burping charcoal for a bit, but I think it's because I drank the soda so fast," she muses. Pürblack: 0. Maker's Mark: 1.

Grade: 2/10

BY KATIE MCCARTHY, JESSICA AMARIS | MAR 17, 2016 | SHARES
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