Friday Fun Fact – Hangover Cure

I’ve recently been thinking about honey on a daily basis.  My choice to post recipes using honey this year has much  to do with my obsession of honey and it’s uses.  I’ve a couple of thoughtful friends who consistently send me links to articles touting the benefits of honey, recipes and its many uses.  Often times its old news to me but I’m taken with the idea that others are also interested in “honey”!  Based on this thought I’ve decided to make an addition to The Orange Bee by adding a weekly post on Fridays.  I’m calling it “Friday Fun Fact”.  Every Friday you can expect a short post with information about the life of bees or the sweet liquid and it’s multitude of uses. My hope is that you will discover an improved appreciation for bees or a new use or benefit of honey to incorporate into your life.  I’m open to any news or suggestions from you, my readers, that could help me with this idea.  If you have something for me please leave me a comment in the comments section and I’ll be sure to check it out.  I just love new challenges!

Today’s fun fact happens to be one I’ve known of since I was about 19 years of age.  Honey as a “hangover cure“.  Living in the big city, working and playing.  Of course playing at that time included nights out on the town with friends, usually in a bar and usually involving large consumptions of alcohol.  Don’t ask me if we called for a cab at the end of the evening back in those days!  I feel blessed to have made it home on numerous occasions, with a generous amount of alcohol running through my body.  Today I would call a cab if I though my blood alcohol level was in the danger zone. Truthfully at my age I’ve learned not to consume so much alcohol as to leave me waking with a major hangover the following morning.

Back in the day the idea was, upon waking with a headache or queasy stomach, take 2 tylenol with a glass of water followed by a spoonful of honey.  If I remember correctly that remedy probably did work for me on occasion.  A hangover is caused by the body’s production of ethanal from a consumption of “too much” alcohol.  Honey provides our bodies with sodium, potassium and fructose, which aid in recovery.  Honey is high in carbohydrates and natural glucose  so it delivers energy quickly to our bodies.  It is easily absorbed and gentle on our internal organs.  The fructose sugars help the liver to break down the alcohol and speed up the metabolism of the alcohol, thereby acting as a sobering agent.

A recent article in The Huffington Post suggests adding the honey to a cup of tea to cure a hangover.  The thought behind this is that our body also needs the hydration that the tea can provide.  Since a hangover causes our blood sugar levels to drop consuming plain carbs helps to increase these levels and settle a queasy stomach.  Simply spreading honey on a piece of plain toast will help you get back on track.  My last suggestion for you today is to make a sweet smoothie using honey, a banana and a glass of milk.  This power smoothie will nourish you with potassium, soothe your stomach, rehydrate your body and help clear your aching head.

Be sure to drink responsibly and always designate a driver or call a cab if you find yourself away from home having consumed too much alcohol!