Anti-hangover pills, sachets, effervescent tablets, detox shots and even gummies are now just a quick-commerce order away. But can they actually undo the effects of alcohol? Doctors say the claims need a closer look.
As India’s festive and wedding season gets busier, these products are becoming hard to miss, promising hydration, “detox” and an easier morning after.
“Being sold OTC does not mean that the product has demonstrated efficacy as a hangover treatment. A 2021 review of 82 commercially marketed hangover products found substantial variation in ingredients and dosing, with limited independent evidence for safety or efficacy,” says Dr Sfurti Mann, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, Shalby International Hospital, Gurugram.
Sold in India under the broad umbrella of FSSAI’s health supplement or nutraceutical framework rather than regulated, approved drugs, these products are being used before, after, or during alcohol consumption. vitamins, and herbal extracts such as hovenia, ginseng, chicory, and ginger may aid rehydration and metabolic recovery, hepatologists and general physicians warn that no pill can outsmart the basic biology of alcohol processing While some ingredients like electrolytes. In the past, global regulators have explicitly raised this concern. Eat before drinking: Drinking on an empty stomach produces faster alcohol absorption and higher blood alcohol levels. Food slows absorption, although it does not make alcohol harmless. Give the liver what actually helps: Time and less alcohol. After excessive drinking, stop drinking, eat normally when tolerated, hydrate, sleep, and allow the body to recover.
In 2020, the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) warned seven companies illegally selling hangover products that were marketed as preventing or mitigating the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, as they could give young adults a false sense of protection. 1. 4.
