After a heavy night of drinking, often the mornings that follow are spent regretting the previous night as the pounding headache and nausea seem unrelenting. You would almost do anything to get rid of the heavy feeling. Did you know cabbage soup is a great hangover reliever? Or did you know that people with Pitta constitution get drunk faster than people with Kapha Prakriti? When fighting a hangover, Ayurveda can be the friend you are grateful for!
We share some amazingly handy Ayurvedic tips and solutions to get rid of the pounding hangover. You can thank us later!
First thing you do, after waking up is, drink a warm cup of lemon tea, which is hot water with lemon juice in it and some honey. You can also have lemon juice cold with some honey in it.
The lemon helps you come out of the hang over and the honey in it raises your blood sugar level which you would have lost from heavy drinking.
Ginger also helps to treat hang over. You can chew a few pieces of ginger or make ginger tea.
Try this-Boil water with few pieces of ginger and then when it cools down, add some honey and add a few drops of lemon and have it.
It is another remedy for a hangover. Tomato has a sugar called fructose which helps to metabolize the alcohol quicker.
Do Not Skip Meals When you have a hangover, you experience severe loss of appetite, but you will need more energy to deal with the situation at hand. It is advisable to havea lott of fruits and stay on vegetables for the day.
Consuming alcohol which is not prepared naturally is not advisable in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, the body constitution of an individual (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) also determine if, how much and how quickly an individual is likely to get intoxicated. Vata and Pitta people tend to get drunk easily. People with Kapha body constitution take some time to get intoxicated.
According to Ayurveda, it is a good idea to induce vomiting if need be. The Ayurvedic principle is, alcohol should not sit in the body. It should either be digested or thrown out of the system.
Have rock salt during hangover.
Salt and buttermilk will help reduce intoxication and help the liver which is battered by the excessive alcohol intake. Pomegranate juice can also help digest the alcohol.
If you practice Yoga regularly, according to Ayurveda experts, the need for alcohol is reduced in the body. It helps you feel calm and expanded, filling up the spiritual and physical void that many people resort to alcohol for.
Avoid alcohol during summer, since the Pitta or heat element is higher in the environment during this time of the year and it is draining on the body as is.
According to Ayurveda, ONLY people with good digestion should drink, if at all. They should be able to digest the alcohol, otherwise, it could create health problems, nausea, and improper liver functions.
Duringhangoverr, you can practice the straw breathing technique. Take deep breaths as if you were drinking something with a straw. After practicing Pranayamas or breathing exercises, need for alcohol is drastically reduced.
Do not have regular food or meals until the alcohol is either digested completely or vomited out. The liver is overworked as is, during and after heavy drinking.
Arogyavardhini Vati or Livon, are some of the herbal medicines that aid the recovery of the liver from a stupor. Alcohol gives a lot of workload to the liver. These Ayurvedic herbal medicines help protect the liver.
For people who drink alcohol a lot, it is very important to know the body constitutions and what and how much alcohol they should consume and when. Many people, especially when they do not practice a certain lifestyle which involves regular Yoga, Mudras and Pranayam practices, do not have the ability to absorb alcohol in the body. For this, it is important to consult a qualified Ayurveda doctor.
(with Inputs from Dr. Lakshmi, a senior Ayurvedic expert at Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research, Bangalore.)
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