‘Hangover cure’ pill launches in the UK: How does it work and what are the risks?
A new anti-hangover supplement, marketed by the Swedish brand Myrkl, has gone on sale in the UK.
Said to be “the pre-drinking pill that works,” Myrkl claims that the supplement can break down up to 70 per cent of alcohol after one hour.
This means that if someone drinks 50ml of 40 per cent spirits, which contains 20ml of pure alcohol, as little as 6ml of the alcohol will enter the bloodstream – equivalent to if a person was only drinking 15ml of spirits.
The manufacturers say the pill fights the onset of a hangover by activating bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus coagulans), an amino acid (L-cysteine) and vitamin B12 in the gut, to break down the alcohol into water and carbon dioxide before it reaches the liver.
The supplement is currently available online and costs £30 (around €35) for 30 pills. There are two types of tablets in the product: one designed to be taken 12 hours before drinking and the other taken an hour before the drinking begins.
Researchers from Myrkl’s manufacturer, pharmaceutical firm De Faire Medical as well as the Pfützner Science and Health Institute in Mainz, published a paper last month which showed that taking the tablets before drinking reduced alcohol concentration in the body by half, within just 30 minutes of having a drink.
However, despite these pills bringing hopes of finally putting an end to weekends ruined by nausea, headaches and regret – many are sceptical of their efficiency.
“As the evidence stands there are no products that can prevent or cure a hangover,” Sally Adams, an associate professor from the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology, told Euronews Next.
Adams highlights how the science behind a hangover is holistic with many factors at play, making finding a "hangover
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