I’ve turned into a bit of a wino. I enjoy my organic wines but I don’t enjoy the hangovers! In my 20’s I used to reach for the advil, but now, a wiser me reaches for something different. In no way am I advocating drinking for your health, but, if you do enjoy a little but of bubbly every now and then, these tips can help you through the next day.

Body Aches

This is a sign of inflammation. Inflammation is the precursor to illness and ailments. To deal with inflammation, keep the body hydrated and consume anti-inflammatory herbs, foods and supplements. This means leafy greens, turmeric tea, cur cumin supplements, lemon water and green juice are excellent choices after that bottle of wine somehow disappeared. So, instead of reaching for a greasy burger and fries at lunch, try a huge salad and hit up an organic juicer (like splash in St, Albert). Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory substances that can not only help hangovers but is also great at helping with headaches, arthritis and healing leaky gut. You can find ground turmeric in most health food stores and consume it by throwing it into smoothies. If you have your own juicer at home, fresh turmeric is a great addition to any green juice. You can also chop up fresh turmeric and cook with it in stir fry’s or with wilted greens. If that all sounds too difficult, many natural supplement brands now carry turmeric in capsule form so there is no reason why you can’t benefit from this powerful herb.

Headaches

As mentioned, turmeric can be super helpful with headaches and even migraines. Headaches too are a sign of inflammation. Hydration is also needed in a natural fight against headaches and coconut water may pack a special punch for this as it also has a great balance of electrolytes and trace minerals with very little natural sugar. Sugar will make your headache worse so skip the powerade and opt for plain water or coconut water in it’s place. If you can remember, drinking a tall glass of water before bed is a great preventative measure for hangover headaches and if you wake up to use the washroom, down another glass before you crawl back in the sack. Once a headache is full steam, I will use either our Root Down or essential oils to take down the throb. It’s common knowledge that peppermint is great for headaches but many don’t know that lavender and rosemary can also do the trick. You can diffuse the three together, place a few drops of each on a towel near you or make a little headache balm by mixing a tablespoon of coconut oil with 2 drops of each oil.

Lethargy/Fatigue

Sunlight is one of the best forms of medicine for lethargy. When sunlight hits your eyes, it shuts off melatonin production which is the hormone responsible for making you sleepy. After a night of hitting the bottle, schedule an early morning walk. The sunlight will energize you more than coffee and the movement will also help to get your mitochondria going so that it can metabolize the by products of the booze in your system that are causing your hangover symptoms. If you don’t have time for a walk (because you hit snooze one to many times), open the front door and take 8 deep breaths. This will give you a similar effect and take only about 1 more minute of your time. Essential oils are also great to use for fatigue and lethargy. Try putting a few drops of lemon and a few drops of eucalyptus down your drain before your shower. Once the hot water hits the drain, you’ll be in a steam shower of uplifting and energizing scent. most oils with a minty, citrusy or camphorous scent will help to combat fatigue and energize the body. Juniper is one of our favorite to recommend for hangovers as it has a minty undertone and has been shown to help detox the body.

Low Grade Nausea

The one natural thing I used to do in my 20’s to combat hangovers was keep dried ginger by my bedside. I found that it not only helped with my nausea but it also helped with my awful, post-party, morning breath. Ginger chews or dried ginger is a great anti-nausea option but for those who can’t stomach the taste, there are other options. Chai tea traditionally has herbs that help with stomach upset and nausea like fennel, cinnamon, clove, ginger and mint. Don’t go for the latte form as the dairy can make nausea worse for some people. When I experience low grade nausea, I make sure that my diffuser jewelry is close by! I have bracelets, malas and necklaces that have lava beads or lockets that can hold essential oils. Our anti-nausea blend is obviously great for treating nausea. It uses cinnamon, vanilla, eucalyptus and spearmint essential oils to help the body get over that awful feeling at the back of your throat. All of these essential oils are great to use on their own as well. If you love the smell of chai tea, you can also use those essential oils to combat nausea. Try fennel, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg and spearmint essential oils to make your own chai blend.

Even though drinking too much isn’t the best way to reach optimal health, there are natural ways to deal with the consequences of too much alcohol. Advil, pepol bismol, gravol and other over the counter medications might help your hangover, but they some at a price, especially for the liver. Do your body a favor and try out some natural herbs like turmeric, try hydrating with coconut water or green juice, get some sunlight and use essential oils the next time you wake up feeling run over by a bus.

Have A Great Weekend!

Jay