The World's Strangest Remedies
Even though we often suffer the next day, drinking alcohol is a part of many cultures. But through years of trial and error, different ailments have been discovered to soothe our aches and pains. From juicing our armpits to slurping pickled seafood, people around the world swear by these crazy hangover methods.
1. Mongolia: Pickled Sheep Eyeballs
Sink your teeth into a juicy eyeball! An ancient remedy for curing aches and pains in Mongolia is to eat pickled sheep eyeballs soaked in tomato juice. More recent studies have shown that tomato juice on its own promotes liver detoxing, so you can probably take the eyeballs out.
2. Armenia: Khash (Cow Hoof Soup)
There's nothing like a steaming hot bowl of boiled cow hooves after a night of drinking. Seriously, there really is nothing like it. Armenians claim that hooves stewing in a broth of vinegar, garlic, onion, and lemon juice will aid your hangover woes.
3. USA: The Prairie Oyster
The Prairie Oyster sounds like a drink for jacked-up gym bros who crush a carton of raw eggs for breakfast. If you can stomach a raw egg cracked in your virgin Bloody Mary the morning after, try this American delight. Replacing the vodka with egg yolk sounds more like a punishment than a cure.
4. Philippines: Balut
Balut is the name for a dish that requires boiling a still-developing duck embryo in its shell.
It's a street food in the Philippines that apparently soothes your hangover symptoms. Maybe the cure is from vomiting after looking at the embryo?
5. Puerto Rico: Lemon Juice Armpits
In Puerto Rico they don't drink their lemon juice, they rub it on their armpits. Whether this started as a practical prank or not, it's a tradition to citrus your pits when you're out drinking to prevent dehydration. We wonder if the benefits of the lemon juice absorb quicker through this method.
6. Germany: Katerfrühstück
This German remedy is not for pickle haters. The hangover snack includes raw pickled herring wrapped around an onion and a gherkin. The salty brine supposedly replenishes your electrolytes. The name translates to "tomcat's breakfast" which could mean they believe cats love pickled fish.
7. Peru: Tiger's Milk
If you're feeling queasy the morning after a party, how does drinking seafood marinade sound? Tiger's Milk is a broth made of lime, chilis, coriander, garlic, and onion that is used in ceviche. It's a sour and spicy eye opener that's bound to wake you up.
8. Italy: Male Animal Privates
Sicilians will have you believe that the male reproductive organ of a bull is full of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and boosts your energy levels and the collagen in your skin. If other parts of the animal aren't good enough, replenish your nutrients with this chewy hunk of meat.
9. Poland: Pickle Back Shots
The pickle back shot has reached other parts of the world but Poland claims to be the instigators. It's a preventative hangover method rather than a day after cure. Every time you take a shot of whisky you follow it with a shot of pickle juice. The brine soothes the burn of the alcohol and is full of vitamin C. Whether that means you should take shots all night is debatable.
10. Japan: Umeboshi Plums
Pickled food seems to be the answer to everyone's hangover problems. Eating an Umeboshi plum is an ancient hangover remedy in Japan that involves pickling plums in salt and green tea. They say it works best to gobble a few plums before bed and you'll wake up fresh and headache free.
Asturio Cantabrio on Wikimedia
11. Spain: Churros & Chocolate Sauce
If you have a sweet tooth, you'll be all over this hangover cure. It doesn't sound like the healthiest choice but some claim fried churros dipped in chocolate sauce works. The carbohydrates absorb the alcohol and the dark chocolate is full of antioxidants which aid your liver. Is this coming from a nutrition expert? Unlikely.
12. Netherlands: Broodje Haring
The Dutch and Germans think it works so raw haring must be the cure to all hangovers. A Broodje Haring is essentially a herring burger topped with onions, pickles, and mayo.
Fishy comfort food anyone?
Frank C. Müller, Baden-Baden on Wikimedia
13. Norway: Lutefisk
This one also seems a little fishy but Norwegians claim the vikings discovered this remedy. Lutefisk is dried lye-soaked cod that is steamed and slathered in butter. It has a jelly-like consistency and is high in fish oil which they claim is beneficial to consume after lots of alcohol.
14. Japan: Ocha Zuke
Japan has several hangover remedies and Ocha Zuke is another one. Made with green tea-soaked rice, seaweed, and sesame seeds, it's like a potent bitter porridge you could have for breakfast.
RuinDig/Yuki Uchida on Wikimedia
15. Hungary: Brandy-Infused Sparrow Droppings
Hungary is taking odd hangover cures to another level. Do we believe that whoever discovered that sparrow poo soaked in brandy cured them was still drunk? Yes, we do. If you'd like to alleviate your hangover this way, good luck identifying the correct bird droppings.
16. Estonia: Vodka Socks
Estonians must believe that if you get your feet drunk the rest of your body will forget it hurts. When they're feeling ill from the drink, they slip on a pair of socks drenched in vodka underneath a dry pair as they sip on a cup of tea. Their mad method claims to make you sweat out the toxins quickly from your system.
17. Romania: Tripe Soup
Soup is a common dish to slurp up after a night of drinking but in Romania, their recovery soup involves a lot of animal innards.
Tripe is the digestive track of pigs and cows and they make the soup by boiling these parts in water with garlic and onion. If your digestive system can handle that, give it a try.
18. Russia: Shot Of Olive Oil
Shots, shots, shots!–– When you yell this out in Russia, you might want to double check it isn't olive oil. The belief is that the oil delays the alcohol from being absorbed in your body which prevents unpleasant symptoms the next day. Besides the thick and slimy texture, a mouthful of olive oil may not be that bad compared to shots of vodka.
19. New Zealand: Mince Pie & Chocolate Milk
The Kiwis' method for a hangover is a strange combination that is kind of cute. They like to aid their aches and pains with a comforting meal of minced meat and cheese pie, washed down with a tall glass of chocolate milk. This meal sounds like a child's favorite lunch.
20. Scotland: Irn-Bru Sausage
Many Scots will down a bottle of their national Irn-Bru soda after a heavy drinking session and others will take it to the next level. Cooking sausage in a broth of Irn-Bru instead of water is believed to be the ultimate combo, injecting you with greasy fats and sugary electrolytes.
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