Pill promises a hangover-free world

In an age when there is a pill for nearly everything, even binge drinkers haven’t been left in the dust. While purported hangover cures have been around forever—this one “works” by lining the stomach with carbon, which absorbs hangover-causing impurities—a new pill known as Drinkwel takes a more holistic approach. And if there’s anything in life that should be approached holistically, it’s probably drinking.
Drinkwel is intended to be taken daily as a multivitamin “for healthy people who drink.” Instead of attacking the symptoms of a hangover (nausea, headache, fatigue, not that we need to remind anyone), Drinkwel aims to maintain and replenish antioxidants that get depleted by alcohol. Apparently the pills can be taken as a one-off cure, too, but the idea is to take them daily so that such ingredients as milk thistle (which improves liver function), goji berry (the Buddhist panacea of yore) and green tea (which everyone’s heard is good for you) can take hold.
In addition to other minerals and amino acids, Drinkwel also contains Kudzu flower, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat hangovers. We knew the Taoists were wise, but who would have thought they knew how to party?
The product is available online for $39.95 for 90 capsules, and ships to Canada. Hey, if this stuff actually works—and we’re wary (although these people aren’t)—all we need is a get-drunk-quick pill.
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Actually, in the early periods there were a number of Taoist schools that were pro-alcohol in a big way as a mechanism to achieve enlightenment. It wasn’t until Taoism adopted some of the ideas of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty that the teachings began to adopt an anti-drinking stance.
“A pill to prevent a hangover? Sounds like the mother of all old wives’ tales. Before a (few) rounds of champagne at a recent birthday party, I dubiously threw back one of these Cheerz iTabs. The next morning, I woke up in fighting form – and an absolute iTabs convert. Stock up ($12.98 for two packs) at CheerzHangover.com.” – Julia Rappaport, Boston Herald, “Gotta Love It”
http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/lifestyle/view/20110121gotta_love_it/srvc=edge&position=recent_bullet