The review was conducted by researchers in the UK and backed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the country’s largest government funder of clinical research. The team reviewed 21 different clinical trials testing out a variety of purported hangover cures. These included curcumin (the primary ingredient that gives turmeric spice its bright yellow color), red ginseng, NSAID painkillers like loxoprofen, probiotics, artichoke extract, pear juice, and the supplement n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), among others…

Out of the various cures they studied, three did appear to show promise when compared to placebo. These were clove extract, tolfenamic acid (an NSAID painkiller available in the UK) and pyritinol (an analog of vitamin B6). These treatments are the most likely to warrant a rigorous clinical trial, Roberts said. Ideally, any future studies should use more universal and validated standards, including one for measuring hangover symptoms. They should also be pre-registered, relatively large, and more representative of the population, women included.