Researchers May Have Just Found an Actual Cure for Hangovers

And no, it's not just more booze.

COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST
COLE SALADINO/THRILLIST

We've all got our own unique remedies for combating the common hangover -- greasy fast food, a cocktail of gatorade and Pedialyte, maybe even a little hair of the dog -- but no method is foolproof. Until now, that is. A group of Finnish researchers think they may have just found an actual cure, Food & Wine reports. 

In a study conducted by a group from the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland, 19 surveyed men spent a series of Friday nights in a hotel conference room drinking a 10% ABV combo of cranberry juice and Koskenkorva, a grain alcohol. The amount of booze each participant received was based on body weight, and according to one researcher Markus Metsälä, "there were clearly intoxicated people, but no one was falling down drunk." 

Each person either received a placebo, a pill with 600mg of the amino acid L-cysteine, or a pill with double the dosage -- i.e. 1,200mg of L-cysteine. The men were then required to report on their symptoms the next day. Ultimately, those who received the larger dose of L-cysteine said they had less intense headaches and nausea while those who got the 600mg pill felt less anxious. 

"L-cysteine would reduce the need of drinking the next day with no or less hangover symptoms: nausea, headache, stress and anxiety," the study found. "Altogether, these effects of L-cysteine are unique and seem to have a future in preventing or alleviating these harmful symptoms as well as reducing the risk of alcohol addiction." 

Though we have yet to try this purported hangover cure, at least we know it's out there. And a bagel and bloody Mary combo never hurts after one too many tequila shots. 

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Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.