Hangovers, resulting from excessive alcohol intake, manifest hours after drinking, causing symptoms like thirst, headache, and fatigue. Alcohol is metabolized in the liver by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), with acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species contributing to toxic effects. Morning Care (MC) products were evaluated in male and female mice to assess their impact on alcohol metabolism and hangover alleviation. The study revealed that pre-administration of MC products led to a significant reduction in blood ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations postalcohol ingestion. This remarkable finding suggests a potential breakthrough in hangover relief. Enhanced ADH and ALDH activities were observed in blood and liver samples, indicating improved alcohol metabolism. Interestingly, gene expression levels of ADH and ALDH in the liver did not show significant differences, suggesting that MC products likely enhance enzyme activities through post-translational modifications rather than altering gene expression. These findings underscore the potential of MC products to mitigate hangover symptoms by enhancing alcohol metabolism.

The fruit stalk of Hovenia dulcis (H.dulcis) is traditionally used to relieve hangovers in Korea. Theracurmin is a highly absorbable curcumin preparation which increases the bioavailability of curcumin. Curcumin is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the role of this combination in lowering alcohol levels in the body, thereby alleviating the severity of alcohol-induced hangover has not been investigated. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the eliminatory effects of a health drink containing the extract of the H. dulcis fruit stalk and theracurmin (theracurmin drink) on ethanol-induced hangover in rats. The theracurmin drink delivered orally to rats 30 mins before the administration of 40% ethanol (5 g/kg body weight), lowered the concentration of ethanol and acetaldehyde in the blood samples collected 1, 3, and 5 h after ethanol administration. Furthermore, the theracurmin drink increased the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes. The effectiveness of the theracurmin drink was thus superior to that of other health drink products, suggesting that its consumption may alleviate or prevent an alcohol-induced hangover.

숙취해소용 음료로 개발된 건강음료를 각각 알코올(5 g/kg B.W, 40%) 투여 30분 전과 후에 경구적으로 섭취시키고(10 mL/kg) 시간(1, 3 및 5)에 따라 미동맥으로 채혈하여 혈액 중 알코올 농도와 아세트알데히드 농도, 간 조직 중 알코올 대사효소 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) 및 aldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH)의 활성과 간기능 지표 효소(ALT, AST)의 활성 변동을 측정 비교하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 알코올 투여 30분 전에 건강음료를 공급하였을 때 혈액 중 알코올 농도는 알코올 투여 1시간 후부터 모든 군에서 급격하게 감소하였으며 알코올 투여 5시간째에 알코올 대조군(EC)에 비해 건강음료 투여군(BE)은 48.4%정도 감소하는 경향을 나타내었다. 또한 아세트알데히드 농도는 알코올 대조군(EC)에 비해 건강음료 투여군(BE)은 15.6%, 타사제품 투여군(P)은 20.3% 낮았다. 알코올 투여 30분 후 숙취해소 음료를 공급하고 5시간 경과 후 건강음료 투여군(AE)의 알코올 농도는 알코올 대조군(EC)에 비해 65.2% 낮은 수치를 나타내었다. 아세트알데히드 농도는 알코올 대조군에 비해 건강음료 투여군(AE)은 36.4% 낮은 0.21 mg/dL 타사제품투여군(P)은 24.2% 낮은 0.25 mg/dL를 나타내었다. 간 조직 중 ADH 활성은 정상군과 알코올을 섭취 한 모든 실험군 사이에 별다른 변동을 관찰할 수 없었다. 숙취해소 음료의 1회 섭취와 체중 1 kg당 5 g의 알코올 1회 투여가 알코올 대사 효소의 활성에 영향을 미치지 못함을 시사하고 있다. 혈청 ALT, AST 활성은 정상군과 알코올 투여 실험군간에 유의적인 차이를 보이지 않았으며 또 건강음료의 음용이 정상적인 간 기능에 영향을 미치지 않는 결과를 볼 때 안전성이 인정된다고 생각된다.