Can a simple pill cure your hangover?
Before you say “Duh, it’s called ibuprofen,” we’re talking something that actually works. And as of this week, the answer is a promising maybe.
In a test conducted by Yunfeng Lu, a chemical/biomolecular engineering professor at UCLA, a pill that utilized natural enzymes usually found in liver cells was able to process alcohol quickly and alleviate most bacchanal-induced nausea or headaches.
To test his pill, Lu and his team injected nanocapsules into … drunk mice. Good news is our furry friends were fine: their blood alcohol decreased by 45 percent in four hours versus mice who received no treatment, and their blood concentration of acetaldehyde (the compound that causes headaches and nausea) was low. Also, the treated mice woke up quickly (“something all college students would appreciate”).
But for Professor Lu, the test wasn’t just about hangovers — he hopes the pill will “create a lifesaving therapy to treat intoxication and overdose victims in the ER,” noting that up to 10% of emergency room visits are due to alcohol poisoning.
We’ll drink to that.
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