Prickly Pear Extract May Reduce Hangover Symptoms 35344

Prickly Pear Extract May Reduce Hangover Symptoms

NEW ORLEANS--Extract of prickly pear may ease the symptoms of alcoholhangover by reducing inflammation provoked by impurities in alcohol andbyproducts of alcohol metabolism, according to a new study published in the June28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (164, 12:1334-1340, 2004) (http://archinte.ama-assn.org).

In the double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 64 young, adultsubjects in good health were randomized to receive 1,600 IU of prickly pear (Opuntiaficus indica) (OFI) extract (as Tex-OE supplied by Vista, Calif.-basedPerfect Equation Inc.) or indistinguishable placebo five hours prior to alcoholconsumption. Subsequently, subjects consumed a maximum of 1.75 g of alcohol perkilogram of body weight over a four-hour period. Researchers assessed thesubjects for severity of nine symptoms of hangover and overall well-being on anumerical scale (0-6 points), and blood and urine samples were collected thesubsequent morning. The study was repeated after two weeks with OFI and placeboreversed.

According to the results of the study, three of the nine symptoms ofhangover--nausea, dry mouth and anorexia--were appreciably reduced by OFI.Overall, the symptom index was reduced by an average of 2.7 points, while therisk of a severe hangover was reduced by 50 percent. The researchers stronglylinked C-reactive protein levels with hangover severity; the mean symptom indexwas 4.1 points higher in subjects with morning C-reactive protein levels greaterthan 1.0 mg/L. In addition, the researchers found C-reactive protein levels were40 percent higher in placebo subjects than those receiving OFI.

The researchers concluded the symptoms of alcohol hangover are largely due toconsequent inflammation; in addition, extract of the OFI plant may moderatelyreduce hangover symptoms by inhibiting the production of inflammatory mediators.