How to Get Rid of a Wine Hangover With One Ingredient

Wine is one of the world’s most-consumed alcoholic beverages and it’s no secret that having just a glass can put you in a good mood.

However, you might also know that while wine can make you feel better, it can also leave you with the dreaded hangover the morning after.

You're wanting to know how to get rid of a wine hangover? Here's how to get rid of it with one ingredient that most people don't know about.

How to Get Rid of a Wine Hangover With One Ingredient

If you’re a wine drinker, you know how brutal it is to wake up the next morning with the pain of a hangover. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can also be so debilitating that it leaves you stuck in bed all day.

And while there are plenty of remedies out there, they don’t exactly help get rid of that hangover. Most of them require an entire pharmacy worth of ingredients and will leave you too overwhelmed to even think about taking something.

However, there is one ingredient that’s been proven to help get rid of a wine hangover and make your next day significantly better: Hovenia dulcis.

What is Hovenia Dulcis?

Also known as Japanese raisin tree, Hovenia Dulcis is a tree that grows in eastern Asia such as Japan and China.

Although there's many advertised vitamins to prevent hangover, Hovenia Dulcis is one the most unique and proven.

The fruit and other components from the tree has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine Remedies for alcohol intoxication and hangovers for centuries.

Most recently, it’s been studied for its ability to help people recover from a night of drinking.

Multiple studies have shown that hovenia dulcis can significantly reduce hangover symptoms such as headache, dizziness and dry mouth by flushing out alcohol toxins.

How Hovenia Dulcis Helps A Wine Hangover

• Studies have found that those who took hovenia dulcis extract showed fewer hangover symptoms.⁷
  
  
• This is because the hovenia dulcis extract is rich in dihydromyricetin (DHM), which has been shown to protect against liver toxicity and increase levels of two enzymes responsible for breaking down alcohol in the body.⁶
  
  
• Research suggests that Hovenia Dulcis (DHM) can help to relieve the symptoms of a hangover by inhibiting alcohol-induced acetaldehyde accumulation, which is the toxin produced by alcohol.⁶
  
  
• In addition, Hovenia Dulcis was found to protect the liver from alcohol related damage in 2012 by researchers.⁸

Hovenia Dulcis no doubt is single-handedly one ingredient to fight wine hangovers. 

As evidenced, Hovenia Dulcis is one of the best herbs you can take to combat wine hangovers and keeping yourself feeling good.  The next time you know you'll be drinking some wine that'll lead to a giant headache and nausea, reach for some of this fruit. You'll be thanking yourself in the morning!

Top Rated Hovenia Dulcis Supplement

We know it's hard to stop yourself from having that extra glass of wine, but this natural supplement is your secret weapon. Zaca chewables provide you with a natural, high-quality extract of Hovenia Dulcis for liver aid. In addition to replenishing your body with lost nutrients, this fast-acting chewable helps you get back to normal faster after your last drink. Try our Hovenia Dulcis supplement today and feel better faster.

 

 

Wine Hangover FAQ's

What causes hangovers in wine? 

Hangovers in wine are pretty common, especially when you drink red wine, which is filled with tannins and rich in phenolic compounds.

Let's explore what causes hangovers in wine:

• Sulfites and wine hangover
  
  Sulfites are often used in wine to preserve its color and taste. According to the FDA, most people do not have a problem with sulfites in food or drink, but some people who are sensitive or allergic to them may experience symptoms like hives, stomach upset, or even asthma attack.
  
  The truth is that sulfites are a natural product of fermentation, and sulfites occur in many other foods you consume without issue, like dried fruit, lemon juice, and frozen potatoes.
  
  Sulfites most likely aren't the culprit to causing a bad wine hangover.
  
  
• Congeners and wine hangovers
  
  Congeners are produced during fermentation along with ethanol (the stuff that gets you drunk), but are in far higher concentrations in alcoholic beverages than in fermented foods like yogurt or sauerkraut.
  
  They give the alcohol its color and flavor but they also cause can more severe and longer lasting hangovers than pure ethanol alone.
  
  Unlike alcohol, ethanol specifically, congeners don't get broken down by your body as easily and can affect the liver and central nervous system to varying degrees.
  
  Methanol is a congener that, when broken down, produces formic acid and formaldehyde.
  
  This is why drinking alcoholic drinks that are high in congeners, such as red wine, can give you more intense hangover.¹
  
  
• Tannins and wine hangovers
  
  The bitter and astringent compounds that are found abundantly in nature are known as tannins.
  
  The presence of tannins is found in wood, bark, leaves and fruit of plants such as oak, rhubarb, tea, walnut, cranberry, cacao and grapes.
  
  Some research suggests that tannins, a component of red wine, can cause vaso-relaxation or relaxation of blood vessels which is a precursor to headaches.³
  
  Tannins also spur the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which some people experience as a headache at high levels.²
  
  
• Dehydration and wine hangovers
  
  Congeners and tannins might be worsening a hangover, but as with all alcohol, it's a diuretic.
  
  This means alcohol is extremely dehydrating. It makes your body get rid of fluids from your blood more quickly than with other liquids.⁴
  
  The hydrating effect of alcohol, and the lack of drinking water, can contribute to a bad hangover.
  
  
• Inflammation and wine hangovers
  
  Often overlooked, inflammation may play a large role in hangovers.
  
  Inflammation is increased by alcohol intake. The inflammation contributes to the feeling of being unwell that people experience when they are hungover.⁵
  
  Inflammation can trigger a host of hangover symptoms such as headaches, redness, heat, fever, fatigue and anxiety.
  
  
• Acetaldehyde exposure and wine hangovers
  
  Related to inflammation as well, the compound acetaldehyde is created by alcohol metabolism in your body.
  
  This compound is toxic and short-lived, and it has been linked to inflammation in the liver, pancreas, brain, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs.⁵

Why are wine hangovers so bad?

As discussed in the last question "what causes hangovers in wine", wine specifically can cause a worse hangover and the coined wine headache most likely due to tannins and congeners.

Why are wine hangovers so bad, because your body is not only dealing with inflammation and dehydration as with any alcoholic beverage -- it's also fighting and reacting to the tannins and congeners in wine. 

To make it worse, red wine has the the higher levels of congeners. No wonder red wine headaches are the worst!

Sulfites in wine hangover?

Surprisingly sulfites are not really the culprit! Although sulfites can cause allergic reactions to a minority of people which may be mistaken for a hangover symptoms, such as  flushing, dizziness, stomach upset and diarrhea, a fast heartbeat, hives, wheezing, and tingling or difficulty swallowing.

Best remedy for wine hangover?

As with all alcoholic drinks, your body can get severely dehydrated. Drinking a glass of water along with every glass of wine is a great precaution, and easy remedy for wine hangovers.

The best remedy for wine hangovers is the herb we mentioned above, Hovenia Dulcis.

Studies suggest that Hovenia Dulcis (DHM) can help to reduce the symptoms of a hangover by blocking the production of acetaldehyde, a toxin that is produced when alcohol is consumed.⁶

Hovenia Dulcis can best your best friend, and your red wine hangover remedy.

Looking for supplement that contains Hovenia Dulcis? Try our Zaca chewables!

How to prevent a wine hangover?

Prevention is the best cure.

Same as with the last question of the "best remedy for wine hangover", Hovenia Dulcis works best to help prevent a wine hangover. 

Best red wine for no hangover?

The easiest way to minimize risk of severe hangovers with red wine is to minimize congeners and tannins.

White wine and clear liquors have fewer congeners and cause less frequent and less severe hangovers.

Although if you're sticking with red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon have a moderate amount of tannins. Pinot Noir has less congeners and tannins. 

Red wine that is dry and with lower alcohol content in the range of 12.5-13.5% is a good bet too.

Stay away from bulk and flavored wines, which contain more wine additives than regular wines.

How to get rid of a wine hangover headache?

First, drink water with every glass of wine to combat the hydrating effects of alcohol.

Second, as talked about previously in this article, supplement Hovenia Dulcis (DHM) when you drink wine. 

Studies suggest that Hovenia Dulcis (DHM) can help to reduce the symptoms of a hangover by inhibiting acetaldehyde.⁶

Does a wine aerator help with hangovers?

You may ask, does aerating wine reduce hangover.

The simple answer is no. 

An aerator will help to speed up the oxygenation process so that the wine can show off its full flavor profile.

Although the highest quality wine aerators can help filter sulfites, sulfates are not a cause of wine hangovers.

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCES: 

1. What to Know About Congeners in Alcohol
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/what-to-know-congeners-alcohol
2. Ask the doctor: What causes red wine headaches
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/ask-the-doctor-what-causes-red-wine-headaches
3. Hangovers: What causes them and how to avoid them
https://www.thewinesociety.com/discover/explore/expertise/hangovers-what-causes-them-and-how-to-avoid-them?
4. Does Alcohol Dehydrate You?
https://www.healthline.com/health/does-alcohol-dehydrate-you
5. Hangovers
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/hangovers
6. Natural Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Hangover and Alcohol Use Disorder
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6274469/
7. A standardized extract of the fruit of Hovenia dulcis alleviated alcohol-induced hangover in healthy subjects
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28750942/
8. Effect of juice and fermented vinegar from Hovenia dulcis peduncles on chronically alcohol-induced liver
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22648047/
9. How Congeners in Alcohol Affect You (and Your Hangover)
https://www.healthline.com/health/alcoholism/congeners#alcohol-congener-chart
10. Wines Least Likely to Give You a Hangover
https://winefolly.com/tips/the-best-wines-to-avoid-a-wine-hangover/
11. The Real Reason Why Wine Hangovers Feel So Awful
https://www.bustle.com/articles/69821-what-causes-wine-hangovers-sulfites-in-wine-arent-to-blame-for-your-headaches-but-something-else

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