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Smoking aggravates hangovers, and asparagus helps alleviate them
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
With the New Year holidays approaching, the results of research by Jeju National University, located in South Korea, and the Institute of Medical Sciences are very relevant, because scientists have discovered that asparagus can be a real cure for a hangover.
New Year and Christmas are long-awaited holidays, and how can you not drink to the arrival of the new year? Unfortunately, not everyone knows the limits of alcohol consumption, and therefore the evening fun ends with a headache and terrible health in the morning.
Read also: 11 myths about hangovers
Although excessive alcohol consumption does not lead to anything good, Korean experts claim that asparagus can be a salvation and ease a hangover.
The fact is that the minerals and amino acids present in asparagus can protect liver cells from toxic substances and become a kind of “anti-hangover cure” in the morning.
In a study published in the journal Food Science, the authors analyzed the composition of substances contained in young shoots and leaves of asparagus, and also studied their biochemical effects on rat and human liver cells.
"The effects of toxins on the human body are largely neutralized by the extract of asparagus leaves and shoots," said lead author Professor Kim. "Our findings suggest how the biological properties of asparagus may help alleviate hangovers caused by excessive alcohol consumption and protect liver cells."
Professor Kim notes that with constant consumption of alcoholic beverages, the liver experiences oxidative stress, and characteristic symptoms of a hangover also appear.
People from different countries have their own ways of fighting a hangover. Some, for example, drink brine or decoction in the morning, some drink milk before a party, and some “pour” a large amount of water into themselves at night.
Read also: Morning sex is the best cure for a hangover
"We found a significantly increased cellular valence in response to the use of asparagus leaf and shoot extract," the researchers comment. "This provides compelling evidence that the biological properties of asparagus have a beneficial effect on hangover symptoms, making them easier and less painful. In addition, the amount of toxins in liver cells is reduced.
But researchers from Brown University warn smokers that they have a much harder time coping with hangover symptoms than non-smokers.
The scientists' experiment involved 113 students. The participants recorded how much alcohol they drank in an evening and how many cigarettes they smoked. The subjects also described the severity of their hangover the morning after the party.
Damarissa Rohsenou, the study's lead author, says that students who drank heavily - 5-6 cans at a time - and smoked frequently had a severe hangover. Their hangovers were much worse than those who did not smoke at all.
Alcohol and smoking are two bad habits that, when "meeting", catalyze the process of releasing the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for pleasure. According to scientists, it is this process that aggravates the already difficult condition in the morning.
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