I’ll admit…
I like a glass of wine now and then as much as the next person. After all, what goes better with a plate of cheesy pasta than a glass of Chianti or sets off a dinner of salmon and asparagus like a full-bodied chardonnay?
Yet, as much as I enjoy relaxing with a drink here and there, those drinks just don’t like me anymore. In fact, after even one glass of wine, I now feel sluggish, headache, and just plain bad, when in my 20s and 30s I could have two without a blip.
The simple truth is, that’s my body telling me that the alcohol isn’t good for me and that my system, especially my liver, is struggling to process it – something that gets worse with age.
So, does that mean that I have to give up that glass of wine for good? Not necessarily.
In fact, a new study has found that there is a natural herbal supplement that works to not only significantly reduce acute alcohol-related symptoms, like headaches but also long-term effects.
A hangover remedy with added benefits
The supplement is known as dihydromyricetin or DHM, although you may also hear it called ampelopsin. It’s derived from a fruit from the Japanese raisin tree which is native to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia and has been used in China for liver problems for 500 years.
And, in recent years it’s become a popular over-the-counter hangover remedy thanks to its ability to help the body metabolize alcohol faster.
Yet, no one really understood how it worked and if it only had the power to help you feel better the morning after drinking or if it could do more and actually provide liver protection.
Related: A handful of ways aging changes the way your body reacts to alcohol
So, researchers at the USC School of Pharmacy set out to find those answers by feeding 36 mice a daily diet of alcohol for two full months.
And, they discovered that DHM actually activates a cascade of mechanisms that help erase alcohol from your body very quickly. According to the researchers, DHM:
- Triggers your liver to produce more alcohol-gobbling enzymes
- Boosts the efficiency of those enzymes so they can break down alcohol and eliminate it easier
- Reduces lipid (fat) accumulation in your liver tissue, which could help prevent liver diseases like cirrhosis
- Reduces inflammatory agents, called cytokines to stop cellular damage
In other words, DHM not only helps your body better cope with alcohol, but it can also help prevent long-term damage due to drinking.
The team also discovered exactly why it helps with hangover symptoms as well…
You see, when you drink, your liver converts alcohol into an aldehyde with properties like formaldehyde (yup, the chemical used for embalming dead bodies), which causes you to feel nauseous and get that pounding headache.
Related: What that daily drink does to your brain’s age
And, since it takes about one hour for your body to process a single drink, a night of heavy drinking causes your liver to keep churning out those nasty chemicals that make feel woozy for so long.
Yet, when you take DHM, your metabolism of the alcohol speeds up so that you don’t continue to suffer.
Basically, it accelerates the process.
Caring for your liver
So, while the safest choice for all of us is to eliminate alcohol whenever possible, if like me, you do want to have a glass of wine or after drink to relax sometimes, but don’t want to suffer the irritation and aches, try DHM.
It’s easy to find online and you simply take it before and after alcohol consumption to enjoy yourself while helping to keep your liver healthy.
Editor’s note: Peak Liver Support™ is formulated to give your liver the optimum nutrients it needs to help the body support detoxification for improved health. To learn more, click here!
Sources:
Hangover drug shows wider benefits in USC research — EurekaAlert
