To be clear, I’m not doubting the effectiveness of pickle juice as a cure for hangover. From personal experience it’s the best way to get over it, second only to sleeping through it. I just don’t get how it helps.
In: Biology
A hangover is in part an effect of dehydration. Drinking alcohol results in increased urine production and it will remove water from your body.
So drinking water helps because it reduces dehydration and makes you feel better.
For pickle juice, the explanation you see is that it contains electrolytes like the sodium you have in regular salt. The urine production and drinking can cause electrolyte imbalance and you replenish it from the pickle juice.
The problem is that there there is not a lot of evidence that it changes the levels of electrolytes in the body, there is also not a lot of evidence that electrolyte imbalance is a significant part of a hangover.
[https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pickle-juice-hangover](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pickle-juice-hangover)
So it is quite reasonable that pickle juice help just like if you would during the water and the electrolytes might help. There is just anecdotal evidence that it is better than water.
There is another factor and that is the taste of pickle juice. You find it described as a refreshing taste and especially if you do not like the taste drinking some of it might make you feel more awake than if you just drink water.
Something has good evidence that is work is drinking water. Drink water between a drink or drink a relative large amount before you get to bet.
Eating food can help to so breakfast is likely a lot better than just pickle juice.
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