Swedish firm Myrkl has developed a breakthrough anti-hangover pill that is said to break down 70% of alcohol after 60 minutes. It is now being sold in the United Kingdom (UK) and marketed as a "pre-drinking pill that works."
Myrkl wrote on their website that it is the first product ever to break down alcohol effectively based on independent clinical trials conducted to test the drug. The firm also claims it to be 100% natural and vegan, which supports immunity and boosts energy with vitamin B12.
Causes of Hangover
According to Mayo Clinic, hangovers are a set of symptoms caused by drinking too much alcohol. For some people, one alcoholic drink is enough to trigger a hangover, while others may drink heavily or may entirely avoid a hangover.
Factors that may contribute to hangovers include urinating more than usual due to dehydration which is indicated by thirst, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Additionally, alcohol can make a person feel sleepy but also prevents them from having deeper sleep, causing awakening in the middle of the night.
Gastrointestinal irritation is also a factor in hangover since alcohol could increase the production of stomach acid and delays stomach emptying. Due to this, the person may feel abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Moreover, too much alcohol can cause an inflammatory response from the immune system that causes physical symptoms, such as inability to concentrate, memory problems, loss of interest, and decreased appetite.
Blood sugar may also fall which leads to feelings of fatigue, weakness, shakiness, as well as seizures, and mood disturbances. The most noticeable will be the headaches that follow after the night of too much drinking.
How Does the Anti-Hangover Pill Work?
Myrkl claims that their anti-hang-over pill breaks down 70% of alcohol after an hour, which means that a 50ml drink of 40% spirits, which contains 20ml of pure alcohol, will only have 6ml of alcohol in their bloodstream. According to ZME Science, this reduction of alcohol that the body absorbed is evident in the short-term effects of alcohol, like reduced anxiety and euphoria.
The company recommends taking two pills 1-12 hours before drinking alcohol. The pill also contains two gut-friendly bacteria, namely the Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus coagulans, which are produced from fermented rice bran and naturally break down alcohol into water and carbon dioxide.
The anti-hangover pill is acid-resistant so it reaches the intestines where alcohol is absorbed. Evidence for the effectiveness of the Myrkl pill is based on one published study titled "Chronic Uptake of a Probiotic Nutritional Supplement (AB001) Inhibits Absorption of Ethylalcohol in the Intestine Tract - Results From a Randomized Double-blind Crossover Study."
Testing the Pill's Effectiveness
Although the pill is marketed as an anti-hangover pill, many are not convinced by its effects. An example of that is the woman featured in an article in LAD Bible.
She drank four drinks of vodka and felt slight symptoms of drunkenness, but had a night of uninterrupted eight-hour sleep. She woke up at half-past seven and expected to feel symptoms of a hangover. However, she only felt a mild headache that easily went away.
So, she decided to go to the gym and was confident with the false sense of security that the pill gave her. But later on in her routine with the assisted pull-up machine, she was crouched down on the floor. She still finished her routine that day, which is a nice change from her usual post-night out.
So, while the pill did not 100% eliminate her hangover symptoms in the morning, she said that she would still take it next time to avoid the harsher version of the hangover she usually experiences.
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