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‘Hair of the dog’ might actually work

Does 'hair of the dog' actually work after drinking alcohol? What experts say about the hangover 'cure'

FOX NEWS – There’s a belief that drinking more alcohol when you’re already hungover can cure you of some rough symptoms.

The tactic seemingly stems from the medieval theory that the source of an ailment could also be the remedy for it.

This thought eventually led to the expression “the hair of the dog that bit you,” which resulted in the development of fur-filled tonics from suspected rabid dogs in hopes of preventing rabies infections in humans, according to Lexico, an online dictionary powered by the Oxford University Press.

While the questionable tonics didn’t work and fell out of favor with the rise of modern medicine, the “hair of the dog” expression has stuck around, and it has even become associated with drinking.

Unlike its predecessor, though, there might be a little truth to treating alcohol-induced hangovers with alcohol, but experts still don’t recommend it. Here’s why.

Does ‘hair of the dog’ work?

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“The short answer is yes,” said Dr. Ken Perry, an emergency physician in South Carolina.

“The feeling of a hangover is due to the receptors being without alcohol,” he told Fox News Digital. “Many of the symptoms [including headache and gastrointestinal upset] are minimized if the alcohol is reintroduced and the receptors are no longer absent of alcohol.”

“In a way, the ‘hair of the dog’ does actually work in the short term,” Perry continued. “That being said, it doesn’t fix a hangover, but rather delays the symptoms.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) addressed the hair of the dog theory in an online brochure … READ MORE. 

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