El Dorado Hangover Cure

Have you ever suffered from a hangover? If you have, then you know how awful it might be. A hangover is usually caused by excessive alcohol consumption. It produces many unpleasant symptoms including headache, weakness, vomiting, dry mouth, shakiness, and others.

No doubt, people who experience a hangover want to get over it as quickly as possible. But is there a way to relieve hangover symptoms?

The 1966 Western film El Dorado offers one comedic but hopeless solution. 

DO NOT TRY THIS!

The scene in El Dorado involves three cowboys, Cole Thornton (John Wayne), Bull (Arthur Hunnicutt) and Mississippi (James Caan), who need to sober up Sheriff J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) before the bad guys show up.

Mississippi offers Johnny Diamond's recipe to sober up the sheriff and explains, "[i]t does something to a man's stomach, so it naturally won't hold any liquor." 

The recipe offered is as follows: cayanne pepper, mustard - the hot kind, ipecac, asafetida, croton oil, and the final ingredient, GUNPOWDER.

As the sheriff takes down the black oily concoction, he bolts-up and yells,"You dirty, lousy, rotten, sheep-herdin’--What did you do to me? What’d you give me? I’m all crawlin’ inside" and goes to take another swig of his whiskey only to puke it back up.

So in the movie, the concoction works...kind of... but this is purely entertainment value and should never be tried at home. But let's take a look at the ingredients and see if they offer any value.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which can help increase metabolism. But the overall effect is very small and certainly too small to make a noticeable impact. 

Mustard 

Mustard as long been considered a healthy food and may increase metabolism, but any overall effect will be small.

Ipecac 

Ipecac is used to rapidly force vomiting. This was used in the past by patients who ingested poison and needed to puke it out. But since then, more effective methods have been found, which is good because ipecac is a mild poison in itself and carries the risk of over dosing.

Asafetida 

Asafetida is a resin that comes from a plant. It has a strong aroma. Very often, asafetida is added to spice mixtures and used in many recipes. It is also used as a remedy for a wide variety of purposes. Some studies have shown that asafetida can be successfully used for treating irritable bowel syndrome.

Croton Oil

Croton oil is poisonous. Some people use croton oil for treating constipation. However, you should keep in mind that even a single drop of this oil can cause acute diarrhea. So...yeah do not try and we'll move on,

Gunpowder

Surprisingly ingesting a small amount of gunpower from the late 1800's and early 1900's wouldn't be that bad for you. Most of it was made from potassium nitrate, which is also knows as saltpeter and has been used in cooking in other parts of the world. This is the same potassium nitrate found in fertilizers that make them explosive. But gunpowder today has been more developed with more chemicals have been added, making it toxic. DO NOT INGEST GUNPOWDER.

It looks like the logic behind the Johnny Diamond's cocktail, is to remove the alcohol from the body anyway possible. Which may actually help shorten intoxication, depending on how far along the digestive system the alcohol is. But you would receive the same results by just puking out the alcohol yourself. 

 

A better idea is to try Rallymate instead! It won't sober you up or prevent intoxication, but at least you can avoid the rough mornings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Never drink and drive. Always drink in moderation.