Scholar Translates Ancient Iraqi Hangover Cure

BlutarskyTFM10 years ago

Hangovers suck. I’m not saying they’re the worst thing in the world, but they’re definitely up there. For years, people have been coming up with homemade remedies to try to cure hangovers, or at the very least, to aid in relieving some of the symptoms.

You’ve probably tried everything: drinking a Bloody Mary, eating some greasy food, taking painkillers, and maybe even creating some odd concoctions. If those don’t work for you, there’s one more cure you might want to try, and it’s not exactly anything new.

Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, the writer of a tenth century Baghdadi cookbook, had his own special remedy. Thanks to a modern day scholar, this unique cure is now coming to light.

Al-Warraq starts off with some pretty specific yet basic information:

“You need to know that drinking cold water first thing in the morning is recommended only for people suffering from … hangovers,” he wrote. “However, they should avoid drinking it in one big gulp. Rather, they need to have it in several small doses and breathe deeply between one dose and the other.”

After drinking water, al-Warraq recommends eating a dish known as kishkiyya, a stew made from meat, onions, chickpeas, and spices. To be honest, that sounds pretty tasty. However, depending on the severity of your hangover, that could make things even worse.

This ancient recipe isn’t too different from what many of you do today. You rehydrate, you take some deep breaths (dry heave), and you eat some greasy food. While this specific method may seem antiquated, it could have some merit to it. If what you’re doing to cure your hangovers isn’t working, maybe give this thousand-year-old remedy a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?

[via ABC News]