How many times have you said, “I’m never drinking again?”
Korean Pears, called Nashi pears in the grocery store, are a crunchy, juicy and somewhat tough-skinned fruit that, according to CSIRO, offer some hangover prevention qualities. Apparently, they ‘may be able to stimulate some of the key enzymes that are involved in the metabolism of alcohol,’ according to Dr Sarah Benson, a senior research fellow at Swinburne University’s Centre for Human Psychopharmacology. Alc-eze says that their (not so little) blue pills relieve hangover symptoms by boosting the natural production of the enzyme ALDH2 to accelerate the detox process. The key ingredient? Nashi Pear concentrate.
But do they? In the spirit of research, I’m about to find out.
Driving up from Sydney, we stop for breakfast at Peterson House, where I do two things I never do. One, I order the most indulgent, most delicious sweetest Belgian waffles I have ever had in my life, and I mean that. Two, I have pink bubbles with it. The day is off to a banging start. After filling my belly, I swallow down three of the Smurf-hued alc-eze pills by Australian company Life Vitamins.
We’re out for the day at the Hunter Valley Wine and Beer Festival. Lena and I grab our tickets which we’ll trade in for tastings of Hunter Valley’s finest, and devise a plan. We have 15 each – because research. Red or white first? Ooooh, that ginger and yuzu beer looks quenchy – or no, the sparkling rose, we’ll start with that. Definitely that. We don’t set out to over-imbibe, but you know how it goes… we want to try allllll the things. So we do. Tiny pours of prosecco gin and spicy mulled wine and chilled salted caramel creaminess in a glass. We go back for seconds sometimes. It adds up.
So you know what I’m in for, right? Rohit Uppal (Bpharm), the co-founder of alc-eze says, “When you’re drinking, your body converts any alcohol consumed into a chemical called acetaldehyde. This process can lead to a feeling of fatigue, thirst, headache, muscle aches, and nausea – or what most of us would refer to as a hangover. What alc-eze does is essentially boost your natural production of ALDH2 to speed up this process to make you feel better, faster.”
It also has the approval stamp of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Cheers to that!
So, how’d I go? Well, alc-eze isn’t an excuse to drink yourself to oblivion, and it’s smart to pace yourself with water, but I must say, I didn’t feel horrible the next morning. I didn’t have nausea or a headache, and the ride back to Sydney was a breeze. Will it work for you, though? There’s really only one way to know, and that’s to try it for yourself. You can grab a bottle of 30 ($39.99) or 60 ($69.99) at over 100 Blooms The Chemist stores, online at the alc-eze website or at several specialty stores. A subscription will save you 15% off bottles, and since the supplement may also boost energy, improve mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and increase libido, you might find they do more for you than just fix your foggy mornings.
alc-eze Purchase here: https://lifevitamins.com.au/