[imagesource:here]

There’s a part of me that thinks hangovers are vital in ensuring we don’t wreck our bodies through excess.

There’s also a part of me that’s tired of waking up feeling like death and would fully embrace the idea of a hangover pill that actually works.

Enter Myrkl (pronounced more like ‘miracle’ than Merkel, the retired German politician), a new hangover pill which went on sale this week across the UK to huge fanfare.

In the lead-up to hitting the open market, with pills retailing for £30 for 30 pills, the probiotic remedy developed by Swedish company De Faire Medical was hailed as a “scientifically-backed hangover cure” that actually works.

The recommended dosage is two pills taken between one and 12 hours before the consumption of alcohol.

De Faire Medical’s CEO says its aim is to help “regular moderate drinkers to wake up feeling their best the next day” and the company itself refers to Myrkl as a “pre‑drinking” pill.

Via The Guardian, more on how it purports to work:

The pill contains a proprietary supplement intended to metabolise alcohol into carbon dioxide and water in the intestinal tract and thus reduce the amount of alcohol absorbed by the bloodstream and prevent organ damage.

The company claims the pill breaks down “up to 70% of alcohol consumed within 60 minutes”. A double-blind study with 24 participants, funded by De Faire, concluded that using the pills for a week did indeed result in “a substantially lower uptake of alcohol into the blood”.

Great, but can it handle a rapid-fire series of tequila shots? The pain of reliving the credit card swipes the next morning, sadly, is certainly beyond its power.

There was no shortage of writers keen to put its claims to the test. The Guardian gave it a mixed review, but Business Insider’s Ryan Hogg is a big fan:

I took two pills that cost me less than $5 before going for after-work drinks.The next morning, I had no hangover symptoms and was amazed at my productivity…

My heart rate felt normal, and my usual headache and nausea were non-existent, and I didn’t feel dehydrated. It felt like I’d barely had anything to drink the night before…

Myrkl seemed to help me grapple with hangover symptoms and sustain my productivity without forcing me to sacrifice post-work drinks. It feels like a breakthrough, but I do wonder if it might encourage more excessive drinking.

Next up is The Daily Mail. Surprisingly, they didn’t blame hangovers on Meghan and Harry or wokeness.

The rag asked two staff members to test the pills out with mixed results. Joe Davies, Health Reporter, said he had to force himself out of bed at 6PM and gave it 3/10.

6PM, Joe? In his defence, it was his birthday party and he says a table of 25 of his friends sent many drinks his way.

Connor Boyd, Deputy Health Editor, was a massive fan and awarded Myrkl’s pills 9/10. He has fewer friends, says he woke up at 6:30AM, and was surprised at how good he felt. By noon, he had forgotten he was out the night before (due to the lack of a hangover, not from being blackout drunk).

Other reviews also offer a mixed bag. We should point out a few pitfalls covered on CNET:

Myrkl is designed to prevent dehydration, but not to prevent the imbalance of electrolytes or impacts on the stomach that alcohol has.

…the independently clinically tested trial was funded by DeFaire Medical AB, which also manufactures Myrkl. While this doesn’t completely disprove the study’s findings, it’s worth noting that there are some problems…

More research is needed to make a final say on the effectiveness of Myrkl. Having a two-pill “cure-all” for hangovers isn’t a simple topic. It does raise ethical questions about alcohol abuse and binge drinking that must be considered.

If a few pills popped prior to consumption would definitely help then sign me up but the jury is still out on Myrkl.

Apparently, the number one way to curb a hangover is to throw less alcohol down your throat. It’s consistently proven unpopular but is commonly cited as effective within scientific circles.

I also feel it’s a bit of a lottery at times. Sometimes I have a big one and wake up feeling like I got away with murder, and other times I drink far less and feel like I’m being unfairly punished.

Such is life, right?

[sources:guardian&businsider&cnet]