The best hangover cure could be sitting in your fruit bowl

When you wake up on Sunday morning with a raging hangover, you'd probably shell out half your pay cheque for a fast-track cure. But next time you're planning a big night, the hangover solution could be sitting in your kitchen.

Hangover cures come and go (with many of them rarely working), but scientists in Australia may have found the cure… pear juice.

The research found that consuming pear juice, or one whole pear, before a night on the tiles can dramatically reduce hangover symptoms, in particular memory loss (bye-bye blackouts) and trouble with concentration. People who drink pear juice before consuming alcohol also experience less sensitivity to bright light and loud sounds. 

The new study was only tested on Asian pears which are commonly used in the Far East and known as the best cure for a night out in those parts. Researchers want to widen their search though and see if the same results can be achieved with Western pears. But fear not, because most Irish supermarkets do stock Asian pears too. PHEW.

Manny Noakes, research director at CSIRO and leader of the new findings said the wonder cure was all down to a decrease in a toxic chemical thought to be behind those dire hangover symptoms. "Reductions were seen in blood acetaldehyde levels, the toxic metabolic thought to be responsible for hangover symptoms, with pear juice consumption," Mr. Noakes revealed in a statement.

"Overall hangover severity was significantly reduced in the pear group compared to having a placebo drink," he continued. However before you go running to the fruitmonger next time you wake up hungover, it's worth noting that pear juice ONLY has a chance of working if you consume it before alcohol… and be sure you drink at least 220ml in order to gain the full effect.

We just hope this one works!