Opinion by Jake Crossman
We have all been there – headaches, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, and malaise. The dreaded hangover you get the next morning after a night out. Hangovers suck, but do they have to? The old household hangover remedies such as coffee, drinking even more, or a greasy breakfast are always hit or miss in curing hangover symptoms. USA Medical is here to explore using CBD for hangovers as an alternative solution. CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation, calm anxiety, and eliminate nausea so who is to say that it won’t help to ease those pesky hangover symptoms. Let’s take a deep dive into how taking CBD might be the new go-to for your hangover.
What Is A Hangover?
Veisalgia, also known as a hangover, is a cluster of symptoms that develop after consuming too much alcohol. Unfortunately, there is no formula for how much alcohol one can consume before they need to stop to avoid a hangover because it relies on a variety of different factors.
Once that alcohol is ingested it turns into something called acetaldehyde. This is the byproduct of ethanol which is the ingredient in alcohol that allows you to become intoxicated. Acetaldehyde is what keeps you intoxicated because it elevates your body’s reaction to the alcohol and can last for several hours (mayoclinic). This ingredient is also dangerous because it is 10 to 30 times more toxic than ethanol. The reaction to acetaldehyde can vary from person to person based on genetics, but generally the results produced from consumption are the same.
Alcohol, especially dark alcohol, uses congeners – congeners are ingredients added into alcohol for flavor and color. These congeners can increase the intensity of a hangover tenfold. This is why drinking clear alcohol such as grain vodka, while higher in concentration might help to curb hangover symptoms the next day.
CBD Intro
Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, has been making waves recently as a miracle elixir that is able to cure any ailment. While this claim might be a stretch CBD does offer several benefits that you would otherwise be able to get from over the counter medicine.
CBD does not get you “high” even though it is derived directly from hemp plants – think of it as the cousin to marijuana. USA Medical uses something called broad-spectrum CBD which contains 0.0% THC, so there is no possible way for any traces of marijuana to show up in your blood after consuming USA Medical CBD.
There has been a lot of research done on CBD in recent years – some of the biggest takeaways from these studies is the effect that CBD has on anxiety, pain, and chronic inflammation. As these studies continue new findings will continue to come out about CBD and how it can benefit your health. Even the FDA which was vehemently against any holistic approach to medicine when CBD first rolled out, has now introduced the first CBD medicine called Epidiolex to treat seizures (harvardhealth). Let’s now break into some of the benefits that can be had while taking CBD to treat a hangover.
CBD Benefits For Hangovers
As mentioned above CBD has a lot of great benefits to taking it that can help to ease the symptoms of a hangover. But how effective is it actually?
We know that heavy drinking can cause irritation in the stomach lining and can cause inflammation in the head which leads to headaches. This is the body’s response to the alcohol as it is acting as a defense mechanism. The research shows that taking CBD can drastically reduce inflammation in the body, which would help to ease some of the headache and stomach pain that is felt during a hangover. This is done by aiding the immune cytokine response in the body.
Cytokines are small proteins in the body that are responsible for controlling cell growth and activity in the immune system. Inflammation is a reaction of the immune system to help the body heal. Chronic inflammation experienced in things such as arthritis is where the problems arise. CBD has been shown in clinical studies to help aid in the cytokine response to inflammation by regulating the proteins.
“During chronic inflammation, IL-6 suppression can decrease tissue injury…Endocannabinoids have also been reported to affect the cytokine biology of various cell systems (ncbi).”
Inflammation is not the only thing that CBD can help with while nursing a hangover, another big area that CBD can help with is nausea – but for this to work you must take the CBD the night before.
CBD has properties of an antiemetic which is a drug that is used to reduce nausea and motion sickness. It is given mostly to people in hospitals who are coming out of a surgery and might be experiencing nausea from the anesthesia. It is also used to treat patients with chronic nausea related illness (ncbi).
Nausea is also a very common symptom of a hangover. Your stomach is inflamed and upset from the alcohol, so this causes your stomach to send signals to your brain that make you want to throw up. Using CBD to counteract these effects is another solution to combatting nausea. For it to work effectively the CBD would have to be taken the night before your hangover when you are still intoxicated for the CBD to have full efficacy.
Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed this might be difficult to remember so it would be wise to set out the CBD beforehand as to not forget.
Heavy drinking can also cause shakiness and anxiety the following day. There are several studies have empirical evidence of CBD helping to reduce anxiety whether applied topically or orally. When the CBD is taken the CB-1 receptors bind to the amygdala in the brain and interact with 5-HT1 receptors. These receptors are responsible for serotonin release and are activated when the CBD is introduced thus causing serotonin release and less anxiety overall (labmate).
CBD has been highly regarded in recent years as a fantastic alternative to anxiety medication, and some doctors are even promoting the use of CBD and telling patients to take it over a traditional anti-anxiety medication. Taking CBD the night before your dreaded hangover will help to stop any anxiety that you might feel the next day.
Capsules VS. Oil
At our USA Medical Shop we offer a variety of CBD products but our two most popular are CBD capsules and CBD oil. Both will work rather effectively it just depends on your personal preference. The capsules are quick and easy to take and will start to kick in around 30 minutes to 1 hour after consumption. We ensure all of our tablets are extremely bioavailable so you can get the maximum effect of the CBD being delivered. Our CBD oil is also fantastic – you just put around half a dropper under your tongue and let it sit for 2-5 minutes for total absorption and the CBD will start to work in as little as 15 minutes.
It is up to you what you would like to take – we also sell CBD gummies which take about an hour to start working because they have to be fully digested, but will still work perfectly fine. Any CBD product that you decide to take from USA Medical to help that hangover or any other health issues will be exactly what you need to get feeling your best again.
CBD For Hangovers Final Thoughts
To the person experiencing these symptoms there’s no such thing as a small hangover. There seems to be hundreds of different home remedies to help “cure” a hangover. While there is no absolute cure for a hangover other than to wait it out, there is an easy alternative solution that is medically backed and actually works to ease some of the discomfort and that is CBD.
USA Medical wants to help in all areas of your health journey, even dealing with the repercussions of indulging a little too much the night before. Our CBD oil could be exactly what you need. So instead of reaching for that ibuprofen next time, try some CBD, you might just be surprised at the difference it makes.
CBD Oil | Fast Acting Relief from Anxiety, Stress, & Tension
$29.99 – $99.99
BUY 2 GET 1 FREE
CBD Oil helps you de-stress, relax, and unwind when you need relief the most.
- Calm Your Anxiety
- Relieve Your Stress
- Relax From Your Tension
Size: 30mL (1oz)
Concentration: 500mg – 3000mg
Flavor: Fresh Orange ~ From Organic Orange Oil
Recommended for individuals with anxiety, stress, trouble sleeping, and muscle tension.
PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA
CBD Capsules | Powerful Sleep-Aid, Muscle Relaxer, & Stress Reliever
$44.99 – $109.99
BUY 2 GET 1 FREE
New and improved deep sleep formula! USA Medical CBD Capsules are for relieving stress & anxiety before bed for your deepest, most restful sleep.
- Sleep Deeper & Longer
- Calm Your Stress & Anxiety
- Relieve Your Tension Before Bed
Size: 30-90 Capsules
Amount: 25mg CBD / Capsule
CBD Capsules are recommended for individuals with trouble sleeping, insomnia, stress, and anxiety.
PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA
Works Cited
Peter Grinspoon, MD. “Cannabidiol (CBD): What We Know and What We Don’t.” Harvard Health, 24 Sept. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476.
“Hangovers.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 Dec. 2017, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hangovers/symptoms-causes/syc-20373012.
Nagarkatti, Prakash, et al. “Cannabinoids as Novel Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.” Future Medicinal Chemistry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2009, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/.
Labmate, International. “How Does CBD Reduce Anxiety?” Labmate Online, https://www.labmate-online.com/news/laboratory-products/3/breaking-news/how-does-cbd-reduce-anxiety/55473#:~:text=Activating%20neural%20receptors,making%20CBD%20a%20promising%20anxiolytic.