Ranked by evidence
Best supplements for hangovers
Two systematic reviews of hangover remedies reached the same conclusion: no product has convincing evidence, and drinking less alcohol is the only intervention with a reliable effect size. The short list below is ranked by evidence for a related problem, since nothing earns a grade for the hangover itself. Everything sold as letting you drink more or bounce back faster is in the skip list.
Picks are ranked by the strength of published evidence for this goal in otherwise healthy adults. A persistent symptom needs a clinician's evaluation, and no supplement on this list replaces treatment.
Evidence last reviewed: September 2026
Situational
| Option | Evidence | Best for | The honest note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger | Moderate evidence | nausea, as a general remedy | Moderate evidence for nausea in pregnancy and after surgery at 1,000–1,500 mg a day, but it has not been tested for hangovers. Heartburn and belching are the usual side effects. | View |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | Moderate evidence | regular heavy drinkers | Not a hangover cure, and it does nothing for energy if your levels are normal. Deficiency is common in alcohol use disorder, where thiamine prevents and treats Wernicke's encephalopathy, though acute treatment is intravenous and clinical. | View |
Popular for this goal — but the evidence says skip
- Hangover Formulas Limited evidence
Two systematic reviews found no hangover intervention with reliable benefit, and the specific blends sold have no randomised evidence.
- Dihydromyricetin (DHM) Limited evidence
The hangover claim rests on rat studies; no adequately powered human hangover trial has been published, and nothing shows it lowers blood alcohol.
- Activated Charcoal Limited evidence
It binds ethanol poorly, has never reduced hangover severity in a controlled trial, and adsorbs your medications too.
- Milk Thistle (Silymarin) Limited evidence
Using it as liver cover for drinking has no evidence base, and a Cochrane review found no benefit even in alcoholic liver disease.
- Nopal Cactus Limited evidence
An extract taken before drinking eased a few symptoms such as nausea and dry mouth but did not reduce overall hangover severity.
- Succinic Acid Limited evidence
It is sold on faster acetaldehyde clearance, but no randomised trial has tested it against hangover symptoms.
Our verdict
There is no supplement worth buying for a hangover; drinking less is the plan. If nausea is your main symptom, ginger has moderate evidence for nausea in other settings, and regular heavy drinkers should know thiamine deficiency is common in alcohol use disorder. Skip DHM, hangover formulas, activated charcoal and milk thistle.