With the Christmas festivities now well underway, many will be hoping and praying for a miraculous hangover cure after some boozy days. Mirror reporter Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz tried the new £1 pill that apparently prevents a hangover by breaking down the alcohol in your gut quickly.
The new product, Myrkl, is the 'first formula in human history to show promising results of breaking down alcohol effectively in the gut before it reaches the liver'. Containing vitamin B12, it is said that the pill will 'make sure you feel fresh the next day', with a 75% satisfaction rate in an independent survey of customers.
A peer-review study found that Myrkl broke down up to 70% of alcohol within 60 minutes, and 50% after 30 minutes of consumption. Swedish company claim this 'pre-drinking pill' is all you need, recommending that you take two of the pills between two and 12 hours before drinking alcohol, allowing you to drink without looming anticipation of a hangover.
The pills cost £1 each, but are not available in a pharmacy. Unfortunately, they can only be bought in batches of 30, meaning you will have have to spend £30 for the product.
Ariane tried it ahead of the festive season, taking two of the capsules a couple hours before starting drinking. She ate at home and drank a couple of gin and tonics before going out on the town.
After a pint, and a few gin and tonics that failed to make her feel intoxicated, Ariane mixed things up and finished the night off with two cocktails, which was just enough to make her feel as though it may have an effect on the following day.
She managed to surprisingly fall asleep straight away, and woke up surprised to feel fresh in the absence of nausea or a headache. The inevitable hangover never arrived, with Ariane even going on an 8 kilometre run.
Obviously, as Myrkyl says itself, whether or not the pill will work depends on "internal and external factors", with the need to try it out multiple times with more and less alcohol, and drinking and eating different things to truly assess its effectiveness.
Areane asked pharmacist Abbas Kanani, who works at Chemist Click, whether he thinks Myrkl can actually work as a hangover cure. He said: "Whether it works or not? Well, there has been one small study, to support its effectiveness in reducing alcohol levels.
"More studies are required for us to gain a deeper understanding of the product. For example, does certain medical conditions, gender, age, general health, ethnicity come into play? What if you have liver disease? The point I am trying to make is that we need more data, from a wider data set, spanning over a longer period. This will help to provide a conclusive answer.
"These pills appear to work after alcohol has passed through the stomach to the intestine, they are unlikely to prevent the action of alcohol on the stomach, which can still cause dehydration from alcohol, which may still cause a hangover effect. As the pills are natural and vegan, in principle, they should be safe to take for most people, unless you have an allergy to the specific ingredients.
"There are a number of questions that need answering, however, the reviews seem positive, and it appears to be a relatively safe product."
Myrkl is not suitable for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under the age of 18.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs
