A brief history of the hangover and its cures—from cabbages to cloves and the lungs of a goat

The Conversation offers a sweeping look at hangovers, their effects, and historical remedies from ancient to early modern times. It weaves together classical references, biblical anecdotes, and medieval medical thinking to show how people across cultures understood and combated the aftereffects of excessive drinking, including preventive foods and unconventional cures.

• Hangovers are described as both physical and psychological, with regret and self-judgment often amplified by modern digital memory.
• Ancient cultures treated intoxication as a path to transcendence, with wine typically diluted and sometimes ritualized rather than consumed undiluted.
• Classical authors like Plato, and references to Dionysus and Orphic Hymns, illustrate longstanding debates about moderation and the social role of drinking.
• Historical cures favored pre-drinking preparations and foods, including almonds, cabbage, baked quinces, wormwood, and even the lungs of a goat, reflecting a mix of empirical and quasi-medical thinking.

Introduction to hangovers across time

The piece surveys how cultures have understood and managed the aftereffects of heavy drinking, identifying a common recognition of headache, nausea, regret, and social shame. It also notes the modern intensification of shame through smartphones and online memory. While many societies have condemned drunken excess, others have framed it within ritual or moral contexts, shaping early remedies and prevention strategies.

Ancient and classical perspectives on drinking

In ancient Greece, wine was typically consumed diluted with water, a practice considered safer and more respectable than drinking undiluted. Herodotus’s accounts of Spartan kings and Scythians illustrate the dangers of ungated wine consumption and the decline that can accompany excessive drinking. Greek rituals around wine and the god Dionysus show how intoxication could be associated with transcendence or divine mediation rather than mere excess. Orphic Hymns, attributed to Orpheus, explicitly request Dionysus’ blessing in abundant, blameless celebration, signaling a cultural tension between ecstasy and control.

Drinking culture and moral framing in the biblical and medieval world

Biblical stories such as Noah and Lot depict intoxication, and biblical commentators struggle to interpret the moral dimensions of drunkenness. Christianity’s stance on drinking evolves from ancient endorsement to moderation and, later, a sin framing of excess during the medieval era. In Europe, wine held symbolic and religious significance, while beer and ale, often cheaper, became associated with different social classes. Medieval and early modern guidance often linked excessive drinking to social disorder, but it also preserved wine within sacred and secular rituals, underscoring the complexity of perceived harms and social norms.

Prevention and cures through history

The article highlights Boorde’s 16th-century guide as a key source for early modern hangover effects and for preventive theology around drinking. Boorde and contemporaries routinely invoked classical authorities to justify foods and practices thought to forestall unpleasant effects. Almonds, cabbages, baked quinces, wormwood (absinthe), and even the lungs of a goat are cited as believed beneficial—an eclectic mix of folk wisdom and early-empirical ideas. The emphasis was on prevention rather than a universal antidote after intoxication, reflecting a long-standing belief that what you eat and drink before or during drinking could reduce harm afterwards.

Social and economic dimensions of intoxication

As the piece traces the shift from elite to broader society, it notes that during medieval and early modern England, strong beer and ale—often the cheaper drinks of the poor—were blamed for anti-social behavior, while wine remained a marker of status and ritual usage. The ale-house, depicted in literary works as a morally fraught space, embodies a social critique of drink and its consequences. The historical arc reveals a persistent tension between celebration, moral judgment, and public health, a tension that continues into modern debates about drinking culture and hangover management.