Publication Details
Abstract
Objective: Alcohol hangover is a mixed post-intoxication state rather than a single symptom. We evaluated an NVTIA® post-alcohol nutritional formulation containing standardized Hovenia dulcis and Pueraria lobata extracts, embedded L-cysteine granules, and curcumin–corn oligopeptide composite granules. Method: Thirty healthy adults aged 25–45 years were randomly allocated to the formulation or placebo group. Two capsules (1,400 mg total contents) were taken within 30 min after drinking. Published human studies were then examined for H. dulcis, H. dulcis–P. lobata combinations, L-cysteine, and puerarin/kudzu preparations. Results: Approximately 10–12 h later, dry-mouth, fatigue, heavy-headed feeling, and stomach-discomfort scores were 1.2, 1.5, 1.1, and 0.9 in the formulation group and 2.8, 3.1, 2.6, and 2.3 in the placebo group. The descriptive reductions were 51.6–60.9% across the four symptom domains. H. dulcis trials reported selected symptom changes, inflammatory responses, and early alcohol-kinetic differences. L-cysteine studies produced different results across formulations and endpoints. Kudzu and puerarin trials consistently altered drinking behavior under controlled conditions. Novelty: The formulation-level symptom pattern and the external human evidence identify a practical set of variables for a larger prospective study: validated hangover scales, early alcohol/acetaldehyde kinetics, gastrointestinal and fatigue domains, and selected redox or inflammatory biomarkers.