Does The IV Hangover Cure Work? — VIDEO

For centuries, alchemists from the Middle Ages onward searched in vain for the philosopher’s stone, the substance that could turn base metals into gold and possibly lead to an elixir of life that would grant eternal youth. Our modern age similarly searches with devotion for a substance that, if found, would answer the wishes of countless sufferers: A real, honest-to-God hangover cure. Some claim to have found this magical remedy in the form of IV therapy. In this new video from BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed staffers attempt to answer the question, “Does the IV hangover cure work?” The answer: Maybe.

IV therapy as a cure for hangovers has been gaining popularity in the last few years, with businesses offering the service cropping up in major cities around the country. The thinking behind IV therapy is that the IV allows the body to very quickly absorb whatever you’re putting into it, be that vitamins, medication, or simply fluid. The BuzzFeed video doesn’t explain exactly what its participants receive, but most IV bags for treating hangovers seem to include some combination of electrolytes, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, vitamins, and medication to prevent nausea and heartburn.

In order to test out the efficacy of IV therapy for hangovers, the staffers in the video first need to get hangovers, which means they have to get really, really drunk:

When they wake up the next morning, they are … less than happy.

When they go in for their IV therapy, there’s a nurse there to get them hooked up. The therapy takes 40 minutes, so they chill out while their bodies absorb the fluid.

So what’s the verdict? The participants' reactions are mixed. One guy says, “I didn’t think it would work as well as it did.” Another remarks, “I was on my deathbed this morning, and I one hundred percent feel better right now.” The treatment didn’t work so well for everyone, with one woman saying, “I still feel pretty hungover right now.” The video doesn’t say how much its participants’ service cost, but a 2014 New York Times article suggests that these types of treatments will often run you 200 dollars or more. Is it worth it? Some of the testers in this video clearly found it helpful, and some people swear by it. Others are skeptical, however. For example, one toxicologist interviewed by the NYT said, “There’s no scientific support that these treatments do anything,” while a dermatologist remarked, “It’s basically just hydrating people … They infuse a one-liter bag of normal saline — for $200. A bag of normal saline costs $4. It’s saltwater.”

Watch the video to see how these testers fared:

Images: YouTube (5)