South Koreans, if you don’t know, are some of the world’s heaviest drinkers. Jinro Soju, a popular local spirit, is by far the world’s best selling liquor at 71 million cases per year – more than double its closest follower. Given the amount of alcohol the average South Korean drinks – 12.3 liters per year – it’s no surprise that the country spends roughly $126 million annually on hangover cures. While some of those cures are tasty, the world has never seen something quite like the latest hangover fighter gracing South Korean shelves.
Enter the hangover-fighting grapefruit-flavored ice cream bar:
A convenience store chain has launched the Gyeondyo-bar, which translates as “hang in there” and according to the company is the first ice cream bar marketed specifically to combat the after-effects of alcohol consumption.
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The ice cream bar’s name “expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking”, convenience store chain Withme FS [..]
According to Reuters, this miracle product “contains 0.7 percent oriental raisin tree fruit juice, a traditional hangover remedy cited in a Korean medicine book from the 17th century that is included in popular hangover potions.” If you’re wondering if there is any modern scientific evidence for the effectiveness of raise tree fruit juice, a 2012 article in the Journal of Neuroscience rported that oriental raisin tree extract reduced symptoms of intoxication in rats.
