Peppers cure hangovers!

They are responsible for thousands of sick days every year and are a common problem in offices around the country.

That headache and inability to function after a night out is something almost all of us have experienced. Yet despite a plethora of potions designed to ease hangovers, there seems to be no avoiding them.

But experts believe they may have found the ultimate cure - and it has been lurking in the fridge all along. The unlikely saviour is the pepper.

Experts claim that capsaicin, which gives peppers their "hotness", can also beat hangovers and cure headaches.

One American company is already selling a hangover cure based on pepper extract and it is planning to bring it to Britain. The nasal spray is made of a combination of the extract and herbs.

Professor Jeremy Nicholson, an expert in drug metabolism, said: "It basically works as an anaesthetic, numbing the pain with the pepper extract."