The prickly cactus hangover cure

Forget about hair of the dog - a hangover cure may be locked inside the prickly pear cactus, researchers said today.

Volunteers were given extracts of Opuntia ficus indica, a desert cactus, before being fed dinner and told to get drunk.

Those in the study who received the extract instead of a placebo reported milder hangovers when tested the next morning, according to the research conducted at Tulane University in New Orleans and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study found that when taken hours before drinking, the extract alleviated symptoms such as dry mouth and feelings of nausea.