You wake up with a pounding head, a dry mouth, and a deep sense of regret about last night’s festivities. A friend might jokingly suggest having a little of “what caused the trouble” in the first place—a morning beer or a Bloody Mary. This common, if not entirely wise, practice has a name: taking the hair of the dog. But where in the world did such a strange phrase come from?
The saying is far older than your local brunch spot. It’s a shortened version of the ancient proverb, “Take a hair of the dog that bit you.” This bizarre-sounding advice comes from a folk belief dating back hundreds of years. The idea was that if you were bitten by a rabid dog, you should place a hair from that same dog into the wound to cure it. While this makes for a fascinating historical footnote, we can all be thankful that modern medicine has provided much safer alternatives for treating rabies.
How a Folk Remedy Became a Hangover Cure
So how did we get from treating dog bites to treating hangovers? The connection is all about the principle of “like cures like.” Just as a hair from the biting dog was thought to cure the bite, a small amount of alcohol—the very substance that caused the hangover—is believed by some to cure the resulting misery. It’s a metaphorical application of a very literal, and very questionable, ancient remedy.
Does “Hair of the Dog” Actually Work?
You might feel a temporary sense of relief after a morning drink, but it’s more of a band-aid than a real cure. When you have a hangover, your body is dealing with the after-effects of alcohol leaving your system. Introducing more alcohol simply postpones the withdrawal symptoms. It provides a short-term fix by slightly raising your blood alcohol levels again, which can mask the headache and nausea. However, once that new alcohol wears off, your original hangover is often still waiting for you, sometimes feeling even worse. It’s essentially borrowing comfort from tomorrow.
A Kinder Approach to Feeling Better
Instead of reaching for another drink, consider giving your body what it truly needs to recover. A tall glass of water is your best friend, as dehydration is a primary cause of hangover symptoms. Follow that with a balanced meal if you can manage it, focusing on gentle foods. Toast, crackers, or a banana can help settle your stomach and restore blood sugar. Rest is also crucial. Your body is working hard to process the alcohol, and giving it time to do so is the most effective path to feeling like yourself again.
While “the hair of the dog” is a clever phrase with a long history, it’s not a reliable health strategy. It’s a temporary illusion of relief that can often extend your discomfort. The next time you’re feeling rough after a night out, listen to your body and opt for hydration, nutrition, and rest instead.