New £1 hangover pill is now available to buy in the UK

5 July 2022, 10:48

You can now get a hangover tablet
You can now get a hangover tablet. Picture: Getty Images
Naomi Bartram

By Naomi Bartram

A new £1 pill which promises to help with hangovers has finally gone on sale in the UK today after 30 years of development.

A pill which claims to cure hangovers has gone on sale in the UK this week.

The vegan food supplement was originally invented in 1990 by scientist Johan de Faire, and claims to rapidly break down alcohol.

Rebranded as Myrkl, it works by breaking down alcohol before it reaches the liver and is broken down into acetaldehyde, which contributes to the symptoms of a hangover.

You can now get a tablet to help with your hangover
You can now get a tablet to help with your hangover. Picture: Getty Images

According to a study in the journal Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, the amino acid L-Cysteine and vitamin B12 in the supplement turns alcohol into water and carbon dioxide.

In practical terms, that means that those who take two pills between one and 12 hours before drinking will break down 70 per cent of the alcohol that they consumed after 60 minutes.

As well as being free from animal products, all the ingredients are authorised and recognised as safe by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

The tablets are available to buy for £30 for a pack of 30 tablets, making it £1 per pill.

The company has warned it is not encouraging users to drink more, with a statement saying: “MYRKL helps breaking down alcohol fast before it reaches the liver, it is not suited and aimed to alleviate the impact of excess alcohol consumption.

Myrkl works by breaking down alcohol before it reaches the liver
Myrkl works by breaking down alcohol before it reaches the liver. Picture: Getty Images

“MYRKL must never be an excuse to drink more alcohol and you should always limit your alcohol consumption within the government guidelines.”

Håkan Magnusson, of Swedish inventors de Faire Medical, added: “Two drinks is enough to stop you feeling fresh in the morning.

“Moderate social drinking is a huge part of British culture, with the majority of British people heading out each week to enjoy a few drinks together.

"Myrkl’s purpose is therefore to help those regular moderate drinkers to wake up feeling their best the next day, whether they're a busy working professional, young parents, or seniors who want to maintain an active social life.”

According to the NHS website, adults should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread across three or more days.

This is the same as up to six medium glasses of wine or six pints of beer.