Holidays and parties are always good excuses to binge on drinks and go on all-night indulgences. But nothing goes unpunished and when morning comes, there is a price to pay with a hangover, a searing headache and bleary-eyed wooziness.

What's the best cure for those inevitable hangovers? Christmas revelers may appreciate these cures we suggest for throbbing temples and acidic tummies.

Tea is the traditional cure for many Chinese drinkers. Often, you will find them gathered at neighborhood teahouses the morning after nursing a headache and a pot of tea. If they're lucky, they may have someone at home willing to brew them a large mug.

Xiong Feng, a businessman in his 30s, has experienced countless hangovers. His problem usually arises after mixing beer, Chinese liquor and imported wines, an occupational hazard in his business entertaining.

"A cup of English tea helps to keep me conscious. I always make tea for myself after a hangover," says Xiong.

Meng Yan swears by salty porridge. The bartender at Laker's Restaurant speaks from experience. Salty porridge replenishes both salt and water, when alcohol dehydrates the body.

Milk and yoghurt are also good hangover cures. In fact, they work as prevention as well. They protect the stomach, and it's a good idea to grab a tub of yoghurt or packet of milk at a convenience shop before heading for a boozy party night out.

Li Liandong, a waiter at a bar, says many drinkers order lemonade after one too many alcoholic drinks.

"I also find lemons useful when I get drunk. But the more effective way for me is to take the lemon undiluted, and just suck on a lemon wedge," says the 21-year-old, who is susceptible to hangovers.

For most young women drinkers, the special hangover cure is fruit. Guo Xianfeng, who also works at a bar, suggests that girls who cannot hold their drinks should order a platter of fruits, as they tend to get dehydrated more quickly and the fruits will help fill an empty tummy, and help them stay sober.

Alcohol actually makes the drinker thirsty, so it is not unusual to see them order cups of hot water.

Another traditional Chinese cure is the restorative soup, and a bowl of Sichuan hot and sour tofu soup can both wake you up and get you going again. Cantonese tonic soups, too, will soothe away both headache and hangover.

But the best cure? Moderation.

Go easy on the alcohol and drink enough to get happy, not high - especially when you know you will have to pay for the over-indulgence.

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

For China Daily

(China Daily 12/25/2011 page14)