If you've had a weekend of drinking and are battling a hangover, then this might come as cold comfort to your senses.
A South Korean convenient store chain has tapped into the hangover-curing market with a soothing ice-cream bar. The Gyeondyo-bar claims to be the first ice-cream popsicle, designed specifically to target those who are reeling from a big night out and to those. "Gyeondyo" which roughly translates to "hang in there," and according to a statement made by the convenient store, "...expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking".
The bar, which has been on sale for some time now, contains a grapefruit-flavoured ice-cream with a small amount of oriental raisin tree fruit juice. This raisin juice ingredient is slightly herbal in flavour and is the active agent that is said to be the key to the curing success, which is already a traditional hangover cure Koreans swear by. The benefits of this extract we released in a 2012 study from The Journal of Neuroscience, that found that raisin tree extract could, in fact, reduce the effects of intoxication in rats.
As Reuters reports, drinking with co-workers in large groups is big business in South Korea, with South Koreans consuming 12.3 litres of alcohol per year, the most per capita in the Asia-Pacific region. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that hangover remedies are just as popular, with locals spending AUD$120 million per year on various drinks, pills, foods, remedies and even cosmetics specifically tailored to assist in the recovery process from booze-filled session and this particular popsicle proving to be very popular.
While there are no plans for this particular bar to reach Aussie stores at this stage, perhaps ice-cream cures are something to keep in mind next time you are in need of a savour.
