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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Pharmacology

Botanical interventions for alcohol hangover: a scoping review

  • Xiaodan Wang1
  • Meijin Song2
  • Lei Zhou3
  • Junjie Yao4
  • Yingzi Cui5
  • Jiajuan Guo6
  • Tianying Chang5
  • Xing Liao1
6 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
  2. 2College of Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
  3. 3Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
  4. 4Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
  5. 5Evidence-Based Medicine Office, First Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
  6. 6College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
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Abstract

Background: Botanical interventions are widely studied and marketed for alcohol hangover, but direct symptom evidence, biomarker findings, and preclinical results are frequently conflated. This scoping review mapped the clinical and preclinical evidence for botanical interventions for alcohol hangover and examined the reproducibility of botanical and extract reporting.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Data were searched from inception to 22 July 2025. Citation searching and peer-reviewer recommendation were used as additional identification methods. Evidence was organized as Level 1 (direct human hangover symptoms), Level 2 (human pharmacokinetic/exposure, biochemical, mechanistic, and pharmacogenetic outcomes), and Level 3 (preclinical animal evidence); safety was charted separately. Botanical identity and extract characterization were charted using a ConPhyMP-informed framework.

Results: Twenty-two studies reported in 21 publications were included: 15 human studies and seven animal studies, with one publication containing both human and animal experiments. Across the human studies, 470 participants were enrolled or randomized and 437 were included in the reported analyses. Sex was available for 400 analyzed participants, of whom 293 (73.3%) were male. Direct symptom evidence was heterogeneous: seven publications showed a positive signal, six were mixed, and two were null. Pharmacokinetic or biomarker changes were not treated as substitutes for symptom improvement. Scientific botanical identity was reported in 19/21 publications, whereas authentication and voucher numbers were reported in only 3/21 each; quantitative marker analysis or a defined phytochemical profile was reported in 8/21. Safety reporting was inconsistent.

Conclusion: Several botanical interventions showed preliminary signals in selected hangover symptoms or alcohol-related biomarkers, but the clinical evidence remains limited and heterogeneous and includes mixed and null findings. The current evidence is insufficient to establish routine therapeutic efficacy or long-term safety. Future studies should prioritize adequately powered trials with validated symptom outcomes, clear prevention-versus-treatment timing, and reproducible botanical and phytochemical characterization.

Systematic Review Registration: https://osf.io/cv83d , identifier https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/CV83D .

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{wang2026botanical,
  title = {{Botanical interventions for alcohol hangover: a scoping review}},
  author = {Xiaodan Wang and Meijin Song and Lei Zhou and Junjie Yao and Yingzi Cui and Jiajuan Guo and Tianying Chang and Xing Liao},
  journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1945900},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1945900/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Botanical interventions for alcohol hangover: a scoping review
AU  - Xiaodan Wang
AU  - Meijin Song
AU  - Lei Zhou
AU  - Junjie Yao
AU  - Yingzi Cui
AU  - Jiajuan Guo
AU  - Tianying Chang
AU  - Xing Liao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO  - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1945900
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1945900/full
AB  - Background: Botanical interventions are widely studied and marketed for alcohol hangover, but direct symptom evidence, biomarker findings, and preclinical results are frequently conflated. This scoping review mapped the clinical and preclinical evidence for botanical interventions for alcohol hangover and examined the reproducibility of botanical and extract reporting.  Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Data were searched from inception to 22 July 2025. Citation searching and peer-reviewer recommendation were used as additional identification methods. Evidence was organized as Level 1 (direct human hangover symptoms), Level 2 (human pharmacokinetic/exposure, biochemical, mechanistic, and pharmacogenetic outcomes), and Level 3 (preclinical animal evidence); safety was charted separately. Botanical identity and extract characterization were charted using a ConPhyMP-informed framework.  Results: Twenty-two studies reported in 21 publications were included: 15 human studies and seven animal studies, with one publication containing both human and animal experiments. Across the human studies, 470 participants were enrolled or randomized and 437 were included in the reported analyses. Sex was available for 400 analyzed participants, of whom 293 (73.3%) were male. Direct symptom evidence was heterogeneous: seven publications showed a positive signal, six were mixed, and two were null. Pharmacokinetic or biomarker changes were not treated as substitutes for symptom improvement. Scientific botanical identity was reported in 19/21 publications, whereas authentication and voucher numbers were reported in only 3/21 each; quantitative marker analysis or a defined phytochemical profile was reported in 8/21. Safety reporting was inconsistent.  Conclusion: Several botanical interventions showed preliminary signals in selected hangover symptoms or alcohol-related biomarkers, but the clinical evidence remains limited and heterogeneous and includes mixed and null findings. The current evidence is insufficient to establish routine therapeutic efficacy or long-term safety. Future studies should prioritize adequately powered trials with validated symptom outcomes, clear prevention-versus-treatment timing, and reproducible botanical and phytochemical characterization.  Systematic Review Registration: https://osf.io/cv83d , identifier https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/CV83D .
SN  - 1663-9812
ER  -