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ORS 

Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) are an electrolyte powder that you drink mixed with water. They are designed and mainly used to treat child diarrhoea in developing countries. Click here for more information on that! They replenish the salts and sugars that you need when you are dehydrated, as well as the water that is mixed with it. For that reason they also reduce the effects of hangover. Note: ORS do not remove a hangover completely but make you feel a hell of a lot better. Also note: they taste salty and many people can’t stand them at first, but a lot of people actually grown to enjoy the taste. My dad thinks they are easier to drink than water! 

My story 

I discovered the benefits of ORS whilst working in South Sudan. It’s so hot in South Sudan that we (my colleages and I) were advised by doctors to drink ORS at least once a week to keep hydrated. We found that we had to drink it much more frequently if we were drinking alcohol in the evening as that would add to our dehydration. When I left South Sudan I found that ORS continued to help a lot with hangovers, even in cooler climates. A lot of my friends and family have also taken to ORS as a hangover cure and almost everyone that I’ve talked to says that it works.  

Which kind of ORS is best?  

It’s important to note that there are many kinds of ORS, including some that are available in the UK. However, my friends and family have found that the standard World Health Organisation formula that I used in South Sudan works best. The ones available in the UK, including one called ORS (www.ors.uk.com) are not comparable.  

Where can you get ORS? 

Good ORS is just not available in the UK even though it is ubqituitos in most developing countries. There are a couple of sellers on ebay from Sri Lanka and USA, but I’m not sure of the quality. There is a company thats sells good ORS from the USA which I have bought in the past, but they’re quite expensive – link here. I’m trying to persuade my buddy in Kenya to start exporting them and I reckon he could make a fortune, watch this space 🙂 

Home made ORS 

You can make ORS at home. It’s pretty simple and pretty effective, although not as good as the packaged stuff. Click here for a recipe to make ORS at home 

ORS is endorsed by the stars? 

Yup – as you can read here, Daniel Craig and Mark Wahlberg are big fans (although it seems they’re not using the best stuff!).