Hangover cure
This alleged cure is a grapefruit-flavored ice-cream bar called a Gyeondyo-bar, which in English translates into “hang-in there.” The “Hang-in There” ice-cream bar has an active ingredient that has long been used in the area (like since the 17th century) to cure the headache and nausea that comes with consuming too much alcohol.
The ingredient is called (in translation) “oriental raisin tree fruit juice” and the company that invented the bar, a South Korean convenience store chain called Withme FS, said that each “Hang-in There” bar has 0.7 percent of the active ingredient.
In announcing its new product in a press release on Friday, May 20, Withme FS said its ice-cream bar/hangover cure “…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.”
Alcohol consumption
As reporter Alicia Tan notes in a piece on Mashable, it is no fluke the product comes out of South Korea. It’s a country known for partying — and therefore a need for a hangover cure — which is evidenced in statistics.
No country in the region beats South Korea in alcohol consumption and the country even out-drinks the U.S., which is no slouch when it comes to boozing. A 2014 report from the World Health Organization says that South Koreans consume 12.3 litres of alcohol annually; in the U.S., on average citizens consume 9.2 litres annually.
The company expects brisk sales.
