An Ancient Ring Could Cure Your Hangover

Everyone has their hangover hacks. For some, it's a hair of the dog situation— keep the booze flowing to temporarily get rid of the pain; that next hangover caused by your day drinking is now a tomorrow problem. For others, it's greasy foods, though that might not be as effective as we think. My secret is to chug approximately 10,000 cans of sparkling water and eat some raw vegetables.

In the Byzantine era, it turns out the remedy may have been a little more flashy. CNN reports that archeologists discovered an ancient ring in what was once the area's largest winery in Israel. The ring has a gold band with an amethyst gem, a stone that archaeologists say ancient civilians commonly believed to prevent the side effects of drinking alcohol. Researchers say this particular piece could date as far back as the third century.

Of course, there's no real way of knowing what this exact ring's purpose was. It's just as likely that a visitor to the winery was wearing it to simply flaunt their wealth. But considering the artifact was discovered in close proximity to a warehouse containing empty ancient wine jugs, any supposed healing powers certainly wouldn't have hurt.

This isn't the only ancient hangover cure discovered as of late, proving that humans have been overdoing it for thousands of years. In 2015, Smithsonian Magazine reported that a 1,900-year-old papyrus scroll prescribed a necklace of laurel leaves to alleviate a "drunken headache." Reports from the Royal Society of Medicine say that a Mesopotamian doctor once prescribed a tincture of licorice, oleander, beans, oil, and wine for someone who had "taken strong wine."

We'll no doubt continue creating our own concoctions to pass down to future generations (because Lord knows society isn't going to stop getting drunk anytime soon). It might be worth it to squeeze a little amethyst into the mix of your next ritual, just in case.