Advanced clinical symptoms of the antihangover compound HK-GCM-H01 in healthy Koreans.

A hangover is a combination of negative mental and physical symptoms, such as headache, diarrhea, and loss of appetite, that occur after alcohol consumption and can vary depending on individual genetic and environmental factors. To quickly relieve these hangover symptoms, a new hangover relief compound called HK-GCM-H01 has been developed. This compound, HK-GCM-H01, consists of fermented rice germ extracts, yeast extract mixtures, cili extract powder, and concentrated nipafam powder, all of which are known to relieve hangover symptoms. The safety and clinical symptoms of HK-GCM-H01 were evaluated, along with the pharmacokinetic properties of alcohol and acetaldehyde after its administration. This study was conducted on 50 healthy Korean men using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-intake, crossover design. To evaluate clinical symptoms, Acute Hangover Scale and Alcohol Hangover Severity Scale were used, and the pharmacokinetic evaluation parameters included the maximum plasma concentration, the time to peak plasma concentration, the terminal half-life, and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from X hours to Y hours. A significant reduction in clinical symptoms was observed after alcohol consumption in the group that consumed HK-GCM-H01 with added hangover relief compound, as was a significant decrease in blood exposure to acetaldehyde compared to the placebo group. There were no adverse events or significant changes in liver function indicators reported during the safety evaluation. These findings indicate that HK-GCM-H01 is safe and significantly reduces plasma concentrations of acetaldehyde, the main cause of hangover, suggesting that it improves hangover symptoms.