There is nothing worse than a hangover the morning after a heavy session. More often than not you could be clung to the toilet bowl as your head pounds, all the while you tell yourself: "Never again."
Well, this could be a thing of the past thanks to scientists who claim to have found a new elixir to battle the effects of a hangover.
To create this, a team of researchers in China gave laboratory mice red wine and observed how long it took them to recover. They then worked on a genetically-engineered probiotic which created an enzyme capable of breaking down alcohol which dramatically reduced the after-effects.
READ MORE: The 'synthetic alcohol' that could be available in Ireland in five years - and will end hangovers
However, while this elixir may seem like a cure-all for hangovers, it is hoped that it will also be used to help reduce the risk of both liver and intestinal damage.
One of the researchers that worked on the study, Meng Dong, who is undertaking a PhD at the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Zoology, said: "We believe genetically engineered probiotics will provide new ideas for the treatment of liver diseases.
"We are excited about the improvement of recombinant probiotics in acute alcohol-induced liver and intestinal damage."
To undertake the study, three groups of five mice were exposed to differing amounts of alcohol. Then 30 minutes following this, the mice were placed on their backs with researchers checking how long it took them to turn over.
While some were not able to get back on their feet, a quarter of the others who were given the probiotic never lost the ability to turn around.
The next step is to now investigate whether the potential effects could be modified to help humans.
The report reads: "Alcohol is an essential drug in human life with multiple medical functions, but excessive alcohol intake, even a single episode of binge drinking, can cause serious damage.
"Reducing alcohol consumption or absorption is a direct way to alleviate the related harm.
"The immediate phenomenon after drinking is a hangover, the most common symptoms of which include tiredness, increased thirst, sleepiness, headache, dry mouth, and nausea.
"These symptoms can adversely affect an individual’s work effectiveness and daily activities, as well as having negative economic consequences. Alcohol intake has been shown to be associated with a variety of diseases, such as fatty liver, cirrhosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and cancer.
"Therefore, the development of effective products to reduce alcohol intake is receiving increasing attention. Here, we produced a human probiotic which aimed to enhance alcohol degradation in the intestinal tract after oral administration.
"Our results showed it reduced alcohol absorption, prolonged the alcohol tolerance time, and shortened the recovery time after acute alcohol challenge. More importantly, the liver and intestine were protected from acute injury caused by alcohol challenge.
"Therefore, the engineered probiotic has the potential to protect organ damage from alcohol consumption. Furthermore, this engineered probiotic may have beneficial effects on alcohol-related diseases such as alcoholic fatty liver disease."
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