few of these compounds, notably resveratrol and its relatives, inhibit an enzyme (cyclooxygenase) that’s associated with damaging inflammation reactions and the development of arthritis and certain cancers The Hangover Then there’s the misery of the hangover, the general feeling of illness that we wake up with the morning after we’ve had too much alcohol The folk remedies for this affliction are many and ancient In medieval times, the medical school of Salerno was already recommending the hair of the dog: Si nocturna tibi noceat potatio vini, Hoc tu mane bibas iterum, et fuerit medicina If an evening of wine does you in, More the next morning will be medicine The hangover is in part a mild withdrawal syndrome The night before, the body adjusted to a high concentration of alcohol and related narcotic chemicals, but by morning the drug is going or gone Hyper-sensitivity to sound and light, for example, may be a leftover compensation for the general depression of the nervous system The logic of the morningafter drink is simple but insidious: it restores many of the conditions to which the body had become accustomed, as well as lightly anesthetizing it But this only postpones the body’s true recovery from intoxication Only a few of the different symptoms that constitute a hangover can be directly treated The dry mouth and headache can be due to the dehydration that alcohol causes, so that drinking liquids may relieve them Alcohol can also cause a headache by enlarging the cranial blood vessels; the caffeine in coffee and tea has the opposite effect, and may bring some relief Cooking with Alcohol Cooks use wines, beers, and distilled spirits as ... The logic of the morningafter drink is simple but insidious: it restores many of the conditions to which the body had become accustomed, as well as lightly anesthetizing it But this only postpones the body’s true recovery from intoxication Only a few of the different symptoms that...going or gone Hyper-sensitivity to sound and light, for example, may be a leftover compensation for the general depression of the nervous system The logic of the morningafter drink is simple but insidious: it restores... can also cause a headache by enlarging the cranial blood vessels; the caffeine in coffee and tea has the opposite effect, and may bring some relief Cooking with Alcohol Cooks use wines, beers, and distilled spirits as