Whiskey for a sick stomach

Random

So, someone has a sick stomach / diarrhoea. While drinking a cup of coffee someone suggests putting some whiskey in it to help with the stomach.

Is there any merit in this?

itsallaboutheL

Random wrote: »

So, someone has a sick stomach / diarrhoea. While drinking a cup of coffee someone suggests putting some whiskey in it to help with the stomach.

Is there any merit in this?

Well Coffee isn't the greatest idea for a start!!

all_smilz

its brandy and port for a sick stomach *supposedly* and anyone drinking on a sick stomach isnt gonna get much relief from coffee + whiskey....

gingerGiant

Whiskey makes you sick when your well, whiskey when your sick makes you well.

Say it quick and people think you said the same thing twice. It's true though and whiskey is great for sick stomach will help settle it down I've always found.

the_syco

About 1/4 a shot of gin did t for me. Ghastly horrible stuff, but it cured meh stomach when I was out drinking. That said, I didn't drink anymore after that bit of gin.

WindSock

I know some people drink Creme De Menthe after a big meal. Might help a sick stomach too. And it looks like liquid kryptonite!

ozzirt

It won't help your stomach much, but if you have enough, you won't care.

Mr Magnolia

Random wrote: »

So, someone has a sick stomach / diarrhoea. While drinking a cup of coffee someone suggests putting some whiskey in it to help with the stomach.

Is there any merit in this?

God no.

A Brandy and Port is believed to help settle an upset stomach caused by over-eating/indigestion. I'd imagine what you've heard is an extremely skewed version of this.

rubadub

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

A Brandy and Port is believed to help settle an upset stomach caused by over-eating/indigestion. I'd imagine what you've heard is an extremely skewed version of this.

Yes, I thought this thread was a wind-up!

Alcohol will irritate the stomach walls, resulting in the release of acids which will help digest the foods. Doesn't matter if it is brandy, creme de menthe etc, it could be any spirit. Wine during the meal will help digestion too.

If you have diarrhoea I would expect it to make the condition worse if anything. It will irritate the stomach, release acids and your system will want to get rid of the "toxin" as quick as possible.

EileenG

Alcohol really does kill bugs. It's used as a disinfectant for that reason and it can work inside the human body. It may even be one factor of the whole Red Wine is good for you Thing.

There was a huge BBQ in Wicklow years ago, where the chicken being used were undercooked and had salmonella. It was a church BBQ but was being held in the grounds of a pub, so most people drank while waiting for the food. Everyone get a bit sick from the chicken, but the only people who needed hospital care were the T-totallers.

itsallaboutheL

Thread hijack:

Can i cook chicken legs from frozen??

i havn't the time to find the appropriate forum!!

neuro-praxis

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Thread hijack:

Can i cook chicken legs from frozen??

i havn't the time to find the appropriate forum!!

LOL! In short: no.

Mr Magnolia

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Thread hijack:

Can i cook chicken legs from frozen??

i havn't the time to find the appropriate forum!!

Absolutely not.

itsallaboutheL

neuro-praxis wrote: »

LOL! In short: no.

Defrost in Microwave then cook??

Mr Magnolia

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Defrost in Microwave then cook??

Yes.

Random

This thread isn't ment as a piss take and i am genuinely looking for opinions on it.

Fair point re coffee i guess. I just thought . . Keep it simple sorta . .

Drinking water is a good solution though, right?

the_syco

Random wrote: »

Drinking water is a good solution though, right?

It'll keep you hydrated if you have a bad case of the runs, but water alone will leave you weak. This is why some people drink flat 7up when they're sick: to keep their sugar levels up, or something similair...

EileenG

Seriously, I'm not joking about alcohol killing food bugs. I've had a couple of doctors recommend that if you eat something which seems a bit dubious, have a glass of spirits afterwards. One glass, not six, but that should negate some of the worst effects.

As an experiement, last time we were on holidays and we all got a vomiting bug that was running round our hotel, I drank some brandy as soon as I started to throw up. Yes, it came up again, and I had another mouthful. But my bout of vomiting was over in about three hours, and everyone else seemed to have about 12 hours. That's one case, which doesn't prove anything, but I thought it was interesting.

El_Dangeroso

EileenG wrote: »

Seriously, I'm not joking about alcohol killing food bugs. I've had a couple of doctors recommend that if you eat something which seems a bit dubious, have a glass of spirits afterwards. One glass, not six, but that should negate some of the worst effects.

As an experiement, last time we were on holidays and we all got a vomiting bug that was running round our hotel, I drank some brandy as soon as I started to throw up. Yes, it came up again, and I had another mouthful. But my bout of vomiting was over in about three hours, and everyone else seemed to have about 12 hours. That's one case, which doesn't prove anything, but I thought it was interesting.

Interesting! I haven't had a stomach bug in years and I like my red wine, yet another reason to keep drinking it!

The_Conductor

If you've a sick stomach- low residue drinks that contain ginger can often be beneficial (and are often recommended to IBD sufferers).

_Whimsical_

EileenG wrote: »

Seriously, I'm not joking about alcohol killing food bugs. I've had a couple of doctors recommend that if you eat something which seems a bit dubious, have a glass of spirits afterwards. One glass, not six, but that should negate some of the worst effects.

I was just flicking through a French cookery book today (not my own!) that mentioned this. It said that in years gone by in rural parts of France it was traditional to drink strong spirits after eating certain types of game that were prone to infection to kill bacteria and avoid stomach bugs. It gave no scientific rationale for it but said the practice owed more to folk wisdom .

At first thinking about it seems to make some degree of sense but then if it were true would we not be killing off the good bacteria in our stomachs everytime we drank alcohol too?

Just thought I'd tell you that you weren't alone in thinking it may work anyway.:)

metamorphosis

Random wrote: »

So, someone has a sick stomach / diarrhoea. While drinking a cup of coffee someone suggests putting some whiskey in it to help with the stomach.

Is there any merit in this?

diarrhea + coffee = :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

*i speak from experience*




On a serious note if diarrhea or vomiting persists go to the pharmacy and ask for dioralite(not sure of spelling). it replaces the lost salts in the body

corkcomp

ULstudent wrote: »

diarrhea + coffee = :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

*i speak from experience*




On a serious note if diarrhea or vomiting persists go to the pharmacy and ask for dioralite(not sure of spelling). it replaces the lost salts in the body

+1 .. coffee is probably the worse possible thing to drink if you have diarrhea (and milk!)

ULstudent

ULstudent wrote: »

ask for dioralite(not sure of spelling). it replaces the lost salts in the body

The smell of that stuff is enough to give me a scour.
Flat 7up is your only man!

My mam spoon fed us black rum when had sick stomachs growing up.
I don't know if it psychological but it helps me now.

EileenG

chilly wrote: »

I was just flicking through a French cookery book today (not my own!) that mentioned this. It said that in years gone by in rural parts of France it was traditional to drink strong spirits after eating certain types of game that were prone to infection to kill bacteria and avoid stomach bugs. It gave no scientific rationale for it but said the practice owed more to folk wisdom .

At first thinking about it seems to make some degree of sense but then if it were true would we not be killing off the good bacteria in our stomachs everytime we drank alcohol too?

Just thought I'd tell you that you weren't alone in thinking it may work anyway.:)

Your stomach doesn't have good bacteria, it has HCL acid! If you have eaten something bad, your priority is to deal with that. Eat some natural yogurt the following day when you feel better.

BraziliaNZ

Underberg ftw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underberg

EileenG

Have you ever tasted that stuff? If you weren't sick to start with, you would be afterwards

Owen

My other half's Polish, and they genuinely believe that a shot of whiskey, or vodka, helps with indigestion. And surprisingly, I've found it worked.

BraziliaNZ

EileenG wrote: »

Have you ever tasted that stuff? If you weren't sick to start with, you would be afterwards

Underberg? I have, we used to buy it for each other in a bar I used to drink in as kind of a sick joke. It's not that bad though you get used to it, and it does work wonders if you've eaten too much or have a dodgy stomach, moreso than any other spirit i'm aware of.

The_Conductor

Personally- I think a smooth cognac or whiskey is great for aiding digestion- but a sick stomach is a different matter entirely, depending on the nature (and cause) of the illness- you're as likely to cause harm as do good- by imbibing alcohol.

rubadub

smccarrick wrote: »

Personally- I think a smooth cognac or whiskey is great for aiding digestion- but a sick stomach is a different matter entirely, depending on the nature (and cause) of the illness- you're as likely to cause harm as do good- by imbibing alcohol.

I would have thought the same. Spirits will irritate the lining of the stomach and so you should be releasing stomach acid which then aids in digestion. I often used to get tonsilitis once a year and can feel it coming on now, I will sip on beers all night to kill it, sort of like a mouthwash -purely for medicinal reasons of course!

If you have gotten to the stage where you have food poisoning then I expect it would only make matters worse, I would have thought it is too late to kill the nasties (though it did seem to work for Eileen). If you are eating stuff knowingly thinking it is going to cause food poisoning -then simply don't eat it!

If you are at a BBQ and just discover you have been eating stuff that was touching raw food etc it might be an idea to have a few scoops.

lizzyvera

I doubt it would work by killing the bugs. Your stomach is very acidic and bugs resistant to that would surely be resistant to a low concentration of alcohol. Also, tummy bugs are often in the small intestine.

I have found it to work too, and almost instantly. I'd say it's more like a numbing effect.

Motillium for nausea and lots of water is better though.