On Food and Cooking

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