With all the excitement and joy filling the air, the annual festive season comes to its climax this weekend, and right after it comes the season of the holiday hangover. While booze drinkers are advised to drink less as the best precaution to avoid a churning stomach, banging headache and looming depression on the morning after, it would be difficult for fun-seekers not to indulge themselves in various year-end celebrations.

Hangover symptoms can vary from person to person, but in general, it is caused by dehydration from the ethanol in alcohol and the toxic remnants in the alcoholic beverages. While dehydration is the major cause of headaches, dry mouth and lethargy, the breakdown from ethanol is far more toxic than alcohol itself.

There are many home remedies and weird cures that are said to relieve heavy drinkers from their suffering, such as having a greasy English breakfast, chewing dried bull penis or rubbing a slice of lemon into the armpit of the drinking arm.

However, any cure is not for all and the effects of remedies will work differently on each person.

Metro Beijing talks to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors, bar managers, mixologists and booze hounds to seek out their personal hangover cures.

Honey water

Li Li, manger of First Floor

As the man in charge of running the popular Sanlitun hangout and observing booze drinking from time to time, Li certainly has his ultimate remedy to relieve a hangover. Simple and easily available, his honey water cure works each time he tries it on his friends.

"I once witnessed its effect on my friends by asking them to trace the outline of a map of China with a pen right after their binge drinking and 10 minutes after they had a cup of lukewarm honey water," says Li. "Their drawings were hardly recognizable at first, but once they had the water, their drawings become much clearer."

The monosaccharides, fructose and glucose in honey can facilitate the breakdown and absorption of alcohol in the body, and thus can help dispel the alcoholic beverages from the system and relieve headaches.

Drinkers are also advised to consume 50 grams of the honey water before they start guzzling.

Boiled water with kudzu vine flowers

Shen Nongzi, a TCM doctor in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province

A TCM doctor for more than 15 years, Shen has cured more than 1,000 heavy drinkers back in his hometown of Jiangxi. Now living in a community near the city's government buildings, a lot of his patients are government officials who have to drink excessive quantities of baijiu on social occasions.

"Boil 50 grams of kudzu vine flowers in hot water and drink it. It works each time I prescribe it to my patients," says Shen. If the flowers are not available, the plant's roots will do. One of the 50 fundamental herbs in TCM, kudzu contains a number of useful isoflavones.

Shen says its flowers can help detoxify the liver and the roots can prevent excessive consumption. "The remedy can help protect the lining of stomach, relieve headaches and prevent vomiting," he says.

Tea and fruit juice

Liu Xianli, TCM doctor at Beijing Yuyuantang TCM Clinic

Both weak teas, such as black or green tea, and juices made from fruits such as watermelon, grape or tomatoes can function as diuretics. That means they will increase the amount of urine the body produces, and thus evacuate the toxic remnants of the night before more quickly.

However, a mild amount of tea is recommended, as strong and excessive amounts of tea can otherwise damage the kidneys, warns Liu.

Body massage

Tang Shuang, mixologist and manager of Dong Lounge Bar

One of the common symptoms heavy drinkers suffer from during a hangover is pain in the body and numbed extremities. To get over these ailments, Tang often gets a body or foot massage once the symptoms hit.

"The numbness in the limbs is caused by the excessive alcohol in the body and the massage can help relax the muscles," says Tang, who only gets hangovers a couple of times a year now. "In addition, my dizziness from the night before is also gone after the massage."

Tang also suggests eating a cup of yogurt before drinking as it can help protect the stomach lining and drinking plenty of water before heading out to the bar.

Rest and soupy noodles

Amor Mao, film critic and party animal

The best cure for Mao is a good night's sleep to get over the sluggish feeling that can set in post-partying. But as he often suffers from stomachaches after binge drinking, what he finds works each time is a bowl of soupy noodles.

"The stomach lining is irritated and a steaming noodle soup can warm the stomach and do just the trick," he says.