Hair of the dog may be all bark and no bite when it comes to curing a hangover, and raw egg will likely leave the sufferer just as scrambled after a bout of heavy drinking.

This is according to scientists who have found that trendy and traditional remedies alike, from vitamins to a fashionable ginseng tea, may be no help to those enduring the morning after the night before.

A King’s College study has instead revealed that those rueing the excesses of New Year should try clove extract and migraine pills, which have been found to be among the only treatments likely to alleviate a hangover.

Lead researcher Dr Emmert Roberts described the scientific search for a viable cure-all for the effects of overindulgence as one “with considerable public interest”.

Researchers from King’s and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust experimented by testing out different substances on drinkers who took part in “alcohol challenges” across the world.

These test groups drank whisky, vodka, and beer in the interests of science, and were then given 23 treatments commonly believed to alleviate hangovers.

Out of the 23 substances tested, from teas for vitamin supplements, only seven were found to have improved the lot of drinkers in any way, and most of these were deemed “low-quality” by researchers who dismissed their efficacy as unconvincing

These “low-quality” remedies included Korean pear juice, red ginseng, treatments containing cysteine – also found in eggs – and C vitamins.

Other substances were found to have no impact whatsoever in alleviating the symptoms of a hangovers, including the exercise supplement Rapid Recovery, the anti-inflammatory Naproxen, the the beta-blocker Propanolol.

‘Hangover symptoms can cause significant distress’

Prickly pears and artichokes were also found to be no help the morning after, but studies found that clove extract was among the “top three” remedies found to actually help test subjects in the UK, US, Australia, India and Finland left reeling from the effects of whiskey, vodka and beer.

The migraine treatment Tolfenamic acid was also found to have a beneficial effect, as was Pyritinol, a drug often used to treat the symptoms of dementia.

Despite the finding of the study, Dr Roberts has reminded revellers that the only fully effective way to dodge a hangover is abstinence.

He said: “Hangover symptoms can cause significant distress and affect people’s employment and academic performance.

“Given the continuing speculation in the media as to which hangover remedies work or not, the question around the effectiveness of substances that claim to treat or prevent a hangover appears to be one with considerable public interest.

“Our study has found that evidence on these hangover remedies is of very low quality and there is a need to provide more rigorous assessment.

“For now, the surest way of preventing hangover symptoms is to abstain from alcohol or drink in moderation.”