Waterboy is very good. Dissolves so easily. Taste isn’t overpowering. I suspect it makes sense to take prior to bed and in the morning. Big +1 from here for Waterboy.
1 Like
Yeah, it’s the best of the electrolyte powders I’ve found. I tried LMNT, Gorilla Mind, and other more sports related electrolyte blends and found them less effective, but also think they’re intended to be mixed with larger volumes of water from a taste perspective. I usually try to drink a liter of water but I’ve found more recently that the waterboy can easily be mixed with 250 mL of water and completely dissolve.
Edit to add disclaimer… I’m not a doctor and haven’t tried this routine. It is an output from an LLM
I just now realizing I can point Gemini at this page and ask for a summary… I gave it a few personal requests and goals, and it came back with this proposed routine… the first of which didn’t know that FlyBy substantially changed its formula. Also, it only recommends zbiotics when reviewing the information here, so take that for what it is. A few rabbit holes later…
Part 1: The “Drinking Night” Protocol
Follow this strictly on nights when you consume alcohol.
Step 1: The Shield (60 Minutes Before First Drink)
Goal: Pre-load your liver’s defense fuel and seed your gut to break down toxins.
- Take 1 Bottle of ZBiotics. This plants the “good” bacteria in your gut to break down acetaldehyde.
- Take 1 Capsule of Thorne NAC. This boosts your glutathione levels so your liver is armed before the stress arrives.
- Tip: Eat a small snack (cheese, nuts) with the NAC to prevent stomach irritation.
Step 2: The Buffer (30 Minutes Before First Drink)
Goal: Hydrate your cells and coat your stomach to prevent acid reflux.
- Drink 1 Stick of Waterboy Weekend Recovery mixed in 16oz of water.
- Why: It has Zero Sugar (unlike Liquid IV) and contains Ginger Root, which naturally soothes the esophagus and prevents the heartburn often triggered by wine.
Step 3: The Cleanup (Right Before Bed)
Goal: Clear the hangover toxin without stressing the liver.
- Take 3 Capsules of Cheers Restore.
- Why: This replaces “The Wine Fix” and “Toast Gummies.” It uses L-Cysteine (which is safe to take after drinking) and a massive 1,200mg dose of DHM to stop “hangxiety” and wakefulness. It is completely sugar-free.
Part 2: The “Daily Maintenance” Protocol
Follow this on non-drinking days to rebuild liver health.
Tier 1: Basic Maintenance (The “Lock”)
Best for: Every single day.
- Take 1 Capsule of Thorne Milk Thistle Phytosome with breakfast.
- Why: This uses “phytosome” technology, meaning the milk thistle is bound to healthy fats so your liver can actually absorb it. It strengthens liver cell walls to keep toxins out.
Tier 2: The Upgrade (The “Fuel”)
Best for: Periods of stress or frequent social events.
- Add 1 Capsule of Thorne NAC with food, potentially a different meal to lessen the impact on your digestion.
- Why: While Milk Thistle locks the door, NAC provides the raw fuel (glutathione) your liver needs to clean up toxins already inside.
- Important: Always take NAC with food to avoid heartburn.
Summary Shopping List
Here is exactly what you need to buy to follow this routine:
| Purpose | Product | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Drinking Prep | ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic | Breaks down acetaldehyde in the gut. |
| Daily & Prep | Thorne NAC | Liver shield (take BEFORE drinking or Daily with food). |
| Heartburn/Hydration | Waterboy Weekend Recovery | Zero-sugar electrolyte buffer with ginger. |
| Hangover/Sleep | Cheers Restore | Safe post-drinking recovery (DHM + L-Cysteine). |
| Daily Health | Thorne Milk Thistle Phytosome | Daily liver cell reinforcement. |
4 Likes
I’ve tried many of the products in this space with objective wearable data. I don’t find n-acetylcystine to be particularly useful in this context. I’ve tried it in the past and found it ineffective. I think the cheers restore product is fine but I would prefer the wine fix with DHM alone given the literature findings. I do think the waterboy is a good product that would be my top choice for electrolytes and zbiotics can be a good product with it; I’m going to give myrkl a try with my usual regimen to see how it does.
1 Like
An LLM summary of advice in this thread is not a source I would trust for advice on what is safe to put in my body.
One example, and this is not medicaladvice but only personal opinion: People on prescription drugs should avoid milk thistle unless specifically cleared by an authoritative source as safe and non-toxic when mixed with your medications.
I agree, as would go for any random person on the Internet, and I hope people read the disclaimer at the top. I had to question it a number of times to even get this output, since it recommended a product with NAC for post-drinking initially, which it seems can cause liver damage. Timing the NAC to have it with enough time before drinking but also not too far in advance is a bit of an annoyance, so I’m personally hesitant to jump into the NAC route.
Myrkl is the only one I’ve tried, and it did indeed lessen the inebriating effects of alcohol. I felt like I’d had half as much as I did, during and after. As can be inferred and as the LLM returned, Myrkl is better if you don’t want to feel buzzed, and Zbiotics is best if you want the typical buzz. I’ll probably try Myrkl + Waterboy before, and either Cheers or Wine Fix for pre bed routine next time I do a whisky tasting to test it out.
Oh you’ll still feel buzzed if you drink enough 
1 Like
I ordered the Before you drink gummies and the WELESSENTIALS DHM with NAC.
@MChang i’ve got electrolytes already. With the above, do you recommend taking one dose as listed on the gummy package/DHM bottle before drinking, then some electrolytes before bed and more in the AM?
I’d recommend electrolytes before drinking, and before bed. I’ll post my entire routine again here.
Here is my entire pre-drinking routine.
1)Waterboy weekend recovery electrolytes in one liter of water before any drinking.
-
3 capsules of The wine fix before drinking and two capsules before bed.
-
One vial of Zbiotics before drinking.
-
One packet of Toast Gummies before drinking.
-
One packet of Waterboy weekend recovery electrolytes in one liter of water before bed.
4 Likes
Drinking the water before drinking and after drinking, I think is a big step up from my current routine. Why Toast - what does it have incremental?
And lastly… what is your post-drinking routing (I guess post bed routine)
You mean in the morning? I’ll typically drink another liter of water with electrolytes and grab some coffee, then go for a long walk and breakfast. A bit later I’ll usually go to the gym.
I do think the water is important as a lot of the issues have to do with dehydration. I’ve found the toast gummies to be effective.
Update on my experience trying two DHM products, Purple Tree and WineFix.
Purple Tree - I tried a dosage prior to going to bed after having a couple glasses of wine. I wanted to try a dosage at home on a slow evening to see how my body would react. I woke up around 3AM and when in the bathroom mirror, I noticed that I had redness on my face, part of my neck and ears. It appeared to me at first to be an allergic reaction, however, it was limited to the neck up. In reflection, it seemed to look like a rosacea flare up (note that I do not suffer from rosacea and have never had it, but my skin is fairly sensitive). I took some Benadryl as a precaution and applied some hydrocortisone cream with aloe. It was gone within 24 hours.
WineFix - tried two capsules around 4:30PM after having a couple drinks at a holiday lunch. I wanted to be awake to see if I had any adverse effects like I had with the prior supplement. At times between 6-10PM I felt like my face was a bit dry/irritated, but never really appeared red/discolored. I went to bed around midnight and thought my face may have appeared a little red, but not at all in an obvious ways like my prior experience. I applied some face cream as a precautionary measure and woke up without any noticeable reactions. I am uncertain if I had a genuine reaction to the WineFix or if it was a combination of mental anxiety from my experience with purple tree, plus the very dry/cold weather we have had in NJ. I had also gone out for 5 mile jogs that evening and the previous evening when the weather was approximately 25F.
I have read that flavonoids can sometimes cause a rosacea flare up, so not sure if that was what I was experiencing in general, or if there was another compound in the purple tree (like milk thistle) that I may have been slightly allergic to.
Sharing my experience for what it is worth.
Interesting; I haven’t heard of any allergic reactions to DHM alone, it sounds like you had a stronger reaction to the other supplement, but obviously you shouldn’t take them if you have adverse reactions. That being said It sounds to me like that isn’t a specific reaction given the caveats you provided, and it wouldn’t hurt just testing taking 1-2 capsules alone without alcohol to see if you notice any reactions as a test before using it again.
I’m not familiar with what the purple tree has, besides the brilliant coloration.
I plan to try WineFix again as suggested but may wait until after the holidays so I don’t lose a day.
If I have some time later I’ll post the full list of ingredients on the vibrant purple pills.
1 Like
To summarize a few questions I’ve been asked lately:
-
I think electrolytes and hydration pre and post drinking if you’re consuming a lot of alcohol is the most important adjunct. Ideally, you’d have one 8 oz serving of water per drink, although that’s hard to maintain through the course of the night, which is why for most people, I think drinking at least some water during drinking alcohol, along with a liter with electrolytes before and after drinking is a good strategy.
-
As far as the efficacy of the other supplements, I think the strongest evidence base I’ve found in the literature is for Zbiotics, DHM, and Myrkl. I’ve used the first two and plan to use the last one and tested them with wearable biometric analysis, which I think is far more sensitive than any other form of analysis, especially looking at variables like heart rate stabilization and variability.
-
I think there’s relatively little evidence that substances like milk thistle and n-acetylcysteine would be useful except in the setting of profoundly high alcohol consumption in relative naive individuals. One could make the argument that it could be a relatively hepatoprotective supplement to take chronically but I think there’s not much evidence to support this. The only setting where I’ve seen that these substances are effective is acute liver toxicity, in which case they’re usually given IV.
1 Like
Not scientific, but a few thoughts I’ve had over past 2 weeks of drinking:
- I think Z-Biotics has the biggest impact for me re DHM taken in capsule form. If I am going to do anything, Z-Biotics is my first line of defense
- Taking Waterboy (or another electrolytes) the night of drinking and in the AM has a major impact. Waterboy in the AM had a noticeably better impact than taking the equivalent amount of water alone. This is huge.
- The NusaPure tablets are much too large. As capsules I think they can work, at tablets they cross the line. I got one down and gagged on the other
- Taking so many pills, supplements etc. during / after drinking isn’t fun. It added too much routine/work to what should be a pleasurable experience.
- WineFix is inconclusive to me. I swear there was more than a placebo effect with the Wellness Essentials DHM/NAC combo - so there should be benefit to DHM. But as of now, the impact from ZBiotic and electrolyte hydration (Waterboy) were so much stronger signals.
Over time, will create a new baseline of Zbiotic and Waterboy. And then layer on Winefix again or the Wellness Essentials. I think I need to do this ‘clinically’ somehow to repeat conditions.
2 Likes
I agree that the electrolytes/hydration is really key.
2 Likes
As long as they are unregulated. And the money involved will almost certainly keep them unregulated.
They aren’t entirely unregulated; the FDA can ban specific compounds and often ban supplements, or take them off the market if they’re found to have controlled substances.
It costs tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to do a clinical trial. No one will ever do that for a supplement.