St. Patrick’s Day, especially in Chicago, has become an annual rite of spring. We eat corn beef and cabbage, watch lively parades and participate in pub crawls through Irish taverns. Famously, the Chicago River gets dyed emerald green.

Depending on the day of the week, Chicagoans can celebrate a bit too much at the local taverns. Seeing as how it falls on a Saturday this year, here are a few natural remedies to recover fast:

Drink water. One of the major effects of too much alcohol is dehydration. When this happens, brain cells literally shrink. This is why many people get headaches, dizziness and nausea. In order to help, drink plenty of water before going to bed, during the night and when waking in the morning.

Wash your face and hands before going to sleep. Drinking alcohol can cause the body to be more susceptible to germs. Booze suppresses the T-cells that the body needs to defend itself which can intensify the hangover.

Eat eggs with burnt toast. The carbon in burnt toast can actually help the body get rid of the alcohol. Eggs contain cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol toxins more quickly. Both foods are also easy to digest for most people.

Take mint or ginger. Any type of mint will settle the stomach. Peppermint and honey can help the body metabolize alcohol faster. Ginger can also reduce nausea and vomiting. If you don’t like either of these, pure fruit juice can have a similar affect.

Get a massage. Massage boosts the immune system. After a lot of drinking, the body is full of toxins, and the liver, which is responsible for breaking it down, can’t keep up. Massage will help the lymphatic system clear the body’s blood of all the “poisons” from St. Patrick’s Day. It also increases circulation which will push blood to the brain and ease headaches. The only real cure for recovery is rest and a massage will promote relaxation and allow the body to heal itself.  So, if you’re going to imbibe, scheduling a massage for Sunday (not too early) would be a pretty good idea.