Mayday — Severe Hangover
Mayday is the full-coverage version of the protocol. It exists for the scenario nobody likes to plan for: you didn't preflight, you didn't afterburn, you didn't nightcap, and you woke up in the worst shape of the quarter. Mayday is the ceiling of what the protocol does, aimed at that scenario specifically.
What this stack does
Mayday is the full-coverage recovery version. Peak L-cysteine, full DHM, glutathione defense, membrane protection, cofactor rescue, symptomatic relief — all at once. If the lighter stages are not cutting it, this is the ceiling of what the protocol has.
Ingredients in this stage
Core stack
Non-negotiable. Take all of these.
- L-Cysteine Tier 1 · Core High impact RCT 1500 mg Maximum-dose chemical trap (1500 mg)
- NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) Tier 1 · Core High impact RCT 600 mg Glutathione restoration + APAP safety
- DHM (Dihydromyricetin) Tier 1 · Core High impact RCT 900 mg Peak enzymatic acceleration
Extended stack
Strong support. Add when you can.
- Silymarin (Milk Thistle) Tier 2 · Strong Medium impact Obs 500 mg Shut down CYP2E1 residue
- Ubiquinol (CoQ10) Tier 2 · Strong Medium impact Mech 100 mg Mitochondrial ALDH2 rescue
- Benfotiamine Tier 2 · Strong Medium impact Mech 300 mg Acute TPP replenishment
- Glycine Tier 2 · Strong Medium impact Obs 3 g (in tea) Amine trap + inhibitory support
Tier 3 · Situational Optional enhancements Situational. Helpful for specific symptoms. 1 ingredient
- Ge Gen (Kudzu Root) Tier 3 · Situational Medium impact RCT 500 mg (tea) Puerarin adjunct + fluid generation
Tier 4 · Experimental Experimental layer Mechanistic or traditional support. Optional. 16 ingredients
- Shi Hu Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech tea Tea-based fluid support when the whole system is dry
- Yin Chen Hao Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 300 mg (tea) Traditional drainage support for hot, stagnant mornings
- Tu Fu Ling Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Damp-clearance adjunct in the full-coverage stack
- Fu Ling Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Poria-based fluid support
- Zhu Ling Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Urinary drainage support
- Ze Xie Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Fluid-shedding support
- Che Qian Zi Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Drainage support for heavy, puffy recovery
- Mai Men Dong Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Fluid-generation support for severe dryness
- Zhi Huang Qi Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech tea Repletion support when wiped out
- Gou Qi Zi Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech tea Yin-nourishing fruit support
- Yan Hu Suo Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Traditional analgesic support
- Bai Shao Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 300 mg (tea) Smooth-muscle support for tension and cramping
- Ban Xia Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Anti-nausea support
- Sang Shen Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Fluid and blood support
- He Huan Hua Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 200 mg (tea) Mood-softening support for wired misery
- Mei Gui Hua Tier 4 · Experimental Low impact Mech 150 mg (tea) Qi-moving rose support for irritability
Quick start
Mechanisms
Why this stage exists
What "severe" means
By severe we mean: throbbing headache that water doesn't touch, active nausea, inability to focus, genuine physical misery that is going to eat most of the day. The Tier 1 ingredients at Mayday doses are what the protocol has for this.
Deep science · Why Mayday — Severe Hangover is built this way
Why the doses are higher than Afterburner
Afterburner has the advantage of working on acetaldehyde as it's produced. Mayday is working after the fact: some of the damage is already done and can't be unwound, but the acetaldehyde-protein adducts that are still circulating, the depleted glutathione pool, the inflammation, and the mitochondrial oxidative damage are all still in motion and can still be addressed. Higher doses push harder on the same mechanisms.
This is the ceiling
The protocol does not go higher than Mayday. If Mayday at full dose is not enough, you are in territory where the answer is water, electrolytes, rest, and time. Seek medical care if symptoms escalate — vomiting that won't stop, confusion, extreme tachycardia, or anything that reads as genuine alcohol poisoning.
Next time
Mayday is the recovery stack. Preflight is how you avoid needing it. Once you have experienced Mayday, the 2-hour Preflight window becomes much easier to remember.