Anne Cronin, the assistant manager at Harnetts, a natural pharmacy, claims that herbal remedies can really do wonders for that "blah, yuck, bleh" feeling by replenishing the body with all those electrolytes and nutrients you lose in the wake of a booze binge. Instead of recommending a medicinal mimosa or Bloody Mary, she leads her swerving customers to Eclectic Institute's Neutralizing Cordial ($8.50), an herbal supplement with turkey rhubarb (no, it's not real turkey), cinnamon, and goldenseal. She's pretty confident that two teaspoons of the peppermint-flavored tincture every one to four hours will ease that nasty queasiness. "We have some people here who have a thing for Saturday-night margaritas," she says. "They've used it and they love it."

If you stagger down the street to Cambridge Naturals, you'll find Olaloa, a packet of fruit-punch-flavored multivitamin and nutrient powder that you can mix into a six-ounce glass of water or juice (99 cents). The store also stocks the self-explanatory Hangover Helper ($2.69), a packet of three herbal tablets that contain milk thistle and artichoke extract. Doctor's orders are to take two before and one after getting soused. But as store manager Lorri Legacy notes, "Some people don't really plan ahead of time that they're going to get a hangover." For those of us more impulsive in our imbibing, Emergen- C (40 cents for a packet; $12.99 for a box of 36 packets) may do some morning-after healing. One packet of the powder includes 1000 milligrams of vitamin C, as well as several electrolytes for your sad, depleted body. If you feel the urge to purge, you might want to try some Ginger Wonder Syrup ($8.95 for a four-ounce bottle). Laura Feinberg at Harvest Co-op says that a few tablespoons of the goopy concoction work a little magic toward "calming that tummy."

Our sources tell us that much of this stuff is flying off the shelves these days. "It's the season, I guess," muses Cronin. We may stock up so that next time we find ourselves poised on the brink of a post-fête heave -- um, like tomorrow, perhaps -- we'll be able to toss a little Emergen- C into our morning mimosa. Mmmm.

Where to get it:

* Harnetts Homeopathy & Body Care, 47 Brattle Street, Cambridge, (617) 491-4747

* Cambridge Naturals, 1670 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 492-4452

* Harvest Co-op, 581 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 661-1580; 57 South Street, Jamaica Plain, (617) 524-1667