This Tesla Engineer’s Drink Makes Miserable Mornings After Alcohol Optional
What started as a side project to find a cure for hangovers for himself has grown so big that one engineer quit his job to pursue it full-time. Sisun Lee, a former engineer at Tesla, is now the founder and CEO of Morning Recovery. The company has nothing to do with cars and everything to do with alcohol — making a product scientifically engineered to help outsmart rough mornings after drinking. Now he has brought his solution to the masses.
The whole story started when Lee traveled to South Korea, his birth country, also known for its partying ways. He spent a lot of time drinking with the locals. But rather than suffering from a throbbing head full of regret the next morning, his friends introduced him to “hangover drinks” that are widely popular throughout the country. They worked like magic for him.
Back in the United States, he searched for similar products to buy, but they didn’t exist. At one point, Lee tried to import them and become a distributor, but the companies weren’t interested in working with him.
Then he had an idea: What if he created the product himself? He immediately dove into the research, starting with the key ingredients used in the Korean drinks, which led to the creation of Morning Recovery.
The Magic Herb
His research led to a key herb known as hovenia dulcis. It turns out that the secret ingredient is a chemical called dihydromyricetin (DHM) found inside hovenia dulcis. This plant-derived ingredient has been used as remedies for liver detox for thousands of years in Asia, Lee discovered.
Hangovers are caused when we consume more alcohol than our liver can handle. Toxins build up which leads to inflammation, and DHM helps our body speed up the removal of this toxin. Lee also learned that to maximize the remedy’s potency, you have to increase the bioavailability of the star ingredients so that the body can better absorb it.
With the help of a UCLA professor, Lee created the first version of Morning Recovery, releasing it to the public in July 2017. In the first 18 months of operation, the company has garnered over 150,000 customers worldwide.