NEW HAVEN — Two Yale undergrads say they have created a supplement that they are billing as a hangover's worst enemy.
"We partnered with Yale alumni, professors and a world-class pharmaceutical manufacturer to tackle the four root causes of a hangover," said Margaret Morse, Co-Founder of the supplement called SunUp.
Morse and fellow Yale senior Liam McClintock say SunUp consists of liver supporting ingredients, vitamins, electrolytes and other nutrients that help the body process the harmful byproducts of alcohol.
"I think it's pretty cool," said Nick Grasso of Stratford. "It can definitely help college students out a lot."
Stirring a packet of the powder into a glass of water is all it takes.
"You take it before going out and are able to wake up the next day with a happy liver," said McClintock.
But, Micheller Webber, a psychotherapist, who is also an addiction specialist, asked," After drinking all this alcohol, how could your liver be happy? It'll be anything but happy."
"I think if you eliminate the hangover, which is kind of a determining factor on how much you're going to drink, there is definitely more of a risk that you could abuse alcohol," conceded Grasso.
The two students compare SunUp to sunscreen, saying some use it to bake in the sun, while others lather up to avoid cancerous UV rays.
"In order to get to the next stage, our pharmaceutical manufacturer requires a minimum of $20,000 to get the formula blended, flavored and packaged safely for you to consume," said McClintock, in a high quality informational video the students posted to their Idiegogo fundraising site. They had raised over $5,000 as of late Tuesday afternoon
Morse and McClintock said the Yale community, including the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute and an alumnus attorney, who helped us file a provisional patent , have been very supportive.
SunUp is now available for order on Indiegogo, while it is being manufactured. It will soon be available on the SunUp website and, they're hoping, local retailers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hangovers cost the U.S. over $200 billion annually, in terms of productivity.