Watch this on YouTube.
Morning Recovery is a drink that claims to “support your body’s ability to metabolize nutrients and optimize healthy liver function.” While it doesn’t explicitly mention the word “hangover,” it’s clear that the product is aimed at helping with the aftermath of drinking.
One of the key ingredients in Morning Recovery is Hovenia Dulcis extract, which the company claims is backed by scientific research. But does this ingredient really help with alcohol metabolism and reducing hangover symptoms? Let’s take a closer look at the research and see what benefits you can realistically expect from using Morning Recovery.
Research
Morning Recovery says they’ve conducted a study that supports their claims. However, I had trouble finding this study in any credible databases. There were no PubMed IDs (PMID) or Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) to track down the research. While the absence of these identifiers doesn’t necessarily mean the study doesn’t exist or is unreliable, they are important for confirming a study’s legitimacy. Without them, it’s hard to validate the research or even confirm if it was conducted in the first place.
So, we’re left with the company’s word, and personally, I’m not one to trust health claims without solid evidence. To get to the bottom of this, I decided to do my own research to find reliable studies that can confirm whether Morning Recovery actually delivers on its promises.
Research on Hovenia Dulcis
Let’s dive into the main ingredient in Morning Recovery: Hovenia Dulcis, also known as the Japanese or oriental raisin tree. This plant contains a compound called dihydromyricetin (DHM), which is often found in hangover supplements due to its supposed liver-supporting and anti-inflammatory properties. DHM has been studied for its potential impact on alcohol metabolism.
However, DHM isn’t unique to Hovenia Dulcis. It’s also found in other medicinal plants, like Vine tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata) and Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara), sometimes in even higher concentrations.
Most of the research on DHM and alcohol metabolism comes from animal and cell studies, particularly involving mice and rats, not humans. Theoretically, DHM might help with hangovers by reducing inflammation caused by free radicals (oxygen species) that are produced when alcohol is consumed. But, it probably doesn’t have any significant effect on how alcohol or acetaldehyde is metabolized in the body.
While these animal studies offer some insights, they don’t prove that DHM benefits humans. To determine whether it’s safe and effective, human clinical trials are essential. Unfortunately, the evidence supporting the benefits of Hovenia Dulcis in humans is limited.
One clinical trial did explore the effects of Hovenia Dulcis fruit extract on adults who consumed alcohol. The study found slight reductions in hangover symptoms like nausea and dizziness compared to a placebo group. There were also some changes in inflammatory markers. However, these benefits weren’t seen in individuals with slower alcohol metabolism. It’s important to note that this study was small, involving only 26 male participants who drank a specific alcoholic beverage (Soju). Because of the small sample size and the limited type of alcohol tested, the results can’t be widely applied.
Ingredients of Morning Recovery
While there is some evidence supporting the benefits of Hovenia Dulcis and DHM, it’s admittedly quite weak. But what about the other ingredients in Morning Recovery?
Although the exact formula can vary depending on where it’s sold, the core ingredients generally remain the same, with Hovenia Dulcis taking the lead. Let’s break down these additional components to see if they’re provided in effective dosages, if they use the right extracts, and whether there’s any real evidence supporting their use in easing hangovers.
Vitamins and minerals
It’s common to hear that B vitamins and electrolytes can help with hangover symptoms. However, research suggests that simply hydrating with these nutrients may not offer more relief than drinking water alone.
For example, a study on a vitamin B and C electrolyte drink called Rapid Recovery found that it wasn’t any more effective than a placebo in reducing hangover symptoms.
This brings me to the popular trend of intravenous vitamin and mineral drips for hangovers. I’m skeptical about their effectiveness because they likely don’t offer much more benefit than just hydrating with regular water or tea. For most people, unless you’re a chronic alcoholic with poor dietary habits, the electrolyte and mineral imbalances caused by drinking are probably minimal.
Korean Pear Concentrate
Korean pear concentrate is a traditional remedy for alcohol hangovers. A study involving 14 healthy men examined the effects of Korean pear juice on hangovers. The findings showed no significant reduction in hangover severity until about 15 hours later, when there was a slight improvement in cognitive concentration. However, the study’s small size limits its reliability. Additionally, the amount of Korean pear juice used in the study—220 ml—is much more than what you’ll find in Morning Recovery.
Prickly Pear Concentrate
Prickly pear concentrate, derived from the prickly pear cactus, has also been studied, though weakly, for its potential hangover-relief benefits. In one trial, 64 healthy young adults took prickly pear fruit extract before drinking alcohol. The results showed a slight reduction in symptoms like nausea, dry mouth, and loss of appetite. But here’s the catch: the trial used a specific standardized extract called Tex-OE at a dosage of 1600 IU. It’s unlikely that Morning Recovery contains this exact extract at that dosage.
Milk Thistle and Green Tea
Milk thistle and green tea are often praised for their liver-supporting properties. However, there’s no solid evidence from human studies to suggest they help reduce hangover symptoms or aid alcohol metabolism. Moreover, the quantities of these ingredients in Morning Recovery are too small to significantly impact liver metabolism.
Korean Red Ginseng
There is some limited evidence that Korean Red Ginseng may aid in alcohol metabolism. In a study with 25 healthy men, participants consumed whiskey either with water or red ginseng. The results indicated that Korean red ginseng lowered blood alcohol levels and showed promise in reducing hangover symptoms. The study used a dosage of around 32 mg, whereas Morning Recovery provides 25 mg. Although it’s slightly less, it’s close enough that I’d consider it a reasonable inclusion.
Does Morning Recovery work?
So, does Morning Recovery actually work? There’s a chance it might help with hangovers, but the evidence supporting its effectiveness is pretty weak.
From what we’ve seen, any benefits you get from drinking Morning Recovery are likely to be minimal. Don’t expect significant improvements. Even if it does help, those small benefits might not show up until 4 to 12 hours after drinking, with nausea being the symptom that’s most likely to improve.
It’s also important to mention that if you metabolize alcohol slowly, are sensitive to alcohol, or have alcohol flushing syndrome, Morning Recovery probably won’t do much for you. Studies show little to no benefit for people in these situations, and often, these individuals are excluded from the research altogether.
Overall rating
Rating Morning Recovery by effectiveness for improving alcohol metabolism, I’m giving it a C. A few of the ingredients are backed by some weak research that it might help with hangovers.
Rating it by cost, I’m giving it a D. It can be functionally replicated at a much cheaper cost by getting the generic ingredients individually.
Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a B. There doesn’t seem to be any big safety issues with any of the ingredients, but partially because they’ve not been studied in humans very well.
Overall rating, I’m giving a C. It may be helpful for slightly reducing nausea several hours after alcohol consumption for individuals not sensitive to alcohol, however it is overpriced and I’d personally recommend just making sure you’re well hydrated after a night of drinking.
Top alternatives to Morning Recovery
- DHM – 1 cap as needed
- Panax ginseng – 2 to 6 caps / day
Learn more about
Citations
Je J, Song M, Baek JH, et al. Combined Water Extracts from Oxidation-Treated Leaves and Branches of Hovenia dulcis Has Anti-Hangover and Liver Protective Effects in Binge Alcohol Intake of Male Mice. Nutrients. 2021;13(12):4404. Published 2021 Dec 9. doi:10.3390/nu13124404
Kim H, Kim YJ, Jeong HY, et al. A standardized extract of the fruit of Hovenia dulcis alleviated alcohol-induced hangover in healthy subjects with heterozygous ALDH2: A randomized, controlled, crossover trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017;209:167-174. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2017.07.028
Lee HS, Isse T, Kawamoto T, Baik HW, Park JY, Yang M. Effect of Korean pear (Pyruspyrifolia cv. Shingo) juice on hangover severity following alcohol consumption. Food Chem Toxicol. 2013;58:101-106. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2013.04.007
Lee MH, Kwak JH, Jeon G, et al. Red ginseng relieves the effects of alcohol consumption and hangover symptoms in healthy men: a randomized crossover study. Food Funct. 2014;5(3):528-534. doi:10.1039/c3fo60481k
Lieb B, Schmitt P. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study on the nutritional efficacy of a food for special medical purposes (FSMP) and a dietary supplement in reducing the symptoms of veisalgia. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2020;3(1):31-39. Published 2020 Apr 30. doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2019-000042
Liu D, Mao Y, Ding L, Zeng XA. Dihydromyricetin: A review on identification and quantification methods, biological activities, chemical stability, metabolism and approaches to enhance its bioavailability. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2019 Sep;91:586-597. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2019.07.038. Epub 2019 Jul 25. PMID: 32288229; PMCID: PMC7127391.
Niiya M, Shimato Y, Ohno T, Makino T. Effects of Hovenia dulcis fruit and peduncle extract on alcohol metabolism. J Ethnopharmacol. 2024;321:117541. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2023.117541
Scholey A, Ayre E, Stock AK, Verster JC, Benson S. Effects of Rapid Recovery on Alcohol Hangover Severity: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Balanced Crossover Trial. J Clin Med. 2020;9(7):2175. Published 2020 Jul 9. doi:10.3390/jcm9072175
Skotnicová A, Boubínová G, Boštíková Z, et al. Does dihydromyricetin impact on alcohol metabolism. Physiol Res. 2020;69(Suppl 4):S573-S581. doi:10.33549/physiolres.934606
Verster JC, van Rossum CJI, Scholey A. Unknown safety and efficacy of alcohol hangover treatments puts consumers at risk. Addict Behav. 2021;122:107029. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107029
Wiese J, McPherson S, Odden MC, Shlipak MG. Effect of Opuntia ficus indica on symptoms of the alcohol hangover. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(12):1334-1340. doi:10.1001/archinte.164.12.1334
See also
- Doctor Reviews: Morning Recovery
Morning Recovery is unlikely to reduce most hangover symptoms better than staying hydrated, but it may help slightly with nausea. - Doctor Reviews: Nugenix Total-T
Nugenix Total T is unlikely to significantly boost testosterone levels, but it may offer minor improvements in exercise performance. - Doctor Reviews: Ancestral Supplements Beef Organs
Beef organ meats offer minor benefits over beef, but supplements like Ancestral Supplements are not very effective. - Is Keto Chocolate Any Good?
Keto chocolate replaces sugar, milk, and thickeners with low-carb alternatives, but having them is unlikely to benefit your weight or health. - Doctor Reviews: Shilajit
Shilajit is mostly just fulvic acid with small amounts of other minerals and organic acids. It lacks any researched human benefits.