The idea came to me while I was back home in Louisiana last year for my grandmother’s death. I’d been a bartender, in LA and New Orleans, and worked my fair share of restaurant jobs so I’ve dealt with many a hangover. Even now that I rarely drink, I’ve found 
that hangovers have become worse as I’ve gotten older – even with drinking plenty of water, not overindulging, etc. At best, my sleep is greatly disturbed and at worst: headaches, nausea and painful hands – due to dehydration – aren’t fun.
I have a great love of tea and have spent many years as an athlete studying the benefits of supplements. Recently, I began studying the benefits of supplements and nootropics on general well-being, memory, concentration, etc. During my time home, I began wondering whether there was any way to combine all these things I’ve studied, and enjoyed studying, to help combat the deleterious symptoms of hangovers. I wondered whether tea plus supplements -which I’d never seen done before – might be an answer.
After research and testing for effectiveness (with friends as guinea pigs), the current iteration of GoMo is what I’ve come up with. “GoMo” is a play on both Good Mood – which you in will be after it takes effect; and Go More – which you’ll be doing more quickly after drinking the tea.
The tea contains Chinese pue’rh and green tea plus 5-HTP, theanine, Vitamin C, and ginger root. We found that for the best cup of GoMo Tea, steeping 1-2 teaspoons of the blend, bagged, into a cup of hot water with a temp between 180-212 degrees F for 45 seconds was optimal. Honey or sweetener can be added, though I’ve found that I prefer the tea without any.
• Yunnan Pu’erh Tea: The pu’erh has a stronger flavor profile than green tea and tends to be the overwhelming taste combined with the ginger root. Pu’er tea is widely believed in Chinese cultures to counteract the unpleasant effects of heavy alcohol consumption.
• Organic Jasmine Green Tea: The flavor profile of this tea is subtly sweet and highly fragrant. The powerful antioxidants in green tea have been shown in recent studies to fight viruses, slow aging, and have a beneficial effect on health. A few benefits of green tea include reducing high blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, and lowering cholesterol.
• Ginger: Ginger root is effective in reducing nausea (which often accompanies a hard night out) while increasing fluids.
• Vitamin C: There’s a reason Vitamin C is recommended so often, particularly when you feel like you’re getting sick. It is potent antioxidant that helps remove toxins from the body. Dehydration from alcohol often depletes vitamin C and hampers the body’s ability to recover quickly.
• Theanine: Theanine is an amino acid and a glutamic acid known for its ability to reduce mental and physical stress, improve cognition and boost mood and cognitive performance when coupled with caffeine.
• 5-HTP (or 5-Hydroxytryptophan): An amino acid that occurs naturally in the body, and when taken in supplement form (derived from the seed of the African Griffonia Simplicifolia plant). 5-HTP raises serotonin levels in the brain which can be disturbed by alcohol consumption. 5-HTP also helps to ease headaches and promotes restful sleep.
I decided to go with the crowdfunding model instead of a traditional online storefront because I wanted to get a feel for if there might be an market for the product and find the most optimal ways to reach them.
Crowdfunding* is a great way to raise funds for entrepreneurs. The ability to tap into a market or reach an audience early on, to get early adopters who are willing to take a risk on your product before it hits the broader market, that’s the true beauty of crowdfunding. I have to say though, anyone who decides to go this route must remember, it’s a lot of hard work (particularly if you are a small team), just as any product launch is. A large majority of crowdfunding campaigns fail. Please click here for more information.
*editor’s note: crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.
Very interesting idea Courtney. I think you’ve included many pertinent teas and supplements that could potentially impact the deleterious affects of alcohol overconsumption. I’m not familiar with the term “crowdfunding” but it sounds a lot like kickstarter. That has proven to be wildly successful for many people but as you mention, it’s takes a lot of work to pull it off. As most of us entrepreneurs know, there is no short cut to success. A terrific idea is always essential but certainly doesn’t guarantee success. IF you have a terrific idea, it is the concept of persistence that will be the deciding factor. Most people stop too soon, as disappointment and lack of rapid success are often mistaken for failure.
I look forward to hearing more about GoMo as your journey unfolds.
Welcome to T Ching. We are delighted to have a new voice on our team.
Thank you, Courtney, for the tea sample. Brewed as you suggest – 208 degrees, 45 seconds – it is delicious in its own right. The ginger is a wonderful complement to the earthy pu’erh. I’m on the third steep – adding 15 seconds each time – and the tea hasn’t lost its clean impact. Although I’m not much of a drinker, I do believe the tea will relieve my liver of some of the stress of living in a world of toxins. Good luck on your venture, you’ve blended a tasty and healthy beverage.