Licorice root, reishi mushrooms, and vitamin B-6 are often among the ingredients listed in various adaptogenic drinks.
(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
It is no longer enough for a drink to taste good. Most specialty grocery or liquor stores now carry colorful cans and bottles advertising so-called adaptogens, ingredients that beverage companies say can help manage stress, improve creativity and sharpen concentration. With packaging printed in bright colors and modern fonts, these drinks are designed to pop up on shelves and on social media—a subtle health flex for the aesthetically conscious and sober-minded.
You can find them in the city's fashionable superettes. The adaptogenic section of Silver Lake's Soft Spirits includes a Los Angeles Italian Spritz De Soi (founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan), a concoction containing Reishi mushroom, which the company says is “a stress-relieving and brain-boosting botanical often referred to as 'the herb of immortality'” . At Bristol Farms, across the city, you can. get up Bonbuza blood red tonic that promises to “heighten your senses and transport you to a deeper mind-body experience” with ingredients like pyridoxine-HCL (a vitamin B6), ginger root and pink rhodiola. Or you can have a hemp-infused chili margarita Aplos at the Dream Hotel in Hollywood that says it can “elevate mood, stimulate brain function and increase energy.” At Erewhon, you can't throw away tender gluten-free turmeric chicken without trying a canned drink touting its adaptogenic qualities.
Bonbuz Bittersweet Citron, a non-alcoholic distillate with citrus, ginger and gentian.
(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
But the appeal to consumers goes beyond clever marketing and fun design. The adaptogenic drinks market is booming, as research shows that young people are becoming less interested in alcohol and are looking for healthy alternatives. (Generation Z drinks 20% less than Millennials, perhaps that's why Anheuser-Busch InBev projects that a fifth of its sales will come from alcoholic or non-alcoholic beers by 2025). The global market for these beverages is projected to reach $1.2282 billion by 2024, with the projected valuation increasing to $2.4168 billion in 10 years.
TO tiktok video from last fall highlighting different types of adaptogenic drinks has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. In the comments, viewers ask where they can buy them and share their experiences.
“I love these drinks,” writes one user. “I have horrible anxiety and some of them calm me down and make me feel warm and fuzzy lol.”
Although adaptogenic drinks are relatively new to Western consumers, the term “adaptogen” has been around since 1947, when it was coined by Soviet scientist Nikolai Lazarev, who was searching for stimulant substances during the Cold War.
“Adaptogens are made from herbs, roots and other plant materials that can help our body deal with and manage stress or restore homeostasis after stressful situations,” said Dana Ellis Hunnes, senior clinical dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and professor assistant at UCLA Fielding. School of Public Health, in an email. “Some of these stressors can be physical (a small burn), physiological (exhaustion from work and the toll it takes on our body), or psychological (emotional stress).”
Examples of common adaptogens are ingredients like rhodiola (a root promoted to increase stamina), ashwagandha (a shrub promoted for reducing stress and fatigue), licorice, and reishi mushrooms, which have been used as traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries.
Today, those same ingredients appear in adaptogenic supplements and drinks, but their medical value is debated. In the Food and Drug Administration's book, adaptogens are classified as supplements and therefore are not regulated in the same way as medications. For that reason, it is difficult for medical experts to make general statements about its effectiveness or even its safety.
Licorice root, reishi mushrooms, and vitamin B-6 are often among the ingredients listed in various adaptogenic drinks.
(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
“It is unknown whether the doses of adaptogens that most people can buy on the market are high enough to produce a medicinal effect,” Ellis said. “So what you think you're buying may not actually contain as much.” [or may sometimes contain more] about you think.”
Depending on the person, some adaptogens can even cause nausea and stomach problems. (Those who are taking specific medications, pregnant or breastfeeding should first seek guidance from their healthcare provider before consuming them.) Clarity on the effectiveness of adaptogens is even more confusing due to the fact that most research on these ingredients comes from animal or in vitro studies. which Nicholas B. Tiller, principal investigator at the Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Exercise Physiology, noted in an email “are not necessarily applicable to the real world.”
“The few studies in humans [on adaptogens] “They are largely disappointing,” he said. “Much more high-quality evidence will be needed before these herbs and other natural products are widely incorporated into medical practice.”
But do most consumers of adaptogenic beverages view their consumption as explicitly medicinal, or are they simply weighing their options and choosing something less altering than a beer and more novel than a seltzer?
“When we initially opened our doors [in 2021], many customers asked “what's the point?” and they had a hard time understanding why anyone would want a mocktail,” Jillian Barkley, founder and CEO of Soft Spirits, said in an email. These drinks, although harder to find back then, came in handy when he stopped drinking five years ago.
Aplos Arise, a non-alcoholic liqueur infused with adaptogens. De Soi, a non-alcoholic aperitif made with natural adaptogens. De Soi is a company co-founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan. (Rebecca Peloquín/for The Times)
“Shopping at Erewhon and buying Kin makes you part of a certain crowd, and people look to belong.”
— Nikita Walia, brand strategist
“For those people, the possibility of a physical effect tends to be tempting,” he said. “'So you're telling me that I can drink this drink and it will help me feel relaxed, but I won't be intoxicated?' Yeah!”
Nikita Walia, brand strategist and founder and CEO of BLANK, believes the popularity of adaptogenic beverages will only gain more traction among consumers as our culture places greater importance on health and wellness.
“Having a drink that is a social tonic, well-branded and aesthetically pleasing as a substitute for alcohol is a perfect substitute,” Walia said in an email. He adds that many of these drinks are expensive and viewed as luxury items only increase their appeal.
“Shopping at Erewhon and buying Kin makes you part of a certain crowd, and people look to belong.”
In other words, it may not matter whether adaptogenic drinks can actually improve your mood, as long as they can raise your social status.
