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After a long day, nothing hits better than the mood-boosting and anxiety-calming effects of an ice-cold beer. Actually, scratch that. Most longevity experts agree, the less alcohol, the better. Even if you’d prefer to ignore their warnings, you’ve likely suffered through at least one of the less desirable side effects of alcohol (brain fog, bloating, headaches, upset stomach, inflammation, sleep trouble, anxiety, late-night eating, etc.).
But if you decide to put down the whiskey, what’s left to drink? Spindrift is refreshing, but it doesn’t exactly take the edge off.
That’s where adaptogen drinks come in.
Adaptogen drinks contain a cocktail of good-for-you adaptogens—functional herbs like ginseng, and ashwagandha—that help the mind and body adapt to stress. Unlike alcohol, adaptogens aim to enhance and balance your body’s chemistry instead of suppressing it.
For the sober curious, adaptogen drinks present a promising 1:1 swap in the relaxation department, without the hangover. They’re also a solid choice on days when you *need* to kick back and relax but can’t afford a bad night of sleep or mid-morning headache. Here’s everything you need to know.
Why You Should Trust Us
Hone Health is a team of health-obsessed journalists, editors, fitness junkies, medical reviewers, and product testers. As an editor, I’ve spent years testing, researching, and reviewing products in the nutrition space. Both caffeine and alcohol don’t always agree with my body, so I’ve dabbled with everything from adaptogen cocktails to lattes. Before writing this story, I tried most of the adaptogen drinks on this list firsthand, and the few I didn’t, I talked to someone on our editorial team who had about what they liked and disliked about them. We also tapped registered dietitian Jonathan Valdez, RDN, LDN, CCM, CDCES, ACE-CPT to make sure we had our facts about adaptogens straight.
What Are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are a broad spectrum of functional herbs, plants, and mushrooms. Many adaptogenic ingredients have been used for centuries in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, but the term “adaptogen” was first coined by Soviet scientist Nikolai Lazarev in 1947 (1).
As a category, adaptogens help your body manage stress by restoring balance after stressful situations. Experts believe that adaptogens help to regulate stress by interacting with the immune-neuro-endocrine system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis—which initiates your body’s stress response and plays a critical role in keeping your body in a state of balance (1). However, adaptogens clinical applications remain in its preliminary stage.
It’s also important to be wary: Not all herbs or plants have adaptogenic properties, even if an adaptogen drink claims an ingredient is an “adaptogen” on the label. Per Lazarev, to be considered an adaptogen a plant must:
- Be nontoxic at normal doses.
- Assist the human body in resisting a wide range of stressors, including physical, chemical, or biological stress.
- Help the body return to a stable state.
STRESS LESS
Benefits of Adaptogens
There are many herbs and mushrooms that have adaptogenic properties, but some are more researched than others. Here are some of the most popular adaptogens actually backed by science and their potential benefits:
- Ashwagandha, a shrub linked to lower stress and anxiety (2)
- Rhodiola Rosea, an herb that might reduce fatigue and depression, while enhancing physical performance. It may also help with gastrointestinal issues and impotence (3)
- Ginseng, a plant used to combat fatigue while improving physical and emotional health (4)
- Lion’s Mane, a mushroom tied to enhanced cognitive function (5)
- Reishi, a mushroom used to boost the immune system and fight cancer (6)
- Schisandra, a berry linked to improved cognitive performance (7)
- Tulsi (“Holy Basil”), an herb that may reduce stress and improve sleep (8)
- Maca, a root linked to enhanced sexual function, reduced anxiety and exercise-induced fatigue, menopausal symptoms, and depression (9)
What Are Adaptogenic Drinks?
Adaptogen drinks are non-alcoholic drinks with one or more adaptogenic ingredients commonly associated with effects like boosting mood, combatting fatigue, improving sleep, and reducing stress and anxiety.
Since each adaptogenic ingredient exerts slightly different effects on your body and mind, the blend of ingredients in each adaptogen drink will make it better suited to a unique vibe or purpose. The complex elixirs are available in any and every form—from refreshing mocktails and hot lattes to sparkling waters and energy drinks.
Risks of Adaptogen Drinks
Despite the purported benefits of adaptogen drinks, it’s important to look beyond clever advertising and promising claims. Since the drinks aren’t regulated by the FDA, some products may not include the necessary amount of adaptogens to elicit the desired effects—meaning there might not be enough to provide a benefit, or worse, there could be too much, which could cause an adverse reaction. If you’re taking any medications or have any medical conditions, it’s a good rule of thumb to check with your doctor before sampling an adaptogenic drink.
BOOZE BETTER
Best Adaptogen Drinks
Whether you want to melt stress away, boost brain power, get your buzz on, or catch some z’s, there’s an adaptogen drink for that. Here are the best adaptogen drinks for every mood and vibe.
Adaptogen non-alcoholic “cocktails”
When a Roy Rodgers simply isn’t doing enough, grab one of these canned and bottled drinks laced with adaptogens for added relaxation and layered with cocktail-reminiscent complexities.
Curious Elixirs
Curious Elixirs are ready-made, booze-free craft cocktails, infused with adaptogens to help you unwind. Pick up a pack of your favorite or subscribe to the monthly variety pack which will land four of the brand’s seven flavors (named No. 1 through No. 7) straight on your doorstep. Each flavor is formulated with responsibly-sourced juices and extracts plus adaptogens like rhodiola, ashwagandha, and ginseng along with other beneficial herbs like turmeric and lavender to aid in balancing the body, building immunity, and reducing stress.
DeSoi Aperitif
De Soi is the type of sparkling, non-alcoholic aperitif we’d happily sip away on from happy hour to late-night hangs. Each of its three flavors feature a different adaptogen blend. Take our favorite flavor, Purple Lune, for example. Each can is made with ashwagandha to soothe stress, along with other beneficial plant compounds like tart cherry and L-theanine which are known to improve sleep and promote stress-relief and cognitive functions, respectively (10, 11). Grown-up tasting notes like blackberry nectar, vanilla oak, and rose petals will keep you coming back for another sip. Just watch out for the sugar content, at 10 to 12 grams per tiny can, you might want to avoid crushing a whole case, especially if you have pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Kin Euphorics
Kin Euphorics offers slightly sparkling, adaptogen-infused, NA cocktails intended to rouse your mind and boost energy levels. Each of the brand’s four canned spritzes—Kin Spritz, Kin Bloom, Actual Sunshine, and Lightwave—is formulated with adaptogens like reishi mushroom and rhodiola rosea, and nootropics like GABA and L-theanine to get you through an afternoon slump, or keep you vibing at happy hour. Each can tastes healthy (in a good way) thanks to the lack of sugar (only 3 grams of added sugars) and ingredients like ginger and bitter orange extract.
Peak Cocktails
Gym bros rejoice. Peak cocktails lean on a blend of ashwagandha, L-theanine, and tart cherry designed to promote fitness recovery while supporting mood, sleep, and mental clarity. Take your pick of two refreshing flavors: Blood Orange Spritz or Passion Fruit Margarita. Each can only has five grams of sugar, which means you don’t have to choose between throwing back a tasty beverage or sticking to your fitness goals.
DRINK UPGRADE
Adaptogen sparkling waters and seltzers
If you’re searching for the perfect stand-in for your beloved White Claw, these sparkling tonics and seltzers will do the trick. With adaptogens and other botanicals, each can will give you a welcome lift.
Hiyo Sparkling Social Tonic
Self-dubbed the “better-than-alcohol-alternative,” Hiyo has some big claims to live up to. And they do. Each flavored seltzer is infused with adaptogens (ashwagandha and cordyceps), natural nootropics (lion’s mane and L-theanine), and functional botanicals (ginger and turmeric) meant to induce an immediate mood boost. Delicious flavors like Watermelon Lime and Blackberry Lemon will give your favorite seltzer a run for its money.
Recess
Just as the name suggests, these seltzers are the perfect way to get your chill on. If you’re a fan of CBD you’ll enjoy Recess’ OG CBD seltzers, which combine hemp and adaptogens to deliver all the calm vibes. But if you prefer to steer clear of CBD, Recess Mood bevs put adaptogens like ginseng front and center, along with relaxation-promoting magnesium, and powerful plant compounds like L-theanine and lemon balm to calm the mind and lift the mood.
Adaptogen energy drinks
Our healthy energy drink game is strong, but these adaptogen energy drinks offer a compelling upgrade. With the promise of boosting energy, performance, brain function, and focus they’re the perfect companion whether you’re getting after a tough workout or gearing up for a long day at work.
Tru Energy Drinks Tru Focus
Tru’s line of sparkling water energy drinks comes in a variety of blends broken down by vibe (like Energy and Power). Each can packs a hit of caffeine and antioxidant-rich green tea extract. The brand’s real ringer is the Focus blend which contains a hint of the adaptogenic rhodiola root extract along with L-theanine to help give your brain a boost.
Nooma Sports Energy Drink Sports Energy Drink
If you’re looking to ditch your pre-workout Red Bull for a healthier alternative, go with Nooma Sport Energy Drink—when it’s back in stock, that is. Upon launch, the energy drink company’s stock was swiftly obliterated. Here’s why: each colorful, fruity-flavored can is packed with a battery of adaptogens from lion’s mane and ginseng to ashwagandha and maca. Plus, the green coffee bean extract will have you riding a smooth energy high for hours.
Coffee OBSESSED
Adaptogen coffees and teas
If you like the idea of adaptogens but prefer to take advantage of their brain-boosting powers earlier in the day, an adaptogen coffee or tea might be the move. From steamy lattes to satisfying creamers, these drinks work overtime.
Clevr Blends Superlatte Starter Kit
Consider this our love letter to Clevr Blends’ lattes. The brand literally covers all the latte bases including golden, chai, matcha, mocha, coffee, rose, and the brand’s own sleepytime blend. Simply mix a scoop into water (iced or hot), froth it up, and you’ve got a fancy latte at home. But these lattes go beyond barista status with mood-boosting adaptogens like ashwagandha and reishi, as well as a unique smattering of herbs, antioxidants, and probiotics that vary by blend. Supposedly the brand’s “SuperCreamer” even helps ease caffeine jitters by slowing down the caffeine release in your body.
Moon Juice Brain Dust
Here’s the thing, if you’ve already invested in a super nice coffee machine you probably don’t want to replace your daily coffee. But a little adaptogen mix-in couldn’t hurt. Enter: Moon Juice’s adaptogenic dusts, each of which is designed to target a specific area such as focus, mood, sleep, and energy. Personally, we’re fans of the Brain Dust which offers brain health–promoting benefits through the addition of adaptogens and herbs like lion’s mane, gingko, rhodiola, ashwagandha, astralagus, and maca.
MUD/WTR Morning Ritual Starter Kit
POV: You aren’t a coffee drinker or you’re trying to get off the goods. You won’t find a better coffee sub than MUD/WTR. The brand’s OG blend has a fraction of the caffeine content of an average cup of coffee and is made with a base of adaptogenic mushrooms: lion’s mane, chaga, resihi, and cordyceps. If you’re unsure about committing to a shroomy beverage, each cup is rounded out with marsala chai, cacao, turmeric, cinnamon, and sea salt that lend satisfying sweetness and spice, and a boost of antioxidants to the mix.
Organifi Gold
For a cozy tea loaded with reishi and a full stack of good-for-you ingredients like turmeric, ginger, lemon balm, passion flower, and ceylon cinnamon you can’t go wrong with Organifi Gold. This tea is good on it’s own, or as a mix-in for coffee or any other hot beverage. Together, the ingredients aim to promote rest and relaxation; and, we’ve found it to be a good match for winding down before bed. This tea is USDA organic, glyphosate free, and dairy free.
Adaptogen creamers
If you’d rather pass on subbing your coffee ritual for an adaptogen coffee, an adaptogen creamer is the perfect way to capitalize on benefits while getting your caffeine fix.
Laird Sweet & Creamy with Adaptogens Superfood Creamer
Think of Laird as the gateway into adaptogens. Case in point: Even my grandma puts a scoop in her morning coffee. Laird’s Sweet & Creamy with Adaptogens Superfood Creamer takes the goodness of the original recipe (coconut milk and coconut sugar) and adds a boost of functional mushrooms. Specifically, cordyceps, lion’s mane, chaga, and maitake. Just watch the sugar. It contains 5 grams of sugar per serving which can add up quickly if you’re a serial coffee pounder.
- A Preliminary Review of Studies on Adaptogens: Comparison of Their Bioactivity in TCM With That of Ginseng-Like Herbs Used Worldwide.
- An Investigation into the Stress-Reliveing and Pharmacological Actions of an Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Extract.
- The Effectiveness of Rhodiola rosea L. Preparations in Alleviating Various Aspects of Life-Stress Symptoms and Stress-Induced Conditions—Encouraging Clinical Evidence.
- Ginseng as a Treatment for Fatigue: A Systematic Review.
- Improvement of Cognitive Functions by Oral Intake of Hericium erinaceus.
- Significance of Medicinal Mushrooms in Integrative Oncology: A Narrative Review.
- An Overview of Neuroprotective and Cognitive Enhancement Properties of Lignans From Schisandra chinensis.
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of an Ocimum tenuflorum (Holy Basil) Extract (Holixer™) on Stress, Mood, and Sleep in Adults Experiencing Stress.
- Novel Macamides From Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers) Root and Their Cytotoxicity.
- Pilot Study of Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms.
- Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
