The self-care industry is on a tear these days and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. There's no shortage of new juice bars, workouts, diets or gadgets and I have been guilty of buying into many of them. Like that time I tried the Kangoo Boot workout (see vid below) except my experience didn't take place in the privacy of a basement studio. No, this was outside, in public, at rush hour, running down 5th Avenue in Manhattan being yelled at by an instructor whose seriousness rivaled a marine. And yes, I paid actual money for this.
I'll let that sink in for a minute while I go find my dignity.
In short, I will go to great lengths to test out some weird new wellness-y thing and Los Angeles is filled with them. Fortunately, "adaptogens" the wellness trend I'd like to discuss, doesn't require anything to that extreme.
You may be hearing this new buzzword popping up in everything from coffee to skincare, but adaptogens are actually nothing new. Without getting too far down the rabbit hole (or knock yourself out with links here, here and here) but essentially adaptogens are really old herbs that have been around a long ass time many of which can be found in Eastern medicine (like Ayurveda) and are now having a renaissance of sorts in the wellness world. They are known to improve the body's ability to handle stress and keep us calm. Hence, "adapt".
Today, adaptogens are marketed to alleviate a host of ambiguous symptoms ranging from stress and fatigue to hormone imbalance and inflammation. I first discovered them in Venice Beach five years ago when I stumbled upon Moon Juice, an apothecary-style juice bar with very persuasive packaging. At the suggestion of a sales associate I purchased my first adaptogenic herb called ashwagandha. Moon Juice describes ashwagandha as, "a potent, safe, and corrective superherb that helps protect your body from the damaging effects of stress.* Our clinically tested root and leaf extract is proven to help enhance focus and mental stamina, and reduce irritability and stress-related carb cravings.*" I remember the jar lasting me a few months but after using it religiously each day it left me with no real impactful results.
Cut to 2018, I now live near Moon Juice's Silver Lake location in East LA and in five years they've had significant growth. There's been a lot of buzz (good and not so good) about founder, Amanda Chantal Bacon and they just launched a daily adaptogen supplement, Super You, which sold out in two days and had a 5,000 person waitlist. I spoke with the sales associate who seemed very knowledgable about their products and she suggested I try something with a blend of adaptogens like their popular Sex Dust or new Super You supplement. Because I'm an overachiever when it comes to this sort of thing, I went for both, costing me $87 total. Ouch.
A little about me: I am fortunate to not suffer from any serious or debilitating illness, aside from the usual stress and anxiety of general adulting, I eat a healthy diet, exercise daily with most of my motivation in the self-care department being on healthy aging.
My two Moon Juice purchases claimed "...to normalize cortisol levels, SuperYou™ helps reduce stress, while enhancing energy, mood, focus & beauty.*" and (Sex Dust) "...helps combat the effects of stress to ignite your creative energy, in and out of the bedroom.*" Reviews on Moon Juice, Sephora and Amazon were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, many giving it five stars. Super You was about a one month supply and the Sex Dust said 14 servings but lasted me about a month. Many reviewers said the dusts tasted like dirt and while I agree it had an earthy flavor, I didn't find it deterring. In terms of efficacy I can't say I noticed much of a change in my stress or stamina levels, but I am also unsure of how that would be accurately measured.
I tried the Sex Dust first for a month and actually did notice a difference in my general interest in men. However, this could have been from finally freeing myself from the self-loathing shackles of heartache from a breakup but perhaps the dust could have been a catalyst? Or possibly placebo. My guy friend, also taking Sex Dust, said he noticed a major shift in his general horniness. So, it's debatable. The following month I tried Super You but didn't really notice anything of note. I read many reviews that it had a significant calming effect, but this just wasn't the case for me.
In conclusion, I think there's a lot to be said for great branding and the placebo effect. I for one can see a pattern in my self-care purchases. They're usually after some crazy weekend bender, or a bitter breakup, or when my inner dialogue has me contemplating casual questions like my life's purpose. I often wonder what's really at the heart of the self-care movement? Is it really about all of us being our best selves, #livingmybestlife? Or, is it about exclusivity and the constant need to do better, be better, feel better?
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