Looking for some quick remedies that will help you relax and calm down after a stressful day at the office? Well, look no further.
Food Technology magazine's contributing Editor Linda Milo Ohr has jotted down some ingredients and beverages that may have a calming effect when consumed.
Some popular ingredients currently being used in products to promote relaxation or reduce stress include botanicals such as chamomile, passionflower, and valerian.
Most people are familiar with chamomile in tea form as a mild sedative and muscle relaxant and another less well-known botanical, gotu kola, has been known to enhance cognitive function including memory and alertness and reduce mood disorders.
Passionflower is a sedative, and valerian is a muscle relaxant.
One company has created an ingredient for beverages from a plant extract derived from lemon balm leaves of the species Melissa officinalis L. that acts simultaneously on stress and its associated symptoms like sleep disorders thanks to its specific composition.
Another company created a pure form of the amino acid L-theanine to be added to beverages shown in a study to reduce anxiety, and keep blood pressure down in adults.