It's safe to say that here at Whole Foods Market, herbal and botanical ingredients are a pretty basic part of what we are about. We even have a whole section of the store dedicated to medicinal herbs and supplements, called Whole Body. And over in the beverage section, some forward-thinking vendors are using herbal and botanical ingredients to make functional drinks more interesting.One such product line is Solixir, a blend of sparkling spring water, fruit juice and a unique formulation in each of its three drinks: Blackberry Chamomile, Orange Maté and Pomegranate Ginger. Solixir was developed by an expert herbalist, Amanda McQuade Crawford. Amanda says, "Solixir is a truly exceptional drink with natural botanicals like Lemon Balm, Panax Ginseng, and Elderberry that I have been prescribing to my clients for 20 years."Solixir, with over 1,700mg of these standardized herbal ingredients per can, has no added sugar and stacks up at less than 60 calories. According to Amanda: "At Solixir and in my own life, we keep rooted in respect for ancient wisdom, growing with current science to make sure our beverages deliver on the promise of herbal medicine and the needs of consumers for a beneficial and great tasting drink."My personal favorite is the "Relax" Blackberry Chamomile. I am a big fan of chamomile, especially after a long day at work, and I like the mild tartness of blackberry and lemon juice. Not too sweet and just a little sparkling. This is good stuff! You can find Solixir in most of our stores.
