The Special Sauce: The Science Behind TONIC’s Magic

What Makes TONIC Different?

The effects of TONIC might feel like magic, but it’s actually science! Our purposeful combination of phytochemicals were carefully chosen for their ability to activate various pathways throughout the body on their mission towards a common goal.

TONIC Doses: The Flagship Collection

Flex TONIC: Recover, Restore, Relax

Flex TONIC provides a high dose of CBD and our highest concentration of black seed oil out of all of our blends. Black seed oil contains the powerful phytochemical thymoquinone which gives Flex its antioxidant, antibacterial and immune-regulating powers.

The O.G. aka The Original TONIC Dose aka The Adaptogen Powerhouse

The O.G. TONIC adds adaptogenic [read: super balancing, stress fighting] powers to the mix with the addition of ashwagandha root. The O.G has a lower concentration of CBD than Flex: 23mg/mL vs. 33mg/mL. This was a purposeful choice made to provide you with a more daytime-friendly stress relief blend that promotes mental clarity and balanced energy levels.

Chill TONIC: The Most Zen

Chill TONIC  takes the restorative, relaxing effects to the next level with a slightly higher CBD concentration than The O.G. (27mg/mL) and the addition of lemon balm and passionflower. These calming herbs work harmoniously with CBD and ashwagandha to promote a more relaxed nervous system [read: less tension, slow down racing thoughts, sleep support].

A Closer Look at the Calming, Restorative Herbs in Your TONIC

Ashwagandha

Found in both our OG & Chill blends, Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen that can make a significant difference in how your body and mind handle stress.

Adaptogens in general are:

• nontoxic substances (usually plant-based)
• increase the body’s ability to resist the damaging effects of stress
• promote or restore normal physiological functioning.

Adaptogens have one goal: achieve & maintain homeostasis (your ideal state of internal balance). CBD can also be considered an adaptogen as it exerts a normalizing effect on the body, stabilizing your internal environment amidst an unstable external environment.

Ashwagandha has been shown to lower cortisol levels. 

Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone. While it is necessary in the right time/amount, chronically elevated cortisol levels keeps your system in “panic mode”.

When this happens your body and mind are so focused on surviving that they aren’t able to start thriving.

“Cortisol curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear.” (Mayo Clinic)

 

Lowering cortisol levels allows you to get out of fight-or-flight mode and start livin’ easy with your rest-and-digest system in full swing.

Ashwagandha has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in normal populations as well as in those with diabetic conditions.

Ashwagandha also has pretty amazing effects on physical endurance and inflammation, but its most notable use is definitely its ability to relieve anxiety and increase mental clarity under times of high stress/fatigue.=

OG combines CBD and Ashwagandha to create the ideal blend for daytime stress relief and overall balance.

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm is used in Chill TONIC to increase the anti-anxiety effects of CBD and ashwagandha. It has pretty amazing benefits, including:

• Relieving stress and anxiety
• Reducing inflammation
• Very strong antioxidant effects
• Upregulates the protein responsible for the growth & survival of brain cells

While ashwagandha helps you defend against the effects of chronic stress, Lemon Balm takes that to the next level and helps to fight the downward spiral.

• Chronic stress reduces memory capacity & the brain’s ability to transmit to signal between neurons efficiently.
• ACh levels decline
  • ACh improves memory, recall & cognition
  • Lemon Balm increases the amount of available of ACh (acetylcholine) by blocking an enzyme (AChE) that breaks down ACh.
• Toxins kill brain cells, free radicals destroy neurons & synapses
  • Lemon Balm contains a compound called Eugenol which is an amazing antioxidant.
  • Eugenol boosts the body’s natural healing process by eliminating free radicals that damage brain cells
  • Another compound in Lemon Balm, Rosmarinic Acid, increases presence of the protein responsible for the growth & survival of brain cells. 

A study was done to look into the effect of Lemon Balm on mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances.

• The Result: improvement in symptoms of anxiety and insomnia
  • 95% of subjects responded to the treatment
  • 70% achieved full relief from anxiety, 85% from insomnia, 70% from both. (NDNR)

Lemon Balm has a profound effect on the neurotransmitter GABA… so does Passionflower, so let’s move on to the last piece of the Chill puzzle to go over GABA & why it is so important. 

Passionflower

Passionflower is a calming herb that promotes relaxation and peace of mind.

It has been shown to really help anxiety symptoms like racing thoughts, restlessness & insomnia. 

Studies have shown that Passionflower could be just as effective as pharmaceuticals in the treatment of General Anxiety Disorder & insomnia. So, how does Passionflower work its magic? GABA! 

• GABA is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in central nervous system activity.
• GABA reduces neuron activity in some brain cells, allowing you to ease into a more relaxed state.

GABA-A receptors hang out in parts of the brain involved in sleep, including the thalamus.

Passionflower works the same way sedative drugs like benzos as far as its effect on GABA-A receptors (NDNR)

• Reduces waking in the middle of the night
• Pumps up slow wave sleep (aka deep sleep aka the holy savior)
• The difference between Passionflower & benzos? Passionflower doesn’t come with the grogginess, hangover effect or risk of dependency (CHA CHING)

Passionflower has been shown to be even more effective when combined with other similar herbs, such as Lemon Balm! So, let’s circle back…

• A study was done on the effects of all different anti-anxiety botanicals and their actions GABA-involved enzymes
• The Result: Lemon Balm for the win!!
  • Lemon Balm significantly slowed the action of an enzyme that breaks down GABA, allowing for that GABAgoodgood to flow freely & provide some hardcore chill (NDNR)

Putting it All Together

CBD, ashwagandha, lemon balm & passionflower all have their own ways of relieving the symptoms of anxiety, improving mental clarity, while promoting overall balance and wellness.

They all have their own way of going about it, but the endgame remains the same: improve your mental health and #FixYourVibe.

We love the The O.G. during the day, Chill TONIC at night kind of split. It is great to have the flexibility between the two blends, which is why we have The Good Vibe Tribe: The O.G., Chill, and Chronic TONIC in a special Fix Your Vibe zip pouch so you can take your TONIC on the go. $178 value for only $140. Not a bad deal for better vibes 🙂