Ginseng
Ginseng, an adaptogenic herb, is known to increase energy, has some anti-fatigue components, supposedly relieves stress, and increase memory. Right now it’s suspected that ginseng helps stimulate the hypothalamic and pituitary glands, which then secrete something called adrenal corticotropic hormone. With a name like that, it can’t possibly be bad. Ginseng is nothing that’s naturally created by your body, so having this in your drink certainly won’t hurt. 200mg/day seems to be the standard dose, but you can safely take up to 2700mg. Rare side effects such as diarrhea and headache have been reported. Usually, the energy drinks that contain Ginseng have small amounts of this herb included.
Guarana
Guarana comes from plants native to South America. Amazonians have used it for a long time to increase alertness and energy. It’s more dense in caffeine than coffee beans (3-4% vs 1-2%). It’s not just called “caffeine” because it contains a couple other things: theobromine and theophylline. They’re found in coffees and teas and are known stimulants. Marketing will sometimes call this one guaranine, as if it’s something different. It’s not. Some people do respond differently to the version of caffeine in guarana compared with regular caffeine. Some report that guarana works better, while others believe it doesn’t have as good of a stimulating effect.
How does Creatine stimulate muscle growth?
Although creatine’s role in the energy production process is its most notable trait, there is evidence that creatine can stimulate muscle growth.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that your body naturally produces. It helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions, and energy levels. Usually your body makes enough that you don’t need to supplement. It’s thought, but not proven, that under “stress conditions” like illness, physical exertion, or injury, the body does not create enough and supplements can help. Taurine might be a “mild inhibitory neurotransmitter”, some studies show it helps with excitable brain states. While this isn’t exactly what we want, maybe it helps level us out so we function better with elevated levels of other stimulants. Taurine in the past was banned by some countries from being used as a supplement, but since this ban has been lifted.
Arginine
What is Arginine? Arginine is a non-essential amino acid that is known to have anabolic (muscle building properties. Arginine supplements are normally available as either L-Arginine, Arginine pyroglutamate or Arginine-alpha-ketoglutatrate.
