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Ginseng and Tonic

The savvy sages of Odwalla have a new liquid pal

By Christina Waters

When do those guys at Odwalla sleep? Seems like only yesterday those freshness folks added such fortified flavors as "C" Monster, Mo'Beta, Superfood and Femme Vitale to their roster of fab fresh juices. And, now, they're back with the latest bit of fresh liquid nourishment--and their very first herbal concoction--called Serious Ginseng.

The new product with a wildly colorful yin-yangish motif started showing up on shelves--from Safeway to Whole Foods and everywhere in between--just last week. Those of us who'd been pumping back costly little vials of imported ginseng in an effort to cop a legal and healthy buzz can now simply run down to the 7-Eleven or our favorite natural food store, where, for $2.79, we can gulp down a combination of five types of ginseng--Chinese, American, Siberian, Brazilian and Sanchi--suspended in a highly palatable delivery system of fresh juices.

Odwalla has been listening to its market for several years now about this ginseng thing, and did plenty of homework about which ginsengs to select and what liquids might best mask its true, bitter flavor. Students of 5,000-year-old Chinese medicine will be impressed with the way the Odwalla team, led by in-house herbalist Dennis McKenna, not only respected the proven energy-enhancing properties of ginseng, but also massaged those properties with a simpatico group of "companion" ingredients. To balance ginseng's "warming" yang tendencies, "cooling" yin licorice was added (it also helps sweeten the overall result). Fresh ginger, gotu kola and the fatigue-fighting herb schizandra also balance the potent blend. Juice-wise, Serious Ginseng delivers the goods in a light, citrusy blend of orange, apple and lemon juice with a touch of honey.

Serious Ginseng continues Odwalla's quest to "nourish the body whole" and at the same time takes the first crossover step into a realm of ingredients associated with ancient and non-AMA healing arts. The claims for ginseng being a mood elevator and energy restorative are widely held. Whether consumers embrace Serious Ginseng for its perceived jolt or for its intriguing flavor remains to be seen.

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