Have you ever picked up a cocktail, soda or sparkling water only to later realize it contained ingredients you’d never heard of that are supposed to help you relax, sleep or feel a “buzz?”
It’s happened to me, too. What I thought was a lemon-blackberry cocktail was actually a nonalcoholic “social tonic” that came with a disclaimer (in small print on the back of the can) to talk to a medical professional before drinking it if you had a health condition or were taking any medication.
This new class of nonalcoholic drinks goes by many names — “social tonics,” “functional drinks,” “adaptogenic drinks,” “mood drinks” and “nootropic beverages,” to name a few — and frequently advertises calming or cognition-boosting effects.
Although they are often sold alongside soft drinks and beers, these drinks contain herbs, mushrooms and other supplements that your body can react to, similar to what can happen with medications.
Some of the drinks’ most common ingredients are mild and unlikely to be harmful in the small doses contained in a single drink. But others could interact dangerously with medications or existing health conditions. Some can even impair you from driving a vehicle or put you at risk for acute liver failure.
Hiyo sparkling social tonic cans displayed on refrigerated store shelf in Los Angeles, California, April 22, 2026. (Shutterstock)
It’s hard to know the level of risk some of these added ingredient pose for a few reasons.
First, unlike a supplement you might buy at the pharmacy, the doses of each herb or supplement are rarely listed on the container. You can get a sense of how much is in it by where it’s listed on the ingredient list, but that’s an imperfect system. For example, if it’s the first item listed, then that’s the most prevalent ingredient.
Second, even if they were listed, many of these herbal supplements are not well studied in humans, so we don’t know what is considered a “safe” or recommended dose.
Third, because of how herbal supplements are regulated in the U.S., research has shown that the dosing and quality can vary widely. The dose listed on the label doesn’t always match what’s actually in the product.
So while it might seem unnecessary to do so before drinking a soda, for these types of drinks, you should consider consulting your doctor before consuming them — especially if you take medication, have a health condition or are breastfeeding or pregnant.
Ingredients that can interact with antidepressants or other serotonin-boosting medications
If you have anxiety or depression, a drink that advertises stress-relief and mood-boosting benefits may sound appealing.
A few ingredients — kanna (also known as Sceletium), L-tryptophan and 5-HTP — are commonly added to these drinks for their serotonin-boosting properties.
But if you are already taking a medication such as an antidepressant (SSRIs, SNRIs, SARIs, tricyclics or MAOIs) that increases your serotonin, consuming one of these supplements could put you at risk of serotonin syndrome — where your body gets too much of the neurotransmitter. It requires emergency medical care and can be life-threatening.
If you are taking one of those medications, it might be best to avoid drinks containing the ingredients kanna, L-tryptophan and 5-HTP.
A box of Kin Euphorics beverages on a store shelf in Washington, D.C., June 22, 2026. Multiple flavors contain L-tryptophan or 5-HTP. (Grace Abels / PolitiFact)
Be careful if you take sedative medication
Many of these drinks include herbs that help your body relax, but if you are already taking a sedative medication such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates or sleeping pills, the effects can compound in a dangerous way.
Lemon balm, L-theanine, ashwagandha, L-tryptophan, passionflower and kava are a few of the common ingredients that could negatively interact with a sedative.
Kava in particular may impair driving if consumed in large amounts.
It’s also inadvisable to combine these drinks with alcohol, which also depresses your central nervous system.
Ingredients that affect blood pressure, blood sugar or blood clotting
Other ingredients, including damiana, L-theanine, ashwagandha, passionflower, reishi mushroom and rhodiola rosea, can affect your blood pressure and blood sugar or make it harder for blood to clot. (Blood clotting prevents excessive bleeding.)
If you are already taking blood thinners, have an upcoming surgery, have diabetes or are taking blood pressure medications, you may want to avoid these ingredients.
A May 2025 photo of Casa de Kava, a kava bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Shutterstock)
Ashwagandha, kava, and reishi mushrooms have been linked to rare cases of liver injury
Even if a supplement is natural, your body processes it similarly to medications — through your liver. According to the Drug Induced Liver Injury Network, a federally-funded research group, around 20% of drug-induced liver injury cases are caused by dietary or herbal supplements.
Ashwagandha, kava, reishi, green tea extract and turmeric have all been linked to rare cases of acute liver toxicity, which can be dangerous. Sometimes, cases are dose-dependent.
Variables such as preexisting liver health problems, dose, frequency of consumption, other liver-toxic medications and alcohol consumption all can factor into your risk of liver toxicity.
“A single drink would generally be expected to be of significantly lower concern than regular and extended duration consumption,” said Dr. Joseph Lim, a hepatologist at Yale University.
Other side effects are possible
Other herbs can have random effects: Lemon balm may reduce thyroid activity whereas ashwagandha might increase it; lion’s mane mushroom might trigger a mushroom or mold allergy and passionflower may induce uterine contractions during pregnancy. That’s why it’s smart to do research and consult a doctor before incorporating these drinks into your routine.
“I think the consumer just needs to be kind of aware that these …could cause serious issues, and just because they are kind of marketed as being healthy or whatever, that doesn’t make that true,” said Dr. Shan Yin, a doctor and toxicologist on the board of directors for the American College of Medical Toxicology.
Melting Forest Mushroom D-Stress drink cans appear on a shelf in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 21, 2025 (Shutterstock)