Ingredients
Here’s exactly what’s in SipSation, how much and what the research actually says:
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Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)
Lemon balm is a herb from the mint family, used in Traditional herbal medicine for centuries. It’s got a light, lemon scent and has long been considered a calming herb.
Lemon balm contains compounds Ike rosmarinic acid thought to interact with GABA and other brain signalling pathways involved in relaxation.
Amount in SipSation: Each can of SipSation contains 300mg lemon balm extract per can (10:1 dry extract, equivalent to 3,000mg of dried herb).
Research summary:
- Studies have looked at lemon balm’s psychological doses ranging from 300mg up to 3,000mg daily, with some finding in lower anxiety and stress ratingss and improved sleep compared to a placebo.
- A review of lemon balm’s psychological effects notes growing scientific interest in the herb, with pharmacological evidence suggesting it may influence GABA, cholinergic and serotonergic brain pathways.
- One study found that 3,000mg of lemon balm daily over 8 weeks was linked to lower anxiety and stress ratings, plus improved sleep, in older adults with stable angina, compared to a placebo.
- A 2023 review of 14 randomised trials with over 800 participants found lemon balm produced a moderate reduction in anxiety symptoms compared with placebo.
- Separately, a trial dosing 500mg twice daily over two weeks found it reduced palpitation frequency and anxious symptoms in people prone to heart palpitations, and is generally considered safe at doses up to 1,800mg/day.
The research is genuinely promising, but scientists are clear it’s still early. Larger, longer studies are needed before anyone can call these effects settled fact.
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L-Theanine
L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid, most known for being found in green tea leaves.
Amount in SipSation: Each can of SipSation contains 150mg of L-theanine. For context, a regular cup of green tea has around 8-30mg natural, while most clinical studies use 200mg or more. SipSation sits in between.
Research Summary:
- L-theanine has been studied for its link to a calm, focused state, without the jitters caffeine can bring. Some studies show it may increase alpha brain waves linked to relaxation and attention, and support better sleep.
- Preclinical and human research suggests L-theanine and green tea catechism may increase mental clarity while promoting relaxation.
- Other reviews are more cautious, noting the evidence is inconsistent and more rigorous, large-scale human trials are still needed.
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Cane Sugar
Most “naturally sweetened” drinks lean on monk fruit. Here’s why I didn’t:
Monk fruit alone is far too intensely sweet to use on its own, so almost every monk fruit product on the shelf is actually a blend with erythritol, a sugar alcohol used as a bulking agent.
In 2023, a Cleveland Clinic study published in Nature Medicine found that people with higher erythritol levels in their blood had roughly double the risk of a major cardiovascular event over three years, and lab testing showed erythritol increased blood clotting activity. The research is still developing, but it was enough to look elsewhere.
I chose cane sugar instead, in small amounts: 1g per can for Lemon and Ginger, 2g per can for Blood Orange. It’s a fraction of a regular soft drink, without a blended sweetener carrying an emerging safety question mark.
I’d rather use less of something familiar than more of something new and unresolved.