Unless you live in the foothills of the Himalayas, I can think of no one who is truly immune to the daily stresses of the modern age. You wake up late and get stuck in traffic. Your boss yells at you, and your pet gets sick. That guy you really like never calls you for a second date and you miss your credit card payment. Stress is cumulative, which means that the more it continues, the less you will be able to control your feelings. When your stress threshold is crossed, you might experience anxiety attacks, muscle tension, shortness of breath, insomnia, and other physical symptoms–and feel overwhelmed, depressed, and helpless. We all have our favorite ways to deal with our worst days–mine is a vegan chocolate chip cookie, mani-pedi, and a relaxing Epsom salt bath–but what if you don’t have an entire afternoon to wind down?
Enter Koppla Calm-fidence. It’s an herbal dietary supplement that promises to calm you down and reduce anxiety within 5-10 minutes of ingestion, and give you a “balanced and sustainable” energy. I’m fairly skeptical of anything in a little bottle that claims to give you instant energy or mood boost, but Koppla was caffeine-free and non-sedative. Its active ingredients are lemon balm, flowering oats, linden, hawthorn, and ginseng, so I figured the worst thing it could do was not make much of a difference. I bought a bottle at Whole Foods, thinking I could test it the next time I was feeling overwhelmed–and I didn’t need to wait long: the next day, I found myself in a situation stressful enough to demand a stiff drink. But instead of waiting for cocktail hour, I reached behind my desk and grabbed Koppla.
The first thing I noticed was the pleasantly sweet, citrus-y herbal taste. Then, within 5 minutes of drinking, I did feel much calmer and relaxed. And as someone who is very sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, I was relieved to note that I didn’t feel any jitters or restlessness. It was exactly as the label promised, and cleared my mind–and heart–for the rest of the afternoon. It might have had some placebo effect, but I do think it had more to do with the herbs. WebMd states that lemon balm and hawthorne have calming effects and are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, even Alzheimer’s. So next time you feel overwhelmed with stress, try a bottle of Koppla and see if it works for you!
Photo: kopplanutrients.com
