Less Is Often More When It Comes To Formulating Health And Wellness Products.

A message to my community:

Hear me out y'all. I want to share some perspective with you that I’ve pondered in the past few years as both a formulator and a consumer in the space of wellness products. I’ve seen it show up quite a few times recently, so I feel the need to say something; specifically about what I’m seeing in the industry of nootropic and adaptogenic wellness products. 

I've shared countless moments with local businesses and companies where I've found them selling products with over 25+ ingredients in their formulation and the community just eats it up like it's the best thing on the market; assuming MORE ingredients in a blend is automatically equated to being BETTER. And I get it, where do we draw the line for having too many ingredients? And I also understand how building a rich profile of active ingredients can certainly be applicable in products where a diverse profile of compounds can serve their functions synergistically together, but hear me out. I'll speak to these points below.

What I'm saying is this: Quantity does not equate to quality, and yet, I see consumers so easily excited and swayed by a huge list of adaptogenic ingredients on the back of a label for a new supplement being sold at their local kava bar. 

Now, I know these businesses mean well and I think it's great that they want to create a unique and potent product for themselves, but what I also wonder is if they truly take the time to intentionally craft their blends while taking a conscious pause through each moment of formulation to consider how each prospective ingredient compliments the other, relative to the pharmacokinetics or ensemble-like effectiveness between each ingredient in said blend.

Juxtaposing to the previous paragraph, I also see this ongoing trend of consumers wanting the “All-in-One Fix-It Pill'' to support their lifestyle, but guys….that is just not realistic. Hand-in-hand with that, I’ve noticed that people would prefer to have the “All-in-One Fix-It Pill '' in order to compensate for the dysfunctional lifestyle/habits that they continue to choose as an attempt at reaching a sense of calculated control and remediation between their less-than-favorable lifestyle choices and the sense of metabolic balance that they strive towards.

So with all that said, my main point is this: Take it easy on your mind & take it easy on your body. Give your system a chance. And do your best to avoid saturating it with every medicinal herb that you can think of in one go - expecting it to help you feel more aligned. Personally, I prefer to keep things simple. How so? Well, sometimes LESS is MORE. Less ingredients, more quality, and only blending them together when you see evidence of the potential for an ensemble-like effectiveness between ingredients based on their complimentary pharmacokinetics (Example: Piperine supporting the absorption of Curcumin) and/or energetic correlates (Example: Yin v.s. Yang attributes) if we're including a more Eastern perspective in product formulation. 

And with respect to the individual ingredients, I think we should give each medicinal herb/mushroom a chance to shine its individual essence without being bogged down, diluted, and crowded out by so many other ingredients; overcrowded ingredient blends tend to make it more difficult for people to experience and understand the unique effect that each herb/mushroom has to offer on its own. What does the essence of this single herb or mushroom feel like for me? Am I able to put a finger on the pulse of that anticipated effect? How will I know what Reishi feels like when it's mixed with 9 other mushrooms? I truly believe that each mushroom has a noticeable essence of its own with how we experience it psychologically, physically and energetically.

I think it would serve a strong purpose if we started working with each mushroom on its own in order to gain a grasp of its effects or put a finger to the pulse of exactly how that mushroom makes us feel energetically and psychologically. What I'm saying is similar to the idea that YOU WILL KNOW when you're high after taking a hit from a joint. I think we should have the ability to notice the onset of effects for each herb or mushroom in a similar regard as well. And once we've achieved that feeling, we can then start exploring stacks and combinations of certain herbs and mushrooms to find the ideal blend that supports us optimally, efficiently, and therapeutically.

And I want to give you an analogy to understand this point further: 

When a chef is cooking in the kitchen and has access to every spice and ingredient imaginable, do you think they will use as many ingredients and seasonings as possible to create a well-balanced and harmonious dish? My answer is probably: No.

What do you think? 

From what I've seen, a chef is often selective and calculated with how they create a dish; choosing ingredients that compliment each another and enhance the dish’s overall flavor from the first bite to the last bite, as well as its overall nutritional value. 

Individually, some ingredients taste phenomenal and provide great nutritional benefits, but that can quickly change when one or too many ingredients are added to the mix; it can go from tasting absolutely mouth-watering to tasting pretty weird, real fast. And that can happen if it's done without much thought or prior testing.

So to close out my point and overall perspective on the matter, if you need a supplement blend with that many ingredients in order to “feel balanced” or just feel like you’re able to take on your day, then maybe it serves as a reflection that's encouraging you to reevaluate your lifestyle habits because your lifestyle outside the realm of supplementation should serve as the bottom line for how you properly nourish your mind and body through time in order to feel optimized and energetic enough to take on your day. Any gaps in between should ideally be filled by minimal supplementation and/or an exogenous means of intervention. All I’m suggesting is for people to be more real with themself and reassess the main pillars that contribute to what many consider a balanced and relatively healthy lifestyle: 

1. Adequate* Exposure to Sunlight

2. Adequate* Hydration from a Clean Source of Water

3. Adequate* Nutrition

4. Adequate* Movement

5. Adequate* Sleep

6. Adequate* Socialization through Meaningful Relationships

*Definition:

 ad·e·quate

• Satisfactory or acceptable in quality and quantity

With that said, I am merely using this platform as a means to share my perspective and invoke a stronger sense of accountability for one's self when choosing a supplement that honors a systematic approach to working with nootropics and adaptogens. Just do your best to be real with yourself and find a way to encourage yourself to start taking more practical steps towards loving yourself better, setting boundaries with your routine, and creating consistency in those actions to make it a deeper part of who you are. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think it can be fun to explore and experiment with different nootropic and adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms - I just simply suggest a more mindful, intentional, and conservative approach to doing so. And then work your way up. We all share free will and this is simply an encouragement to explore a new way for approaching this realm.

Mush love and keep exploring.