6 new products with functional herbs

Potent botanicals that promise improved energy, stress response and cleansing benefits are entering the mainstream—or at least growing more popular in natural products.

Applications ranging from oils to tinctures to beverages help consumers get more in, such as these exciting new products exhibiting at Natural Products Expo East 2018.

NOW Let It Be Organically Essential Oils Kit
What are your four most popular essential oils? We bet it’s these four—lavender, tea tree, peppermint and lemon. Essential oils are on a tear these days, and this tidy set is an ideal starter collection for customers interested in getting in touch with their olfactories. SRP: $28.99; Booth 1835 and 3535

Herbalist & Alchemist David Winston’s Metabolic Support
Botanical wizard David Winston keeps on rolling out thoughtful preparations, and this tincture is no different. This contains bitter melon, cinnamon, fenugreek, olive, artichoke, holy basil and lyceum. Together, the herbs support healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range. Which means if your customers are using blood sugar-lowering drugs, they should check with their doctors to monitor their levels. SRP: $25.75; Booth 3327

Performance Tea Focus Super Functional Tea
Herbs continue to work their way out of traditional pills and into easier-to-consume beverages, foods and personal care items. This sachet from Performance Tea exemplifies the popularity of herbs and mushrooms designed with functional benefits, such as improved energy, in mind. Inside this sachet you’ll find reishi, green tea, astragalus, eleuthero, gotu kola, gynostemma and more—stir it into hot or cold water for an earthy, portable refresher. SRP: $17.99 per box; Booth 6437

Bitter Love Tart Cherry
Handcrafted cocktail bitters are trendy with the hipster crowd, and Bitter Love carries this momentum from the bar to the shelf. A specially formulated herbal blend including ashwagandha root, artichoke leaf extract, gentian extract and wormwood extract is blended with cherry and lime juices for a curiously delicious beverage. Per the drink name, it’s more bitter and tart than sweet. Sparkling water infuses the drink with a gourmet feel. SRP: $2.99; Booth 4400

Lone Star Botanicals Good Vibes Only Herbal Tea
This USDA Organic tea is formulated to promote wakeful calm—not necessarily to put you to sleep. Ingredients such as St. John’s Wort, ginger root, lavender and cinnamon will encourage relaxation, and uplift your mood. Lone Star Botanicals is a small brand based in Texas, and its product line ranges from tea to herbal salves to facial masks. SRP: $10.25; Booth 6429

Snoooze Natural Sleep Drink Regular
This pretty, 4.6-ounce can combines the powerful sleep-encouraging properties of lemon balm, valerian root, passionflower and linden flower extract to gently nudge sleepy consumers to dreamland. We love how this product uses time-tested herbs rather than melatonin—which can induce grogginess the following morning. We also adore the matte texture on the packaging. SRP: $3.95; Booth 4609