Energy

The energy provided by coffee (the most consumed stimulant in the world) can cause deleterious side effects: nausea, stress, tremors, poor focus, anxiety, stained teeth, sleep issues, and more. This is the core reason that we started Okana...to provide you with an alternative source of energy that keeps you focused, healthy, and energized without all the negative side effects.

And therein lies our mission: give your body and mind maximum fulfillment. A body fulfilled, both inside and outside, is a body built for success.

We refuse to tolerate the sacrifice of mental and physical health just for a quick-fix burst of energy (see our article on well-being).

Thinking about all of this led us to a simple conclusion. The problem is not with caffeine itself, but rather its most popular delivery vehicle. Caffeine, in fact, is extremely effective in its ability to provide us with energy and focus. This is exactly why caffeine is the world's most popular nootropic. However, the concentration of caffeine is extremely high in coffee (so much so that it cancels out any possible benefits).

After considering every possible alternative, we were led to an obvious choice: Yerba Maté. (You can find more information on our dedicated Yerba Maté page.)

Yerba Maté is an amazing ingredient, and there's nothing new or trendy about it. The indigenous people of South America have used tonics made of Yerba Maté for millennia to promote good health, both physical and mentally. It became a prized beverage following the conquest of Spanish and subsequent settlement of people from around the world. There were men who made fortunes selling it, and men who went into debt consuming it.

Today, Yerba Maté's effects have been shown to improve focus and alertness (due to modest concentrations of caffeine and healthy concentrations of Theobromine). It also helps improve stamina and strengthens cognitive functions (see our corresponding articles below).

Yerba Maté is Okana's cornerstone ingredient, and allows us to deliver on our promise of offering you healthier and more sustainable energy and focus. But we wanted to go further in our quest to design the ultimate alternative to coffee. We've added other key ingredients that give you healthy energy for both body and mind:

- Reishi, renowned for thousands of years and used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, fights fatigue and improves your overall health and wellbeing

- Ginseng, considered by Chinese medicine as a Qi tonic, is a source of "vital energy" and is beneficial to physical health

- Cinnamon prevents asthenia and is also reputed to alleviate lethargy and, we've heard, improve sexual appetite of men (this last fact we cannot confirm, but why not test it our for yourself?)