Wellness shots are everywhere: tiny bottles of ginger, turmeric or vinegar, taken in one gulp. Are they a real health habit, or just a nice trend? The honest answer is a bit of both.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the better-studied plants. Research suggests it can ease some kinds of nausea, although the results are mixed, says the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Turmeric
Turmeric gets its colour from curcumin. It is very popular, but the same agency says there is little reliable evidence that it helps with the health problems it is often sold for. Black pepper is often added because a small study in 1998 found it helped the body take up curcumin. A larger study in 2021 did not find the same.
Apple cider vinegar
Vinegar is popular, but the research on it is small. It is also acidic, so if you drink it, have it diluted or mixed in a shot, and rinse your mouth with water afterwards to protect your teeth.
So, trend or benefit?
A shot will not replace good food, sleep or exercise, and it will not cure anything. What it can be is a small daily ritual with a strong, real taste, made from real ingredients. That is a perfectly good reason to drink one.
How to take one
Most people have a shot in the morning or before a meal. Shake the bottle first, drink it in one or two gulps, and follow it with water if the taste is strong.
The four shots at Juicy
At Juicy we make four, each 60ml and sweetened with honey: Spice Spice Baby with ginger, pineapple and lime; Gold Digger with turmeric, orange, lime and black pepper; Apple Bottom Jeans with apple cider vinegar, apple and pineapple; and Oil Be Back with extra virgin olive oil and kumquat. Their calories and sugar are on getjuicy.vn/nutri.
Sources: US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Ginger and Turmeric fact sheets; Shoba and others, Planta Medica (1998); Fança-Berthon and others (2021).
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