In recent years, the growth rate of consumption of energy drinks and the expansion of the market have developed very rapidly. The development of energy drinks stems from consumers' demands for health. Vitamins, minerals, plant extracts and other nutrients, as well as natural, low-sugar, even sugar-free, preservative-free and other selling points are all consumer concerns.
In the field of energy beverages, the market share and consumption growth of functional beverages that focus on natural ingredients are the largest. It can be seen that consumers are very approving of functional drinks with natural ingredients. According to survey data, the sales of natural and organic foods and beverages in the United States in 2011 were close to US $ 39 billion, and this figure reached US $ 78 billion in 2015.
Most of these natural ingredients come from plant extracts. Taking the European and American markets as examples, which plant extract ingredients in energy drinks are most popular with consumers?

Plant Extracts Commonly Used In Functional Drinks
Energy drinks are mostly used to increase energy and replenish energy. The ingredients commonly added to plants on the market either contain natural caffeine or are rich in nutrients. The following small series will give you examples of plant ingredients in several common functional drinks.
Goji Berry Extract
Wolfberry is already a commonly used health food in China, but it is a very popular emerging ingredient in Western countries. Wolfberry has been used as a nourishing liver and kidney medicinal material. It has immunomodulatory effects and promotes hematopoietic function, as well as anti-aging, anti-mutation, anti-tumor, blood lipid regulation, liver and fatty liver, blood sugar regulation Blood pressure effect.

Guarana Extract
Guarana is also known as Brazilian cocoa. Its seeds contain 2.5% -7.0% guarana. It is a central nervous system stimulant that enhances heart rate and contractility, inhibits platelet aggregation, promotes gastric acid secretion, and causes polyuria and relaxation. Extravascular cerebral and bronchial smooth muscle promote catecholamine release and indirectly inhibit histamine release. Unlike traditional caffeine functional health products, the natural caffeine contained in Guarana can gradually and slowly stimulate the nerves, the stimulation is maintained for a long period of time, and the stimulation is relatively gentle, which is not harmful to the human body. Long-term consumption has the effects of refreshing the mind, nourishing yin and aphrodisiac, controlling appetite, relieving abdominal pain, restoring physical strength, replenishing energy and strengthening body.
Kola Nut Extract
Kola nuts are native to tropical Africa. The local indigenous people have chewed kola nuts for stimulants and fatigue recovery agents for a long time. The main ingredients are cocoa soda, essential oils, glycosides, and cola base. In addition, kola nut can also accelerate the body's metabolism and achieve the effect of burning fat.

Maca Extract
Maca contains alkaloids, glucosinolates, vitamins, proteins, amino acids, polysaccharides, minerals and a variety of natural plant active ingredients. Maca's various alkaloids can regulate adrenal gland, pancreas, ovary and other functions, balance hormone levels in the body; rich taurine, protein, etc. can regulate and repair physiological functions, improve qi and blood and relieve menopausal symptoms; Amino acids, mineral zinc, etc. can help strengthen the immune system, improve the body's disease resistance, anti-fatigue, and improve anemia symptoms.
Acai Berry Extract
Acai berry is American's favorite healthy weight loss food, native to Brazil. Acai berries are rich in various vitamins and antioxidants, which have very obvious effects on the human body, mainly reflected in antioxidants, anti-free radicals, enhance skin immunity, anti-aging, maintain oil-water balance of oily skin, lower cholesterol and so on.
Acai berry is a food that can both lose weight and resist aging. It is rich in dietary fiber and high-value fats, and is also rich in a variety of essential nutrients: potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin E and vitamin A.
Cistanche Extract
Modern research has shown that Cistanche can improve kidney function, enhance memory, relieve Alzheimer's disease, delay aging, resist fatigue, regulate immune function and so on. It mainly improves memory through four ways: 1. Protect nerve cells and inhibit the apoptosis of nerve cells; 2. Promote the growth and repair of nerve cells; 3. Increase the release of neurotransmitters in the brain; 4. Improve cerebral circulation, right Brain workers are very effective in improving work efficiency.
In addition, ginseng extract, green tea extract, etc. are common energy drink ingredients.
Emerging Plant Extracts Attract Much Attention
As the concept of superfoods was put forward, some emerging plant ingredients began to attract much attention, and their application in food and beverage became more and more frequent.

Bilberry Extract
Bilberry is a small berry produced in Northern Europe that can show a purple blue or purple red. The main active ingredient is anthocyanins. The appearance of lingonberries is very similar to blueberries, but compared with blueberries, the content of anthocyanins in lingonberries is 4-5 times higher, and the health care effect is better.
Bilberry is gradually recognized and loved by people because of its beneficial eyesight and prevention of arteriosclerosis. Regular consumption of lingonberries can reduce the damage of free radicals to the lens and retina of the eye and prevent retinopathy; it can also enhance the flexibility of capillaries and promote microcirculation in the eye to improve vision. In addition, bilberry can prevent cancer and improve chronic hepatitis B.
With consumers' further understanding of functional beverages and the continuous deepening of corporate research and development, I believe that more pure natural plant extracts will be used as ingredients in beverages, which will inject into the development of the plant extract industry New motivation.