Moment drinks are generally safe for most healthy adults. The two active ingredients, L-theanine and ashwagandha, have both been used in clinical studies without serious adverse effects at typical supplemental doses, and the drink contains no caffeine, no added sugar, and only a small amount of calories from fruit juice. That said, ashwagandha carries some real contraindications for specific groups, and the long-term safety of daily use isn’t well established.
What’s Actually in a Moment Drink
Moment comes in both still and sparkling varieties across several flavors, but the functional core is the same in every can: L-theanine and ashwagandha, which the brand labels as adaptogens. The base is filtered water and fruit juice (dragon fruit, blood orange, lemon, or berry blends depending on the flavor), sweetened with organic erythritol, monk fruit, and stevia. Some flavors include botanical extracts like hibiscus, rooibos, tulsi, cinnamon, or cardamom. The drinks are caffeine-free.
L-theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It promotes a calm, focused feeling without drowsiness. The FDA has designated oral L-theanine as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use in beverages at up to 250 mg per serving. Ashwagandha is an herbal extract with roots in traditional Indian medicine, used primarily for stress and anxiety relief. A 2022 international taskforce provisionally recommended 300 to 600 mg of standardized ashwagandha root extract daily for generalized anxiety, though they noted more research is needed. Moment does not prominently disclose exact milligram amounts of either ingredient on its product pages, which makes it harder to compare against studied doses.
Known Side Effects
Most people won’t notice anything negative from a single can. The side effects associated with ashwagandha in clinical use are mild: stomach upset, loose stools, nausea, drowsiness, and changes in heart rate. L-theanine is well tolerated and rarely causes side effects at beverage-level doses.
The sweetener erythritol, a sugar alcohol, can cause digestive discomfort in some people, especially bloating or gas, though it’s generally better tolerated than other sugar alcohols like sorbitol. Monk fruit and stevia round out the sweetener blend and are considered safe by the FDA.
If you’re sensitive to any of the botanical ingredients (hibiscus, rooibos, tulsi, cinnamon, thyme), watch for allergic reactions like skin rash, itchy mouth, or stomach pain. These are uncommon but possible with any plant-based ingredient.
Who Should Avoid Moment Drinks
This is where the safety picture gets more specific. Because every can contains ashwagandha, certain groups should skip Moment entirely:
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women. Ashwagandha should be avoided during pregnancy and is not recommended while nursing. Herbal ingredients can pass into breast milk, and very few have been studied for their effects on infants.
- People with thyroid disorders. Ashwagandha can affect thyroid hormone levels, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health specifically recommends against its use in people with thyroid conditions.
- People with autoimmune diseases. Ashwagandha may stimulate the immune system, which can worsen autoimmune conditions.
- People scheduled for surgery. Ashwagandha may interact with sedatives and affect blood pressure, making it a concern around surgical procedures.
- People with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Ashwagandha may increase testosterone levels.
Medication Interactions to Watch For
Ashwagandha has documented interactions with several common medication categories. If you take drugs for diabetes or high blood pressure, ashwagandha could amplify their effects, potentially dropping your blood sugar or blood pressure too low. It may also interact with sedatives, anti-seizure medications, thyroid hormone medications, and immunosuppressants. If you take any of these, talk to your prescriber before making Moment a regular habit.
Long-Term Daily Use
One important caveat: ashwagandha appears to be well tolerated for up to about three months, but its long-term safety is not established. There have been a small number of reported cases of liver injury linked to ashwagandha supplements, including five cases where people taking 450 to 1,350 mg daily for one week to four months developed signs of liver damage like jaundice, nausea, and abdominal discomfort. These cases are rare, and the doses involved were often higher than what a single beverage likely contains, but they’re worth knowing about if you plan to drink Moment every day for months on end.
A single can as an occasional alternative to alcohol or soda carries very little risk for a healthy adult. Drinking multiple cans daily over extended periods is a different question, and one that current research can’t fully answer.
How Moment Is Regulated
Moment is sold as a beverage, not a dietary supplement, which means it falls under FDA food safety regulations. However, the adaptogenic ingredients inside it exist in a gray area. The FDA does not evaluate or approve adaptogens for their claimed health benefits, and supplement ingredients are not held to the same testing standards as pharmaceutical drugs. L-theanine has GRAS status for use in beverages, which provides a layer of regulatory confidence. Ashwagandha does not have the same formal designation for beverage use, though it’s widely available in supplement form.
The practical takeaway: Moment is legal to sell, its ingredients are found in countless other products on the market, but no regulatory body has specifically reviewed the combination and confirmed it safe at the doses Moment uses. That’s the norm for botanical beverages, not a red flag unique to this brand.