Picking up a glass of wine at the end of the day can be a relaxing ritual for many. Red wine, in particular, is known for its relaxing and stress-calming effects. But if you’re looking for the calming effects of red wine without the alcohol, hangover, or sugar, consider Stop Your Wine-ing® or Wine Down™, our two herbal red wine alternatives.
When you look at both formulas side-by-side, you may wonder what’s the difference between them and which red wine alternative will serve your specific health needs. Those are great questions. We’ll offer a simple breakdown of the benefits of each formula and why both can be a great replacement for your nightly glass of red.
About Wine Down™
Wine Down™ is our newest herbal wine alternative tincture. This red wine alternative contains immune-supporting elderberry as well as antioxidant-rich bilberry, hawthorn berry, and tart cherry. It also features body discomfort and nervous-system soothing California poppy and blue vervain with a dash of L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes deep sleep. Wine Down™ is the red wine alternative for you when you’re looking for more immediate stress, sleep, and body discomfort benefits in an easy-to-use tincture format.
About Stop Your Wine-ing®
Stop Your Wine-ing® was our first alcohol alternative ever and is still a fan favorite as a nightcap for stress and relaxation. This red herbal wine alternative contains antioxidant-rich acai, aronia berry, and jujube date. It also contains powerful nervine herb motherwort and total-body supportive MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil from coconuts. Stop Your Wine-ing® is the red wine alternative for you when you’re looking for a hearty glass of red that helps you relax without making you sleepy.
Stress
When it comes to keeping stress at bay, both Stop Your Wine-ing® and Wine Down™ can do the job. Both formulas contain nervine herbs that help ease head and body tension. Due to Wine Down™‘s tincture format, the stress-soothing benefits will be felt faster and more powerfully. While Stop Your Wine-ing®’s stress-soothing benefits will be milder and felt over a longer period of time. That’s because Stop Your Wine-ing®’s powder format requires the herbs to go through the body’s digestive system in order to take effect. Versus Wine Down™’s tincture format that can more easily enter the bloodstream via the mouth and take effect much quicker. Either way, the herbal ingredients in both formulas will help curb high stress in a matter of minutes or over the course of an hour. When taken in combination, the stress-soothing effects compound and you’ll experience even deeper relaxation and a stronger wine-like flavor in your mocktail.
Sleep
For sleep, we do have a clear choice between the two wine alternatives: Wine Down™. This herbal formula contains ultra-relaxing and sleep-inducing ingredients like L-theanine and tart cherry. The amino acid, L-theanine, is naturally occurring in tea leaves and has been shown to increase sleep quality¹. Tart cherry also has sleep-supportive qualities as well as physical discomfort benefits that help calm an achy body, speed up physical recovery, and soothe you to sleep². The combination of these two ingredients makes Wine Down™ a strong ally for good sleep. While Stop Your Wine-ing®’s herbal ingredients will help relax the mind and body, they won’t make you tired. So take a sip of Wine Down™ when you’re ready for sound sleep, or enjoy Stop Your Wine-ing® when you’re ready for conscious evening relaxation.
Immunity
Improved immunity can be achieved through both formulas, but Wine Down™ has slightly stronger immune benefits. One of the main ingredients in Wine Down™ is elderberry, an ancient folk remedy used to help bolster everyday immune health and fight off free radicals with its antioxidant content³. While both formulas contain antioxidant-rich herbs—as is the case of Stop Your Wine-ing® where acai and aronia berries provide ample immune-supportive properties⁴—the ones found in Wine Down™ are stronger. If supporting your immune system is a top priority while enjoying a zero-proof alcohol alternative, Wine Down™ could be the formula for you.
Body Discomfort
No one loves physical pain or discomfort. So when our Clinical Herbalists were crafting both Stop Your Wine-ing® and Wine Down™ they made the intentional choice to give Wine Down™ more of those discomfort-soothing herbal ingredients. California poppy is a safe, non-addictive herb that can help calm body discomfort and help ease restlessness⁵. This ingredient is unique to Wine Down™ as Stop Your Wine-ing® doesn’t contain any ingredient quite like it. While Stop Your Wine-ing® contains nervine herb motherwort which has body tension-soothing effects, it’s not quite the same or in a similar proportion as California poppy is in Wine Down™. If easing physical discomfort before sleep is important to you, consider Wine Down™ as your nightcap this evening. Remember, combining the two formulas will only compound the effects and give you even more tension and discomfort-soothing benefits.
Heart Health
Many people love the heart health benefits of red wine but may be looking for the same cardiovascular benefits—minus the alcohol and sugar. That’s where Stop Your Wine-ing® shines. While both Wine Down™ and Stop Your Wine-ing® contain heart-healthy polyphenols, Stop Your Wine-ing® has a substantial amount. The high levels of antioxidants found in acai, aronia berries, and jujube dates create a combination that promotes powerful heart health6,7,8. Wine Down™’s elderberry, bilberry, and hawthorn berry, too, have their heart health benefits9,10,11. But the fiber and whole herb found in the powdered format of Stop Your Wine-ing® make the benefits of those cardiovascular compounds even more profound. If supporting your heart is something you care about, pick up both formulas, but maybe put a little more Stop Your Wine-ing® in your glass.
Conclusion
No matter which red wine alternative you choose, you’re making a good choice for your health and wellbeing. Both Wine Down™ and Stop Your Wine-ing® contain sleep, immunity, stress, and heart health benefits—minus the alcohol, sugar, or hangover. Choose the formula that best suits your health goals or combine them for stronger effects. Either way, the benefits of red wine minus the drawbacks can be yours.