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Read exactly what is in ours.

What it is

Citicoline, or CDP‑choline, is a compound in every cell that the brain uses to build cell membranes and make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter tied to attention and memory. Cognizin is the branded, fermentation‑produced form used in the recent healthy‑adult cognition trials. It is caffeine‑free and non‑stimulant.

What the research shows

250 mg is the bottom of the studied 250 to 500 mg range. The one randomized trial that tested 250 mg directly (60 women, 28 days, industry‑linked) showed an attention signal. The stronger memory benefits were shown at 500 mg, twice our dose, so we do not claim them. The healthy‑adult efficacy base is largely industry‑funded and not yet independently replicated, which is why we grade it moderate but industry‑weighted.

Key evidence

McGlade et al., Food & Nutrition Sciences, 2012 (attention at 250 mg). Nakazaki et al., J Nutr, 2021 (memory at 500 mg). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

We found no FDA GRAS (generally recognized as safe) notice for citicoline, and it is not codified anywhere in 21 CFR. Kyowa Hakko self‑affirmed GRAS in 2009 at 250 mg per serving, with beverages among the intended categories. That 250 mg is the maximum level in Kyowa's self‑affirmation, not a cushion, so we treat it as a ceiling and are validating stability at our pH before the dose locks. Self‑affirmation is a valid pathway, but it is a manufacturer determination, not an FDA no‑questions letter, and it is the thinnest regulatory basis of anything in this can. We would rather say that than imply otherwise.

Safety

Well tolerated over decades of use, no established upper limit, a wide margin at 250 mg. Pregnancy and nursing data are insufficient, so a caution there is prudent. No known caffeine interaction.

What it is

A targeted trio of essential water‑soluble vitamins: B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12. They are enzyme cofactors for energy metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. They are cofactors, not stimulants, and they do not add energy the way caffeine does.

What the research shows

The established benefit of dietary B vitamins is correcting or preventing deficiency and keeping normal metabolism running, not sharpening cognition in people who already have enough. The largest pooled analysis, about 22,000 people, found no cognitive benefit. We include the trio as cofactor support for normal metabolism, and we do not imply it boosts cognition in a healthy person.

Key evidence

B‑Vitamin Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, Am J Clin Nutr, 2014 (n≈22,000, null for cognition). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

All three are codified GRAS for nonalcoholic beverages (21 CFR Part 184). We removed folic acid (B9): its food‑additive listing does not clearly cover a carbonated beverage, and the trio carries the role on its own.

Safety

Water‑soluble and well tolerated; excess is largely excreted. B6 is dosed near 100% of the daily value, well below any level of concern.

What it is

An amino acid found almost entirely in tea, associated with relaxed alertness rather than sedation. It raises alpha brain‑wave activity, and unlike the classic tea‑and‑coffee pairing, that effect does not depend on caffeine.

What the research shows

200 mg is the exact single dose used across the trials, so we are not under‑dosing. The evidence is strongest for a moderate short‑term attention and reaction‑time benefit (effect size 0.51). In the largest 2026 meta‑analysis this was a secondary outcome, and an independent review (Matyus, 2025) rates the cognitive evidence low‑certainty, so we show both. Calming and anxiety effects are more modest and less consistent, and much of theanine's calm‑focus reputation comes from studies that paired it with caffeine, which Praxus does not contain. Not an anxiety treatment.

Key evidence

Cognitive and affective effects of L‑Theanine, 31‑trial meta‑analysis, Molecular Psychiatry, 2026. Matyus et al., J Clin Med, 2025 (skeptical counterweight, low‑certainty). Hidese et al., Nutrients, 2019 (4 weeks at 200 mg). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

Two FDA GRAS notices received no‑questions letters (GRN 209 and GRN 501), covering up to 250 mg per serving. Our 200 mg sits under that ceiling. We are confirming that the carbonated‑beverage use fits a notified category.

Safety

Very well tolerated, no established upper limit, no dependency. Because Praxus is caffeine‑free, there is no jitter or blood‑pressure trade‑off.

What it is

The highest‑purity form of whey, filtered to roughly 90% protein and processed to stay clear and soluble in a light, sugar‑free drink rather than a milky shake. It supplies all nine essential amino acids and rates among the highest‑quality proteins measured (DIAAS 1.09, a top protein‑quality score).

What the research shows

This ingredient has the strongest evidence base of anything in the can. 12 g is a meaningful daily protein contribution, comparable to the protein in about two large eggs. It sits below the 20 to 40 g per‑meal dose that maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis, and the literature is clear that total daily protein is what drives results, so we position it as everyday nutrition, not a post‑workout muscle dose.

Key evidence

Witard et al., Am J Clin Nutr, 2014 (dose‑response for muscle synthesis). Morton et al., Br J Sports Med, 2018 (total daily protein drives gains). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

FDA‑reviewed GRAS with a no‑questions letter (GRN 000037) for foods generally, which covers beverages. Milk is a major allergen and is declared on‑label. The isolate is low‑lactose but not certified lactose‑free.

Safety

Excellent tolerability and a long history of safe use. The 12 g dose is modest and well tolerated.

What it is

A sulfur‑containing amino acid found in mushrooms that the body actively takes up and stores through a dedicated transporter, loading it into the brain, liver, and blood. A potent cellular antioxidant. Caffeine‑free and non‑stimulant.

What the research shows

Ergothioneine is a molecule the body actively retains: it is taken up by a dedicated transporter and carries a half‑life of roughly a month, so it accumulates with daily intake rather than acting on any single serving. In the human pharmacokinetic study, 5 mg and 25 mg daily both raised blood ergothioneine significantly, and levels stayed elevated for over four weeks. We chose 25 mg because it is the dose the trials actually tested: the dose‑ranging work ran its cognition and biomarker arms at 25 mg, while 5 mg sat below the tested range. Ergothioneine still accumulates with daily use, so a daily 25 mg is both the measured dose and one that builds over time. The evidence is real but emerging: strong mechanism and good population data, plus one industry‑funded cognition trial in older adults that improved secondary measures (prospective memory, sleep, reaction time) but missed its primary memory endpoint. So we present it as cellular vitality and the long game, not a proven daytime nootropic.

Key evidence

Cheah et al., Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 2017 (human pharmacokinetics; 5 mg and 25 mg daily, blood levels sustained beyond four weeks). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

Ergothioneine has the strongest regulatory basis of any functional in this can: three FDA no‑questions notices are on file. The most recent, GRN 1270 (FDA letter January 2026), publishes a per‑category table that includes ready‑to‑drink nutritional beverages at 25 mg per 100 g. Our 25 mg sits in a full 355 mL can, roughly 7 mg per 100 mL, which is inside that reviewed category level and below even the lower sports and energy cap in the same table. Because a no‑questions notice attaches to the notifier’s own ingredient, we will either source a notified article or document our own self‑GRAS determination for the molecule, a routine pre‑scale food‑safety step scheduled ahead of scale. We are finalizing the supplier now and will name it and its notice here once signed. FDA responding that it has no questions is not an FDA approval or affirmation, and we do not describe it as one.

Safety

A normal dietary constituent, obtained from mushrooms, with a wide safety margin. A mushroom‑rich diet supplies on the order of 10 to 50 mg a day, so our 25 mg sits inside the range people already eat from food. EFSA assessed a proposed maximum use level of 30 mg per day for adults and raised no safety concern; that figure is a use level, not an upper limit, and EFSA has never set one.

What it is

Taurine is a conditionally‑essential amino acid, one the body normally makes but concentrates in high amounts in skeletal muscle and the heart, where it has a role in cell function and energy metabolism. Despite the reputation it carries from energy drinks, it is not a stimulant and contains no caffeine. We include it as a cellular and mitochondrial molecule, not for a jolt.

What the research shows

The human evidence is strongest for endurance: a meta‑analysis of human trials found oral taurine associated with improved endurance exercise performance. We report that as an association, not a performance promise. Beyond it, the case is mechanistic and emerging: reviews describe taurine’s role in skeletal‑muscle function, in mitochondrial health, and in energy metabolism across muscle, liver, and fat tissue. Much of that work is preclinical or review‑level rather than large human trials at our dose, so we present taurine as a cellular‑vitality molecule and we do not claim it boosts energy or sharpens the mind.

Key evidence

Waldron et al., Sports Medicine, 2018 (human meta‑analysis, taurine and endurance). Supporting mechanism: Merckx & De Paepe, Metabolites, 2022 (skeletal muscle); Jong, Sandal & Schaffer, Molecules, 2021 (mitochondrial health); Wen et al., Mol Nutr Food Res, 2019 (energy metabolism); Wu, Amino Acids, 2020 (human nutrition).

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

Taurine’s basis in a conventional beverage is a self‑affirmed GRAS determination at our gram dose, the same routine, pre‑scale documentation step we use for magnesium citrate. Gram‑dose taurine has been used across the beverage category for decades with no FDA adverse action, and it is on no FDA import alert. An FDA no‑questions GRAS notice (GRN 586) exists at a lower use level, which is supportive safety precedent, not our authorization. We will complete and document our own self‑GRAS determination ahead of scale, alongside the rest of the file, and we disclose that deferral openly. The honest picture: there is virtually no FDA‑enforcement precedent against a GRAS‑supported, purified molecule at pilot scale. We would still rather do the paperwork than assume it, and we are scheduling it before scale.

Safety

Taurine is a normal constituent of the human body and diet, concentrated in muscle and heart. Gram‑dose taurine has a long record of safe use in beverages and a wide margin. It is caffeine‑free and non‑stimulant, so it carries none of the trade‑offs of a stimulant energy drink.

What it is

The charged minerals the body uses to balance fluid and fire nerves and muscles, magnesium‑forward with potassium and a little sodium, delivered in soluble citrate forms that stay clear and neutral‑tasting. Plus 40 mg of vitamin C, an essential antioxidant and enzyme cofactor. These are the least exotic, most established ingredients in the can.

What the research shows

The vitamin C benefits for cold duration required about 1,000 mg or more a day taken before illness, so at 40 mg we claim only that vitamin C supports normal antioxidant function. The hydration advantage over water in the literature came from oral rehydration solutions carrying far more sodium than a light daily drink would or should, so we frame the electrolytes as a modest contribution to daily mineral intake and fluid balance, not clinical rehydration.

Key evidence

Hemila & Chalker, Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2013 (no cold‑prevention effect in the general population). Read →

Regulatory (conventional beverage)

GRAS by direct FDA regulation (21 CFR Parts 182 and 184), settled status rather than a notice. We size vitamin C modestly at 40 mg as an antioxidant and do not feature it as an immune claim, which keeps it clear of fortification‑policy concerns for a carbonated drink.

Safety

High margin. We keep the added amounts modest and clearly disclosed, with the sodium contribution to a daily habit in mind.