Cortisol Cocktail (Adrenal Cocktail): What Is in It and Does It Work?

A cortisol cocktail, also called an adrenal cocktail, is a drink of orange juice, coconut water and a pinch of salt, sometimes with magnesium powder, cream of tartar or sparkling water. It provides vitamin C, potassium, sodium and natural sugar. No study has tested the drink itself, and the amounts of each ingredient are far below what cortisol studies used, so it is best seen as a refreshing snack rather than a cortisol fix. This guide covers the recipe, what each ingredient does, what the research says, and who should skip it.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• The classic recipe is about half a cup each of orange juice and coconut water with a quarter teaspoon of salt.
• Vitamin C: a cortisol trial used 3,000 mg a day; three quarters of a cup of orange juice has about 93 mg (NIH ODS).
• Salt is not a cortisol fix. In one study, people eating more salt passed more cortisol in their urine.
• Cream of tartar is mostly potassium. Large amounts have caused dangerously high potassium, so skip it if you have kidney problems or take certain blood pressure medicines.
• The "adrenal fatigue" idea behind the drink was not supported by a 2016 systematic review (Cadegiani and Kater, 2016).

What Is a Cortisol Cocktail?

The drink began as the "adrenal cocktail," promoted for so-called adrenal fatigue: the idea that long-term stress wears out the adrenal glands. A systematic review of 58 studies found conflicting results and concluded there is no substantiation that adrenal fatigue is an actual medical condition (Cadegiani and Kater, 2016). On social media the same drink was renamed the cortisol cocktail or cortisol mocktail, and it is now marketed for stress, energy and afternoon slumps.

Cortisol itself is a normal hormone that peaks after waking and falls through the day. For what actually moves it, see our guide on how to lower cortisol naturally. If you wonder whether yours runs high, our guide to signs of high cortisol covers what it feels like and when to get tested.

Cortisol Cocktail Recipe

Recipes vary. The most common version is:

Ingredient	Typical amount	Main thing it adds
Orange juice	About 1/2 cup (4 oz)	Vitamin C, potassium, natural sugar
Coconut water	About 1/2 cup (4 oz)	Potassium, some sugar
Sea salt	About 1/4 teaspoon	Sodium
Magnesium powder (optional)	Per the product label	Magnesium
Cream of tartar (optional)	Often 1/4 teaspoon	Potassium
Sparkling water (optional)	To top up	Fizz, fewer calories per glass

How to make it: stir the juice, coconut water and salt in a glass with ice until the salt dissolves, then top with sparkling water if you like. For a lighter version, use more sparkling water and less juice. For a version without orange juice, use pineapple or tart cherry juice, or coconut water with lime. For a nighttime drink built on tart cherry juice, see the sleepy girl mocktail.

What Each Ingredient Does

Orange Juice and Vitamin C

Three quarters of a cup of orange juice provides about 93 mg of vitamin C, roughly the daily recommendation of 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women (NIH ODS). The best-known cortisol trial used 3,000 mg a day of slow-release vitamin C for 14 days in 120 young adults: it led to smaller blood pressure and stress responses to a public-speaking test and faster cortisol recovery afterward, but not a smaller cortisol response overall (Brody et al., 2002). A glass of juice gives a small fraction of that dose, and the trial dose is above the 2,000 mg daily upper limit, so it is not one to copy.

Coconut Water and Potassium

Coconut water is rich in potassium, and orange juice adds more, about 496 mg per cup (NIH ODS). In a study of 12 trained men after dehydrating exercise, coconut water rehydrated about as well as a sports drink, although it caused a little more bloating and stomach upset (Kalman et al., 2012). That makes it a reasonable hydrating drink. Its effect on cortisol has not been measured.

Salt

The pinch of salt is meant to "support the adrenals," but the research points the other way. In 370 adults, people with higher salt intake passed more cortisol and cortisol by-products in their urine (Baudrand et al., 2014). A quarter teaspoon is roughly 575 mg of sodium, which matters if you are watching salt for blood pressure. Our guide to cortisol triggering foods covers salt and other foods in more detail.

Cream of Tartar

Cream of tartar is potassium bitartrate, a baking ingredient that is mostly potassium. Doctors reported two cases of life-threatening high potassium in people who swallowed large amounts of it; both recovered after treatment (Rusyniak et al., 2013). A small pinch in a drink is very different from those cases, but there is no reason to add it, and people with kidney problems or on certain medicines should avoid it.

Magnesium Powder

Magnesium is a reasonable addition if your diet runs low: 48% of Americans get less than the estimated average requirement from food and drink. The upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day for adults, and higher doses often cause diarrhea (NIH ODS). For choosing a form, see magnesium glycinate vs citrate, and for the wider picture, the functions of minerals in the body.

The Sugar

A cortisol cocktail contains natural sugar from the juice and coconut water. Interestingly, sugar did not raise cortisol in studies: in 19 women, two weeks of sugar-sweetened drinks led to a smaller cortisol response to stress than artificially sweetened drinks (Tryon et al., 2015), and in young men a glucose drink did not raise cortisol on its own (Kirschbaum et al., 1997). The researchers suggest this short-term calming effect may be part of why stressed people reach for sweet drinks, which is not a reason to drink more of them.

Does the Cortisol Cocktail Work?

As a drink, it can be hydrating and refreshing, and a mid-afternoon snack may help you feel steadier if you skipped lunch. As a cortisol treatment, it has not been tested, and none of its ingredients comes close to the amounts used in cortisol research. The habits with real cortisol data are steady sleep, mostly easy exercise, keeping caffeine to the morning, regular meals, less alcohol, slow breathing and time outdoors.

Claim	What the research shows
It lowers cortisol	The drink has not been tested; ingredient amounts are far below study doses
It supports tired adrenals	A systematic review did not support adrenal fatigue as a medical condition
It hydrates	Coconut water rehydrated about as well as a sports drink after exercise
Vitamin C calms stress	A 3,000 mg daily dose sped cortisol recovery; a glass of juice has about 93 mg

Who Should Skip It

Safety note: the potassium in juice, coconut water and especially cream of tartar can build up in people whose kidneys clear potassium poorly, and in people taking ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, which can lead to high potassium (NIH ODS). Check with your clinician first if you have kidney disease, high blood pressure or a salt-restricted diet, take blood pressure medicine, or watch your blood sugar.

Our guide to what cortisol is explains the daily rhythm these habits support.

Better Ways to Support a Healthy Cortisol Rhythm

• Daily habits: our guide on how to lower cortisol naturally covers the 9 habits with human studies behind them.
• Tea instead of a cocktail: in a 6-week trial, four cups of black tea a day led to lower cortisol after stress than a placebo drink (Steptoe et al., 2007). Tea also contains L-theanine.
• Supplements with trials: see our guide to supplements to lower cortisol.

Where Our Products Fit

Two of our sprays contain L-theanine, the calming amino acid found in tea:

• Theanine Nasal Spray: 36 mg of L-theanine per two-spray serving, used as needed.
• Kanna Nasal Spray: kanna extract with L-theanine, in three strengths.

More guides are in our stress and mood guide.

Sources

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated 2025. ODS
• Cadegiani FA et al. Adrenal fatigue does not exist: a systematic review. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 2016. PubMed
• Brody S et al. A randomized controlled trial of high dose ascorbic acid for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective responses to psychological stress. Psychopharmacology, 2002. PubMed
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated 2022. ODS
• Kalman DS et al. Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise-trained men. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2012. PubMed
• Baudrand R et al. High sodium intake is associated with increased glucocorticoid production, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Clinical Endocrinology, 2014. PubMed
• Rusyniak DE et al. Life-threatening hyperkalemia from cream of tartar ingestion. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2013. PubMed
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated 2026. ODS
• Tryon MS et al. Excessive Sugar Consumption May Be a Difficult Habit to Break: A View From the Brain and Body. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2015. PubMed
• Kirschbaum C et al. Effects of fasting and glucose load on free cortisol responses to stress and nicotine. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1997. PubMed
• Steptoe A et al. The effects of tea on psychophysiological stress responsivity and post-stress recovery: a randomised double-blind trial. Psychopharmacology, 2007. PubMed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in a cortisol cocktail?

Usually orange juice, coconut water and a pinch of sea salt. Some versions add magnesium powder, cream of tartar or sparkling water.

Does the cortisol cocktail actually work?

It has not been tested as a drink. It can hydrate and refresh you, but its vitamin C, potassium and salt are far below the amounts used in cortisol research.

Is the adrenal cocktail the same as the cortisol cocktail?

Yes. Adrenal cocktail is the original name, from the adrenal fatigue idea; cortisol cocktail and cortisol mocktail are the newer social media names for the same drink.

When should you drink a cortisol cocktail?

People often drink it mid-morning or mid-afternoon as a snack. No study has looked at timing, so choose whenever a light, hydrating drink suits you.

Can I drink a cortisol cocktail every day?

Most healthy adults can, as part of a balanced diet, but it adds sugar and salt. Skip it or check with a clinician if you have kidney disease, high blood pressure or take blood pressure medicine.

Is cream of tartar safe to drink?

It is mostly potassium. Large amounts have caused dangerously high potassium, so it is best left out, especially if you have kidney problems.

Does orange juice lower cortisol?

Not on its own. A cortisol trial used 3,000 mg of vitamin C a day, while three quarters of a cup of orange juice has about 93 mg.

Can you make a cortisol cocktail without orange juice?

Yes. Use coconut water with lime, or swap in another juice, and keep the salt to a small pinch.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.