What is the stimulant in Airborne?

July 12, 2007 2:16 PM

What is the stimulant in Airborne?

When I take airborne (or a generic version of it) I get a pretty nice little buzz. It feels like a stimulant. I've checked out the label but do not recognize any stimulants. Anyone know what it is? Do other people get this feeling too?

posted by damn dirty ape to health & fitness (14 comments total)

I use Airborne all the time and have (unfortunately?) never noticed this.
posted by EL-O-ESS at 2:23 PM on July 12, 2007

I think that might just be from the sugars. I usually sleep through every long flight right after taking some and never noticed a stimulant effect.
posted by luriete at 2:24 PM on July 12, 2007

Perhaps you could post a list of the ingredients.
posted by sindas at 2:33 PM on July 12, 2007

I used to work out with a guy who claimed that Glutamine was a stimulant. I've never taken it, so that's as far as my anecdotal evidence goes. google "glutamine" and "stimulant."
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:33 PM on July 12, 2007

It could also be a "vitamin buzz". I find that if I take Airborne or Emergen-C, it's harder for me to fall asleep. This also happens if I take vitamins at night, so I figured it's the same reaction.
posted by bedhead at 2:34 PM on July 12, 2007

Perhaps you could post a list of the ingredients.

I tossed the bottle earlier. This is one of the reasons why I asked. I found the ingredients here. I noticed the buzz with both the regular version and the walgreens knock-off.
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:38 PM on July 12, 2007

Ginger.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:26 PM on July 12, 2007

I would bet it's one of these ingredients: lonicera, forsythia, schizonepeta, ginger, Chinese vitex, Isatis root. I have a bottle here. Apparently Chinese vitex raises blood pressure.
posted by peep at 3:31 PM on July 12, 2007

The placebo effect.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 4:37 PM on July 12, 2007

Huh? Placebo? Nowhere on here does it say this is a stiumlant. in fact no one else Ive talked to has noticed this stimulant effect.
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:22 PM on July 12, 2007

@ damn dirty ape: Really? I can't tell if you actually don't get it or are just joking.

IANAD, but could this "buzz" be from the b6 or b12 vitamins likely to be found in this and other similar products? I don't have any reference or anything, but just a thought..
posted by hannahq at 7:27 PM on July 12, 2007

I haven't really noticed this with Airborne too much, but when I take a vitamin B complex pill I am UP(!!!).
posted by redteam at 11:31 PM on July 12, 2007

If it's anything, it's the vitamin c. At least, that'd be my guess.
posted by Viomeda at 11:44 PM on July 12, 2007

nthing the vitamin buzz theory. Airborne and Emergen-C always give me a nice little pick-me-up.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 12:40 PM on July 13, 2007