Like many LA girls, I developed a major girl crush on Moon Juice founder, Amanda Chantal Bacon. The dreamy juice goddess built her dusty business all on her own (as a single mom!) thanks to her deep knowledge of food chemistry and personal trials and tribulations with health problems. With her golden locks and glowing skin, her philosophy on ashwagandha, maca, pearl, reishi and other Chinese herbs swept the nation, or at the very least the pantries of wellness-loving 20 somethings. I was one of them!
My smoothies went from fruit and non-dairy milk to potions packed with all sorts of powders that I could hardly pronounce. And it didn’t end there. I made evening beauty lattes and sprinkled things like “sex dust” into my coffee. And while I REALLY had so much fun with it all, I’m putting it to rest. At least for now.
Truth be told, I don’t think any of the herbs were doing a whole lot besides giving my body a hard time to digest. I didn’t feel any more “AMAZZING” when filling my system with dusty cordycepts, and in fact, certain things made me feel worse. Sometimes jittery and even nauseous. And my skin, well, that wasn’t doing great either.
I kept going waiting for all the miraculous heeling properties to take over but they never came, and ultimately, my antics came to a screeching halt when I learned that there are warnings of consumption if you are pregnant or are interested in becoming pregnant. YIKES! I am not pregnant but it is in my foreseeable future, and if these herbs are dangerous enough to potentially cause fetal damage, they aren’t something I want to be putting into my system right now. So, as much as I love me some Amanda Chantal Bacon, I’m putting her dusts on hold.
Meanwhile, I am still down with things like chia seeds, flaxseeds, collagen, probiotics, 100% organic protein powders, and other natural supplements that don’t have any risks but carry great benefits like vitamins, protein, omega-3, fiber, etc.
What about you? Are you still on the dusty herbal train? And I’d love to hear what you’re taking that you genuinely think is helping.
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I’ve heard so much about Moon Juice’s products and I’ve actually been wanting to try them – the only thing stopping me is the fact that it isn’t available where I live and I’m too stingy to pay for international delivery. But your post really helps puts things in perspective and offers a different sort of review, so thank you!
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I was really cautioned against herbs during pregnancy. I started taking 4 VSL #3 probiotics daily before I got pregnant. They were highly recommended, along with a prebiotic, which I did not like at all! The prebiotics were hard for me to digest so I stopped them. I continue to take the probiotics. I try to add chia and flax seeds, too! I haven’t been as adventurous about supplements lately, but vitamin D is part of my vitamin regimen!
YES! Thank you for this, Geri! I always get excited to try new wellness trends, but most of them end up hurting my health because they’re foods my body isn’t used to and doesn’t recognize. I’m learning that sometimes simple is better, and there’s no need to incorporate foods I’m not craving to begin with.
I also experienced weird effects from the dusts. I wanted to love them and see miraculous results, but-as you know- there is no one right path to wellness.
I have had great results with Sun Potion’s Prash, which is some adaptogens in ghee. Helps with my brain fog and stamina throughout the day.
I swear by Standard Process supplements, used under the care of my doctor and nutritionist. They have helped me regulate my hormones, alleviate decades worth of anxiety and my migraines are much fewer in frequency and duration.
And essential oils, yoga and meditation are a foundation of my overall wellness. And a clean diet (basically modified auto immune paleo).
Can I ask what supplements have helped from Standard Process for your anxiety? As you are so correct in saying that there is no “one right path” to wellness, I always love hearing what has worked for others and then doing my own research–and I am curious about the Standard Process brand as this is the first I am hearing about it!You are so lucky you have found something that has worked for you!!
Orchex, Kava forte, calcium lactate (which has bio-available magnesium in it). And I found that most of my anxiety is related to a sluggish gall-bladder so I do AF beta food and livaplex for daily maintenance.
It’s been a life changer for me.
I just asked my OB about taking adaptogenics (reishi, chaga, etc) at my appt this week! I kind of knew he wouldn’t recommend them but asked anyway. Like many here, I added the powders to my smoothies and matcha/coffee drinks…this was prior to finding out about my pregnancy. There are no studies on the outcomes of pregnancy while consuming these herbs (and I doubt anyone would volunteer to participate in a double-blind study) but the general rule of thumb is not to mess with nature. There is definitely room for debate about supplements in general and especially while growing a baby. To your point, do what makes you feel best. If you don’t feel great after consuming, there’s a reason! Not all results will be equal despite the hype.
This post comes at a great time as I currently have ashwagandha and the sampler pack of Moon Dust in my shopping cart!
I’m torn as you read so many amazing reviews of people who use these products, but I also wonder about the “placebo” effect. I am very sensitive (inside and out) and wonder if keeping things simple is the best approach for me too.
The one thing I have been taking every other day for years is a magnesium supplement. I have ready that many people are deficient in magnesium and that it is an important mineral which helps with digestion, sleep, and stress (all things I constantly struggle with). Once I’m done with my current batch, though, I’m going to take a break and see if I really notice a difference.
Side note – I recently did this with my fish oil supplement and TOTALLY noticed a difference with my mood.
Maybe that’s the moral of the story? Start from scratch and only take the things you actually notice having a positive effect?
STOP THE PRESSES, Kimberly!! what do you mean when you say you noticed a difference in your mood after going off your fish oil–good or bad moods now??? Also, what fish oil were you taking…and while I am being nosy, what magnesium are you taking as I have struggled from the same issues with digestion, stress and sleep, but found I was literally going around like a zombie after taking Natural Calm, which seems to help a great number of people!
I stopped fish oil too, and a doctor suggested I take a specific liquid magnesium: ReMag. It has a cheeeeeeesy additional name (“TheMagnesium Miracle”), but whatever. I mix in half a teaspoon every time I fill my water bottle.
Ann – When I stopped taking the fish oil, I noticed an overall worsening of my mood! I’m not sure if it is 100% attributable to the fish oil supplement, but I definitely felt better once I started taking it again (albeit, there will always be bad days!). I currently am taking Barlean’s Organic Fish Oil, which can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BR3YQWC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
That’s so interesting about your experience with the Natural Calm!
I had researched a lot of the ingredients (due to my food allergies) before trying them and found that most of them had terrible side effects. I ended up forgoing them due to this. I feel that the most natural diet makes me feel magical without adding experimental potions to my veggie meals 🙂 Thanks for talking about this; I feel like no one wants to get real about this stuff.
Great blog post. I am a trained holistic nutritionist and herbalist and while I don’t use her Dusts, I would just like to throw out there that just like food, we are all individuals and what is good for one may not be good for another. There are herbs that aren’t suggested when try or during pregnancy. This doesn’t mean you should throw out all herbs. In fact, there are so many that are helpful in pregnancy health and providing what’s needed in that time. It may just be that you can’t go to a pre-blended mix of herbs created for all, but rather maybe do one or two or even better see a trained herbalist that knows what they are doing and can make recommendations on what you and your body need.
Cool recipe
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I LOVE my smoothies but I am careful as to what goes in – everyone knows that if you put junk in you get junk results. Therefore I have switched to the Arbonne Healthy Living products which are pure, safe and beneficial with no artificial color or sweeteners. They are also vegan certified, gluten free and Kosher. My Nutritionist friend Heather re- introduced me to the Clean 15 the Dirty Dozen list for fruits and veggies. They list which f&v are the best and the worst for pesticides. I also cut out gluten, sugar, alcohol and dairy for the next 30 days- 4 days in I feel pretty good with just a few mild symptoms.
Of course, a person doesn’t have to make extreme changes as I have but every little change helps!!
I am addicted to your web site… You ara Amazing 🙂 <3 Keep It Up!
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YES!
Thank you so much for this honest post. I myself was super interested in trying these “dusts” but also they were a bit pricey for what they were. I thought to myself— I can’t get the same nutrients from real supplements and fresh veggies? This is the type of feedback we need from bloggers! Honest, real, and not afraid to go against the grain. This was so helpful and thank you again for keeping it 100*!
Oh my gosh, thank you for this Geri! I’ve wondered after dabbling with some of the dusts that maybe there’s just too many ingredients in each dust for us to really know what’s doing what (and whether they’re good for us). Several of the ingredients Moon Juice uses in the dusts are associated with changes in estrogen levels.
So I’ve been trying one kind of mushroom at a time, usually as a powder in tea, and that’s been helpful. I’ve noticed that chaga feels more like a stimulant, and reishi puts me right to bed (but also seems to exacerbate PMS?!) more here: https://themorningperson.com/2017/05/07/the-benefits-of-adding-mushroom-supplements-to-your-diet/
So good to hear an honest POV on this.
Thank you so much for your honest opinions on Moon Juice! I’ve never tried it but also felt the names (“sex dust”, “beauty dust” etc) were a bit of a marketing ploy… ? I prefer to stick to the all natural supplements for now!