Bathe
Naked
If you still rely on Calgon to take you away,
start
paying attention. For the last five years, companies
ranging from the Gap and Victoria's Secret to Bath &
Body Works and Avon have worked themselves into a lather
over tub accessories that cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize.
Skinny Dip by Get Fresh ($18 for a 7-ounce bottle
at Nordstrom) shows that it's never too late to jump on
the bandwagon. Get Fresh seduces shoppers with slick packaging
and pithy names, such as Wet Suit shower wash and Under
Cover lotion. But Skinny Dip seems to be a rip-off of the
Milk products introduced more than a year ago. It's
called
a "bubbling bath soak," but what you get is a few bubbles
that float tastefully on the water's surface. At least the
scents are enticing; the sharp ginger and pink grapefruit
is good if you're not into super-sweet smells, and the rose
garden and ylang is perfect for those who crave the romance
of flowers. Unfortunately, you may only enjoy these aromas
five or six times per bottle; a little Dip doesn't go a
long way. (KM)
Ready
for a Maté Latte?
I discovered maté, a tea-like
beverage also known as yerba maté, three years
ago on a tiny island in Maine. That particular batch had
traveled thousands of miles from Paraguay, where a co-worker
had just spent three years as a Peace
Corps volunteer. Maté
is more a part of the social fabric in parts of South
America than coffee is here; comrades will share a gourd
until the host stops pouring, or else run the risk of
rudeness. The drink is a dusty mixture of coarsely ground
holly leaves and shoots with a pungent smell something
like spicy dirt. An acquired taste to be sure, maté
tastes a bit medicinal and contains theine, a stimulant
similar to caffeine. It is traditionally packed in a gourd
or cow horn and consumed through a bombilla, a
steel utensil that is both strainer and straw. You can
find the apparatus at Tao of Tea ($32 for a gourd and
straw, $3.50 for 2 ounces of maté) or visit
www.infoplanet.com/RJL/, where you can order a pound
of maté plus the equipment for about $15. (CM)
Contributors this week: Liz Brown, Krista Mahr, Christina
Melander
Prozac
from Plants
The makers of Prozac must be getting a little
depressed: Many Americans have begun using pharmaceutical-free
antidepressants like St. John's wort to alleviate mild
to moderate cases of depression. Now there are even more
alternative remedies to choose from. After 20-plus years
of clinical use abroad, S-adenosylmethionine, or SAM-e,
has made it to the U.S. market. A naturally occurring
component of human tissues, the product entered the mass
market just two weeks ago after receiving favorable press
attention (30 of the 100-mg tablets go for $24.99 at GNC
stores). An impressive body of published research has
found that the mood-boosting compound is comparable to
prescription anti-depressants in its effect on mild to
severe cases of depression, without the side effects and
hefty price tag of Prozac, Zoloft and others. Remember,
of course, that the advice of a trusted health professional
is crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of depression.
(LB)
