Liquid City

“This will glaze your day,” says acupuncturist Alex Berks, handing a Blues Buster across the Gan Bei Tonic Bar at Elixir, L.A.’s hippest tea salon. “It will settle your qi without making you sleepy.”

Senior herbalist John Armstrong has whipped up a range of potions based on Chinese herbal formulas that promise relief from a range of urban maladies. Wiped out? Try the Depth Recharger, made from “seven mushroom tonic.” Just broke up with your intended? Taming the Dragon, with kava root, calms anxiety. Hate your boss? Virtual Buddha--a favorite among artistes--helps you forget about it and “access creative juices.”

Elixir’s entrepreneurial co-founder, Jeff Stein (formerly of Camp Beverly Hills) wants to make herbs mainstream. “I think people are ready for it,” says Stein, who introduces his herbal line at Nordstrom counters this fall. “They’re skeptical of Western medicine.”

When Billy Zane needs a boost, he stops by for a Slow Burn, an energy drink that provides a “long-lasting, all-day lift.” Brendan Fraser drinks Mighty Joe Young, the “men-only classic virility tonic,” and Courtney Love, says Stein, favors the Chi Devil, a “sensuality tonic” for women only.

Elixir Tonics & Teas, 8612 Melrose Ave.; (310) 657-9300 (https://www.elixirnet.com).