Fancy a glass of WACKY WATER?

Artichoke f lavour. Birch tree sap. Even BLACK water. They’re the new celebrity health fad. So do you . . .

How about a refreshing glass of artichoke juice? or even a cup of birch tree sap? These unlikely tipples will soon be gracing the shelves of the supermarkets and your fridge — or so the food and drink industry hopes.

The beverages are part of a new wave of ‘plant waters’ making a big splash among the health-conscious crowd.

They follow the staggering success of coconut water, which has been endorsed by celebrities such as Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and pop star Rihanna for its supposed nutritional properties.

For those who prefer their water clear, tasteless and from the tap, the popularity of plant waters is hard to fathom. Not only are they costly — a typical single serving carton costs at least £1 — their taste is usually distinctive and, occasionally, borders on the unpleasant.

But their legions of fans say the drinks, squeezed from leaves and plants or tapped from tree trunks, are packed with nutrients and electrolytes — substances such as salt and potassium that can speed up rehydration after exercise.

Some are even marketed as ‘super drinks’, which help battle cancer and heart disease, banish wrinkles or ease upset stomachs.

Rin Cobb of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) concedes the drinks are healthier than high-sugar, fizzy colas. However, health claims about rehydration and skincare should be taken with a large pinch of salt, she says.

So, which of the new drinks is likely to be making waves in the future — and which will turn out to be a damp squib?

Vita Coco Coconut Water

£3.49 per litre

INGREDIENTS: Coconut water, sugar, vitamin C. A 250 ml serving has 45 calories, 12.5 g sugar (3 tsp) and 0.13 g salt.

CONTAINS: Vitamin C, potassium, traces of iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. DUBBED nature’s sports drink by enthusiasts, coconut water kicked off the plant water craze in the u.S.

Refreshing, with a sweet nutty taste, the low-fat, clear liquid is tapped from young green coconuts.

It shouldn’t be confused with coconut milk — the fatty white liquid from the flesh of brown coconuts.

Natural coconut water is relatively low in vitamins, which is why some manufacturers add vitamin C.

Supporters claim the drink rehydrates the body more effectively than water, but Rin says the level of salt (when we sweat, we lose salt and potassium from our bodies as well as fluid) is generally too low to boost rehydration significantly.

‘It’s a good source of potassium, but most people get enough in their diet anyway,’ she says.

A large glass has the equivalent of 3 tsp sugar — if you’re drinking coconut water regularly those calories will soon add up.

‘There are lots of different brands of coconut water and nutritional content can vary, so it’s important that you check the label carefully,’ she says.

VERDICT: Good source of vitamin C and easy to find in the shops, but relatively high in calories.

Grace Aloe Vera Drink

£1.05 for 500 ml

INGREDIENTS: water, aloe vera gel and powder, cane sugar, citric acid (vitamin C), grape flavour, calcium lactate. A 250 ml serving has 95 calories, 24 g of sugar (6 tsp), 0.04 g salt.

CONTAINS: Vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium. BEST known as an extract used in cosmetics and skin creams, the prickly aloe vera is also rich in nutrients.

The plant has traditionally been used as a constipation cure, though in 2002 u.S. authorities banned the use of the bitter aloe vera sap in over-the-counter laxatives, because manufacturers hadn’t provided enough data to show that they were safe.

The makers of this drink say it will ‘support good health and digestion while providing energy’, though there’s little scientific evidence of any health benefits. Some fans say aloe vera can help detox the body, but dietitians question the whole idea of a ‘detox’.

‘we have a liver to get rid of toxins from our body so “detoxing” in any other form is a myth,’ says Rin. ‘unless there’s something wrong with your liver, there’s no evidence that foods or drinks help it detox.’

VERDICT: one of the most sugary — and calorific — plant waters.

BLK Black Water £23.99 for 12 x 500 ml bottles

INGREDIENTS: Spring water and fulvic acid. A 500ml serving has no calories, no sugar and no salt.

CONTAINS: 77 minerals. BLACK water is the oddest looking of all the trendy drinks. It resembles cola or coffee in colour, but has virtually no taste. The pitch black colour comes from taking ordinary spring water and adding ‘ fulvic acid’ — a naturally occurring substance that forms in the ground when microbes break down plant matter. Fulvic acid is extracted from shale mined from the ground.

while not strictly speaking a ‘plant water’, Black water brands such as Blk usually contain traces of minerals such as iron, potassium, zinc, potassium and copper.

Diet experts say most of us get plenty of these minerals in our diets from ordinary food and that we don’t need to get more from murky coloured bottled water.

VERDICT: The coolest looking bottled water — but it’s probably no better for you than ordinary mineral water.

Wtrmln Watermelon Water

£48 for 12 x 237 ml bottles

INGREDIENTS: watermelon flesh, rind and lemon. A 237 ml serving contains 60 calories and 12 g of sugar (3 tsp).

CONTAINS: Potassium, vitamins C and A, calcium, magnesium, lypocene and iron. MORE of a juice than a water, this is made from pure watermelon flesh and rind — it’s described by the makers as ‘summer in your mouth’.

It contains lycopene — the anti- oxidant that gives tomatoes their healthy punch — and has the same amount of sugar as coconut water.

It has twice the potassium of a banana and is a good source of vitamin C.

‘There is nothing out of the ordinary in this water, so for the price, I’d opt to buy a whole watermelon to eat or juice myself,’ says Rin.

However, for those who struggle to drink enough water, but who do like the taste of plant waters such as this one, it could be a good way to encourage them to increase their fluid intake.

VERDICT: The best tasting — and a good source of potassium.

‘Arty’ Artichoke water £209.40 for 24 x 237ml bottles

INGREDIENTS: water, artichoke, pandanus leaf, spearmint, blue agave nectar, natural flavours, monk fruit. A 237 ml serving has 40 calories, 10 g sugar (2½ tsp), 0.08 g salt.

CONTAINS: Vitamins A,E, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, potassium, calcium, iron. A FRUITY sweet concoction with the unmistakable taste of artichokes, this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

The drink is made from the whole vegetable, including the stem and outer leaves, and can be drunk hot or cold.

Its makers say that it is packed with 18 antioxidants including silymarin and cynarin, two compounds found in artichokes, which can help ‘liver detoxification, lower cholesterol, weight management, improve skin texture and protect the immune system’.

The water is sweetened with fruit juice and blue agave nectar — a syrup from spiky, cactus-like agave plants growing in Mexico.

However, the salt and potassium levels in this drink are not particularly high, so it won’t be a lot better than a glass of plain water in terms of rehydrating you.

‘Though this water purports to contain a number of key vitamins and minerals, the amounts are actually very low,’ says Rin.

VERDICT: Contains some interesting nutrients, but is also one of the most expensive.

Sealand Birch Tree Water

£1.75 per 330 ml

INGREDIENTS: Birch tree juice. A 330 ml bottle contains 70 calories, 4 g of sugar (1 tsp) and 0.04 g of salt.

CONTAINS: Vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. PEOPLE have been drinking tree sap in Scandinavia for centuries, but it’s only become fashionable as a sports drink elsewhere in the world in the past couple of years.

It has a distinctive taste that some people find medicinal, but others describe as refreshing.

It’s a good — if pricey — source of vitamin C and iron, but one bottle has only traces of potassium and salt — around 1 per cent of your average daily requirement.

‘There’s not much salt to replace the salt you lose when you sweat and there’s nothing in this drink that you can’t get from a varied diet,’ says Rin.

VERDICT: Good source of vitamin C and iron, but not great for replacing salts lost in exercise.

Maple Sap Wahta

£10.99 for 12 x 250 ml

INGREDIENTS: Maple sap water. A 250 ml serving has 20 calories, 5 g of sugar (1 tsp) and 0.025 g of salt.

CONTAINS: Manganese, traces of calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. MORE tree sap — this time taken from the North American maple tree. It’s the same ingredient that is boiled down to make maple syrup, but is much runnier and far less sweet than the stuff you pour on pancakes.

It has half the sugar of coconut water and is a good source of antioxidants — substances that can help protect against cell damage, cancer and even heart disease.

The manufacturers boast that it has more manganese — a mineral that plays a key role in our metabolisms — than kale, the popular leafy green vegetable.

That may be true, but most people get all the manganese that they need from tea, bread, nuts and green vegetables.

The makers also claim it contains 46 naturally occurring nutrients, including some that improve skin elasticity and fight wrinkles.

‘If you are better hydrated then your skin may benefit from this moisture and you might plump out wrinkles,’ says Rin.

‘But if there was a fantastic food or drink that really combated wrinkles then we’d all know about it and be using it.’

VERDICT: Tasty and a good source of manganese — but most people don’t lack the mineral anyway.