A box of Vitatime KO-W Solution. Below right is a picture of Kotei Eki.
This energy drink is one of the sketchier ones as it is obviously a copy of Yunker Kotei Eki. As you can see, the name, 黄W液(KO-W Eki) is just one letter different from 黄帝液(Kotei Eki) in Japanese.
On the box, it even goes on to say that it has, "W(double) the effect" without going on to say of what, although it's quite obvious as to what product they are referring to.
This drink would fit into the category of Kanpoyaku(traditional Chinese medicine) as there are many natural and herbal drugs included.
What's inside?
On the bottle, there are three drawings, one of a bee, one of a
mamushi snake, and another of a ginseng plant. According to the ingredients list, the extracts of mamushi and ginseng are included, but bees are not. The bee represents the royal jelly that is included in the drink.
Other interesting ingredients include the extracts of a gallstone of a cow, the
Jiou plant, the
Sanzashi plant, and the secreting fluid of Viverrinae(civet).
Price
A box of three KO-W solutions costs about 1000 yen, around the same price of one Kotei Eki.
Taste
The sweetness of the drink tastes like that of honey, most likely due to the royal jelly. In addition, there is a taste of herbs and the unique and distinct flavor of Kanpoyaku. There is also a spiciness to the drink that will give the consumer a tingling sensation in the throat.
Effect
Increased concentration and vigor while being sleep deprived is some of the effects it had on me after drinking this energy drink.