"Anti-energy" drink Marley's Mellow Mood sold to students in N.J., blamed for "zombiefest" reaction

Marley's Mellow Mood

An "anti-energy" drink is being blamed for making middle-school students vomit and act lethargic.

Some students from William R. Satz school in Holmdel, N.J., were reportedly sickened after they purchased Marley's Mellow Mood from their cafeteria and drank it, according to WNYW. Symptoms included vomiting, splitting headaches and feeling drowsy.

"It was like a zombiefest," one student told the news station.

Marley's Mellow Mood, named after Bob Marley and made in partnership with the Marley family, are "100 percent natural relaxation beverages" made from natural ingredients. According to the official website, the drinks are supposed to reduce stress and calm a person down. They come in lightly carbonated sodas and ready-to-drink cold teas.

It's not the only anti-energy drink on the market. TIME in 2009 reported on a drink called Drank that purported to give the same easy-going vibes. It contained a mixture of melatonin (used to treat insomnia and jet lag), rose hips and valerian root, which is known to relax the central nervous system and quell anxiety but may cause seizures.

"Valerian roots and rose hips are not really reviewed by the FDA. You can't be certain of the safety and efficacy of the drink," David DiPersio, clinical pharmacist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told TIME about Drank.

While not the same mixture, Marley's Mellow Mood contains a combination of valerian root, lemon balm, passion flower, hops and chamomile.

The drink has since been removed from the schools that were selling it. A spokesperson for the company that worked with the dining hall told WNYW that the drink didn't go through the approval process, and the on-site manager has been removed pending investigation.

"We sincerely regret that this product was sold and that students had an adverse reaction to it," the company said to WNYW.

[tayler_o]

lol its dank not drank

[kittytkitt]

this drink is not supposed to be taken in school when you need to be alert and ready to learn! Obviously the purpose is wrong, but the drink is really all natural. I drink it 30 minutes before bed and I sleep good 8 hours without interruptions. It's great for people that have trouble sleeping but don't want to take prescription sleeping pills, or even when I am stressed after studying all day, this is a miracle. The drink being in schools does not make sense to me, maybe if they have sleep overs in class? The act of putting it in school is illogical, but the drink is great.

[a2reggae]

why would you give that to kids??
its like putting red bulls in school...
BAD CHOICE

[thatguywiththetruck]

i drink marleys mellow mood all the time

ive never felt sick or got a headache
in fact its taken headaches away once or twice

are you sure it wasnt the schools food cause i remember getting sick from school food quite often

[mmshelle]

so let me get this straight... we can eat that fake rib sandwich crap which is less healthy for you than a mcdonalds hamburger, but this mostly natural drink get's a ******* news article about how bad it is (granted middle school kiddies shouldn't drink this let alone soda or anything other than milk juice and water, maybe a Gatorade once in a great while) but my point is you people are ass backwards

[iFlipforFun]

This article is bull ******* lol. "Zombie fest", the only real zombie fest is at the slaughter houses where they make your low quality fast food that parents so happily buy their obese children.

[TheOneFromTheSecond]

Okay..I just drank one of these and uhhh well I forgot how to stand..can someone help me?..oh and my sister had like 3 sips and was out cold within like 3 minutes...How do you stand?

[jrl112085]

I understand everyones concerns, but lets take a step back on all this and really think about it...the ingrediants in this drink don't matter nearly as much as the fact that bob marleys face in on the can, I',m looking at a can of it right now(citrus). I just wonder about the parents who are making a big stink about this, what kind of "screening process" do they require for the foods that their children consume?-if any at all?! I'm actually discusted by the "shananagins" that this had brought up--really--the side effects people are talking about are not going to be brought upon an individual by one, or even 2 of these drinks!! And for a student to havesaid that, "It was like a zombiefest"! Are you kidding me, yeah right!! yeah, cause clearly chamomile tea is VERy well known for causing a siezures and "zombiefests"!
Im sure that when parents saw that there was hops extract they were appalled, well, even if you gave your kid a few sips of beer, straight up beer-they aren't going to seize up!(unless for some reason they are allegic or what have you)-
If something like this happend to one of my children, I wouldnt be making a big stink about a bob marely drink with some "un-godly" chamomile in it, i would be rushing my kid to the doctor looking for the real reason behind the issue, are they allergic so somthing in the drink? is there some underlying issue?
also, lets be real...one kids says, ohh it made me sick, before you know it, the whole schoo is crying that same crap!!
the following are the igrediants in the citrus flavor of marleys mellow mood drink-the exact drink that was in the school-NO VALERIAN ROOT in here!
carbonated water, pure cane sugar,citric acid(aka vitamin c), natural flavor, sodium citrate, beta carotene for color, hops extract-NOT ALCOHOL-,lemon balm extract, chamomile xtract, and rose hips extract.
Now, I will say that I know it is possible for some people to just be sensitive to some things- for example- I a very sensitive to caffine, and can not drink a whole cup of coffee, and if i do, its like i took some crazy drug- its absolutely horrible!- but for some reason i dont think thats the case here--yes, they are kids-but the human body can process more than we think- it's not like these kids drank 5 of these drinks, had nothing to eat and are all sensitive to the ingrediants. But who knows, I could be wrong- this is just my opinion and I feel strongly about it, thats all.
Thank you or reading.
J.

[truth_trumps]

i think its clear this drink is not for middle schooler's. I have enjoyed this drink a few times and its important for anyone drinking this to understand the pharmacological effects of the ingredients. Valerian Root is the primary active substance in the Mellow Mood relaxation blend, the blend also contains Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, Hops, Chamomile, and Rose Hips.
Valerian root has Gamma-aminobutyric acid which reacts with your Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) receptors the same as benzodiazepines (Valium) used as sedative, hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, and muscle relaxant. The hypnotic effects are interesting in that the chemicals in the root react with the naturally produce melatonin, amplifying its effects. Valerian Root also effects your nerve, digestion, and respiratory systems. The other herbs in the blend do not have as drastic effects, but they help put your body in a state where it can produce Melatonin, Melatonin is also part of the drinks blend, putting the Valerian Root in full effect. It can be very dangerous to drink this and drive (like alcohol), it is also potentially dangerous to consume alcohol in combination with this beverage (extremely amplifies the effects, from first/second hand experiences in combination with this beverage effects of alcohol multiply by 2-4 times). And the fact that someone with enough authority at a middle school made this available is disgusting, he obviously didn't do ANY research on the product. This drink also should not be drunken EVERY day, like the middle schooler's most likely did, this is a great product for someone who doesn't want to make their own relaxation tea with raw herbs and is a good alternative to alcohol. RESEARCH EVERY PRODUCT YOU CONSUME AND THE EFFECTS OF THE INGREDIENTS, ESPECIALLY DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS!!

[Sassytooyou]

This one is a no-brainer, anyone having been in a middle school lunchroom in a supervising capacity would probably want to mellow out the occupants. This does not require a prescription and makes perfect sense to a sick mind. wonder if there is a parent commitee to review this stuff - should be.