Popular "relaxation" foods dangerous?

If you're stressed out, what could be better than a drink or snack that claims it'll help you calm down?

But, CBS News Correspondent Don Teague reported on "The Early Show" Monday that there are warnings about what these so-called "relaxation" foods actually contain, and their effect on your health.

Teague says many people have heard about energy-boosting drinks, such as 5-Hour Energy.

But what about something to unwind?

In our stressed-out society, Teague observes, sales of relaxation drinks, with names like Mini Chill, Relax Zen, and the market leader, Drank,- are booming, going from zero just a few years ago to an estimated $100 million annually now/

One customer, Tim Tighe, told CBS News, "I used to take Tylenol P.M. to help me sleep. Now I just use Drank."

That sleepy feeling, Teague said, comes from a combination of ingredients, including melatonin, a dietary supplement that is now finding its way into products, from brownies to beverages.

Teague spoke with Drank's creator, Peter Bianchi.

Bianchi said, "The genesis of this product was being a positive alternative to drugs and alcohol."

To reach its target audience, Drank is marketed in sexy music videos.

Bianchi said, "What we're doing is we're taking something that is a healthy alternative and we're making it hip, we're making it trendy."

But products containing melatonin are raising concerns across the country.

Dr. David Seres, of the Columbia University Medical Center, says melatonin should not be used as an ingredient in food.

"There's a real potential danger there," he said. "... Melatonin has a lot of research behind it, but there's just as much showing that there's potential harm as with good."

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, melatonin has generated 5,000 calls to poison control centers -- more than any other supplement. Most calls involved children.

Teague asked Bianchi, "Any concern that people will misuse this product, especially young people, who, of course, will drink it?"

Bianchi said, "I think it's in the inherent nature of man to misuse and abuse everything that's given to them."

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent Drank a warning letter, calling it an "adulterated" product. The letter cited safety concerns about melatonin, including an "increased risk of developmental disorders during pregnancy."

Now, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin is calling for tougher federal regulations.

Durbin said, "We don't even know what a safe dosage is. So I'm asking the FDA to protect American consumers, particularly protect kids from the products on the shelf that may have some impact on their health."

And the state of Arkansas, Teague noted, just banned brownies with melatonin, called "Lazy Cakes," and more bans are expected after reports of kids becoming sick from eating them.

Mayor William Flanagan, of Fall River, Mass., said, "Even though the product says it's not intended for children's use, its psychedelic packaging and its cartoon character, known as Lazy Larry, indicate otherwise."

Despite these concerns, Teague said, sales of products containing melatonin show little sign of winding down anytime soon.

"Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill added that Drank's chief executive officer insists the FDA warning letter was due to a labeling error that was fixed, and Lazy Cakes' chief executive officer says that product is meant for adults. But the FDA could be cracking down, telling CBS News any item that uses melatonin as an additive may be subject to regulatory action.