San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Looking at the tall, red, green and yellow can with a photo of a laughing Bob Marley on it, I quickly realized that Marley’s Mellow Mood isn't the energy drink that its bright-colored packaging suggests.
Dubbed an “all natural relaxation drink” and distributed by the Marley Beverage Company (a partnership with the Marley family and sponsor of Stephen Marley’s latest tour), Marley's Mellow Mood claims to reduce stress and relieve tension. And while I wasn’t stressed or tense, I tried it anyway.
The “Relaxation Blend” contains things like chamomile, passion flower and melatonin for an added boost—or whatever the calm equivalent of a boost is. The label reads, "This product may cause drowsiness. Do not exceed 2 bottles daily, consumed several hours apart. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after consuming this product. Do not mix with alcohol."
After reading that, I wondered if the folks at Marley Beverage Co. mixed labels with a prescription-grade muscle relaxant, but I set my skepticism aside.
It didn’t taste like your typical cough-syrupy, sugar-filled drink, but it wasn’t exactly a cup of freshly steeped tea, either. After drinking it, I didn't pass out or fall in too deep a “mellow mood” that I couldn’t operate heavy machinery (I could still use the computer just fine), but about an hour or two after finishing it, I did find my eyelids getting heavy and felt like I was ready to take a nice, long nap.
So, while this drink may be good for those who need to relax a bit, it appears to be a much wimpier version of its intense-sounding forefather, purple drank.
Paloma Fernandez is an intern with CityBeat.
Dubbed an “all natural relaxation drink” and distributed by the Marley Beverage Company (a partnership with the Marley family and sponsor of Stephen Marley’s latest tour), Marley's Mellow Mood claims to reduce stress and relieve tension. And while I wasn’t stressed or tense, I tried it anyway.
The “Relaxation Blend” contains things like chamomile, passion flower and melatonin for an added boost—or whatever the calm equivalent of a boost is. The label reads, "This product may cause drowsiness. Do not exceed 2 bottles daily, consumed several hours apart. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after consuming this product. Do not mix with alcohol."
After reading that, I wondered if the folks at Marley Beverage Co. mixed labels with a prescription-grade muscle relaxant, but I set my skepticism aside.
It didn’t taste like your typical cough-syrupy, sugar-filled drink, but it wasn’t exactly a cup of freshly steeped tea, either. After drinking it, I didn't pass out or fall in too deep a “mellow mood” that I couldn’t operate heavy machinery (I could still use the computer just fine), but about an hour or two after finishing it, I did find my eyelids getting heavy and felt like I was ready to take a nice, long nap.
So, while this drink may be good for those who need to relax a bit, it appears to be a much wimpier version of its intense-sounding forefather, purple drank.
Paloma Fernandez is an intern with CityBeat.
