Drank is a grape flavored soft drink sold in the United States and Canada. It is marketed as a "Non-Energy" drink which causes relaxation as opposed to a sugar or caffeine jolt.

The Drank Website lists three active ingredients: melatonin, rose hip and Valerian root. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone which can be used as a sleep aid; the others are herbs which purportedly cause relaxation.

Some distributors of Drank suggest it is an alternative to the illicit purple drank.^[1]

Controversy [edit]

Drank and similar commercial products have been criticized for their potential to serve as gateways to the dangerous illegal concoctions of cough syrup colloquially known as purple drank.^[2][3][4] At a mental health conference in February 2010, Dr. Ronald Peters, Jr., of the University of Texas Health Science Center said of Drank: "They're taking the name, and they're trying to market it to young people." He described the beverage as "the worst thing I've ever seen on the street since the making of candy cigarettes."^[4]

Effects on health [edit]

Health experts have warned that the herbal ingredients in Drank and similar beverages induce drowsiness and sedation, which can be dangerous when combined with medications or products that do similar things, such as alcohol or anti-depressants.^[5] Gregory Carter, a neurologist on the clinical staff of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center told the Dallas Morning News that there is enough melatonin in Drank to induce sleepiness, and that this effect could occur quickly because the melatonin is in dissolved form. Regarding Valerian, Carter found that the content was probably "not enough to have a strong effect".^[4]

It has also been suggested that Valerian may be hepatotoxic, i.e. cause liver damage.^[6]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official Website