“This activity was separate from BnnVara. He is now acting in accordance with the NVWA’s ruling by taking it off the market and this is now closed,” a spokesperson for BnnVara, Van Beelen’s employer, said to the ANP. The broadcaster already announced in October that it would enter into discussions with the radio DJ about the “desirability” of Beelen’s ‘side job’.
According to Beelen, the herbal mixture would help the user to “find the inner self.” A report about Shambala was made to the National Poisons Information Center (NVIC), after which the NVWA launched an investigation. The drug was featured in the consumer program in October Radar. Food experts and a pharmacologist criticized the mixture and Beelen himself also spoke. At the time, he was unable to clarify the exact proportion of the ingredients in the drink.
Shambala and a similar drug called OPEN UP contain harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. “When exposed to higher doses of these substances, nausea, vomiting and more serious effects such as hallucinations, coordination disorders, disturbed vision and paralysis can occur,” according to the NVWA. Single use in a dosage as stated on the packaging can also be harmful to the central nervous system, according to the authority. “This can lead to pupil dilation, salivation or low blood pressure.”
Beelen has not yet responded to the news.