Kalms.

My son badly damaged his back, and uses the spray to assist healing. He is a paramedic. But, like all things, it will work for some people and not others.

I use the night time one on my neck and shoulders and the ordinary one on my legs. I don't use it every day. I take the liquid magnesium supplement on alternate days to the spray.

It seems expensive but you do not need a lot.

I fancy buying the flakes and making my own. I sometimes wonder if whose advice I follow depends on the mood I'm in, but I rarely buy end up buying something that doesn't work. I do read loads of reviews on lots of sites before I part with my pennies.

So, practising what I preach, I googled 'Kalm Reviews' and went to the Amazon site.

www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000KU72S8

So it seems to work very well for roughly 50% of people, and is a total waste of money for roughly the same amount.

If Kalms could help anxiety, why would Eli Lilley have put millions of pounds into producing fluoxetine?

And why would doctors bother to prescribe it? Why don't they send their anxiety patients along to Boots?

It's been around for years, some people swear by it - and when it came out, it was probably that or purple hearts.

It can probably help with mild anxiety, as can St John's Wort, Rescue Remedy and other over the counter remedies. Of course more severe symptoms need GP-prescribed medication.

Don't make me laught about Rescue Remedy!!!

I think the ssri's followed on on the heels of the Librium/valium stuff. With the tricyclics and the MAOI's in between.

St John's Wort has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressants in some people, as per article in the BMJ a couple of years back. However, it is a strong herb that can interfere with some other drugs (many drugs are based on natural herbs, aspirin from birch bark, digitalis from fox-gloves, etc). So to say herbal remedies have no effect is silly.

The main problem with St John's wort is sensitivity to light- so extra care should be taken with wearing sun-glasses and not sunbathing, avoiding strong sun light.

Passiflora, hops, valerian, rosemary, melissa, verbena and many more, are known for a calming effect without side-effects- so why not. But yes, always check with pharmacists for reaction with other drugs.

St. John's Wort certainly works for me. It was my next port of call after Kalms. It works quickly, too. During bad times when I have had to take it every day, I soon knew if I had forgotten to take one.

From the BMJ- and properly conducted double-blind studies:

CONCLUSIONS

Hypericum (St John’s wort) extracts are more effective than placebo in people with major depression. They are similarly effective to standard antidepressants but with fewer side effects.

If those herbs do have a calming effect, I would love to know the science behind it.

Are you sure the studies re St Johns Wort haven't been overridden now? I seem to remember something to that effect. Be careful not to go out in the sun with SJW if you are still taking them come Summer. You will burn easily.

I do not believe SJW can touch major depression. Perhaps very mild depression.

I would just mention that if anybody is taking fluoxetine at the moment and decides to switch to St Johns Wort, I believe you have to wait about six weeks for the drug to completely leave your system. Otherwise you could get serotonin syndrome.

Just thought we should mention that!

" So to say herbal remedies have no effect is silly."

No one is saying that.

Can can certainly have an effect. Whether it's a good one.....

They can

I would say it conquers major anxiety and mild to moderate depression. It's excellent for SAD, and used to be advertised as the 'Sunshine' drug.

My SiL is a mental health nurse. She says it works very well on most people, but can have adverse effects on a few. I asked what she thought was the worst effect that she had seen, and she said some people could be a bit more spaced out than usual, but felt that they were the sort of people who would have problems finding anything suitable for them. Like DBH. He always complains of a fuzzy mind when he takes anti-depressants.

You don't have to take a mixture. Valerian alone is calming and is given to babies in Europe. I have taken them for years but not non-stop. If I have bout of insomnia or there are problems with or for my daughters. I always took them before the birth of my grandchildren. I never travel without them and they help me to sleep in strange places in strange beds. I usually feel fine the next morning.
I feel that hops give me a headache but beer does as well.

Yes, I think it's the mixture of herbs that can give weird dreams.

Surely Prozac was the "sunshine drug". They couldn't have called Kalms a drug. It's not.

What you believe or not believe is hardly scientific proof. Lareg double-blind studies have been made on St John's Wort in proper clinical conditions, by experts. I'll go with that ;)

I am sure You are, as always, totally in the right granjura.

There. Now you can go away and be happy.

Delighted- glad we agree for once

peace x

We don't agree. But still. Peace. x

I started to take St.John's Wort when we moved to Winchester in January ten years ago, I noticed it (had never thought of taking it before although knew of it) because they had a large display of it in the Boots window, with a picture of a smiling woman and the words 'the sunshine herb' on it.

www.bupa.com.hk/eng/intermediary/health-information/health-topics/St-Johns-Wort-the-sunshine-herb.aspx

As I suffer from SAD it seemed very timely. It's great. I start in November and finish in March, no problems whatsoever.

Piriton is safe for dogs. My vet recommended it as it is felt to help as an anti-cancer remedy.