Kalms.

JaneRowena be careful about "taking loads". Epsom salts, (magnesium sulphate) can have a strong laxative effect.

Not sure about anxiety ( think a large glass of red wine would be better) but now and then I take a Boots own Sleepeze tablet ( you can take 2 but I find that 1 is just right.)
No fuzzy head but a good night's sleep, and if you need the loo, you do wake up in time!

Sorry changed my mind mid-sentence and forgot to delete.

I do not understand the need to self medicate, if you are on prescribed medicine and take over the counter remedies you can actually you could counteract the effect.
My sister used to swear by St John's wort and still uses Bach remedies, I tell her to check with her GP because she is on warfarin and other drugs.

Having sex is supposed to release chemicals to aid sleep. That's why I've not slept for 10 years! But seriously, to orgasm helps a woman to sleep about 20 minutes later and a man virtually straight away. Unless it's just the men I have slept with???

I tried Kalms for anxiety. They had no effect. A colleague recommended Stressless. It works! Why? Same herbs as far as I can see. Must be all in the mind!

Many modern drugs are based on herbs- the most famous one being aspirin, from salix/willow bark.

Some herbs are more effective than others of course. St John's Wort is indeed one of the powerful and very effective one- according to double blind medical trials- so why deny it?

I sometimes take nytol and find them very helpful. I did check with my doctor, as I take other medication, and she said taking one a week won't cause any problems at all. I do actually get off to sleep but, I never have what I would call a quality sleep. I always wake up feeling utterly exhausted. If I don't have to get up the next morning I take one tablet and I sleep like the proverbial baby.

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

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.

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

Delighted- glad we agree for once

peace x

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

There. Now you can go away and be happy.

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 ;)

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

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

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.

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.

They can

" 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.....

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!

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.

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.

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.