Andrews Liver/Original salts have been a familiar sight in the medicine cupboard of several generations of my family, I have kept that 'tradition' up as I find them very effective for a range of stomach related issued.

The size I currently own is the 150g the eliptical shaped tub it comes in used to have a measuring spoon nestled in the lid which I found really handy, as I don't have measuring spoons. As I'm sure you've concluded from the previous sentence there is no spoon with this size and packaging though I think the spoon still comes with the larger 250g size. This lack of measuring spoon has led me to be quite lazy with dosage and I tend to guesstimate 5mls, so far I haven't suffered any dire consequences from this.

We paid £4.75 for ours at Tesco which I do think is rather expensive, though I have to admit it was worth every penny, and will last quite a while as it's only used a few times a year. The larger tub is better value for money, and I think it can be sourced more cheaply elsewhere or online. The packaging does a reasonable job of keeping the powder fresh. However with time no matter how well you reseal the tub the powder can loose a little of its fizz and sometimes even become hard. I have used it in this state and although not quite as pleasant to take it was still pretty effective.

What Andrews recommends you use them for:
Indigestion. Upset stomach. Excess acid. Constipation. And the loosely described 'symptoms of over indulgence' whether this is food, alcohol or both is not clarified.

The dose for general issues is one level 5ml teaspoon per glass of water, it doesn't recommend a volume of water but I think this is because it doesn't really matter as it's simply a delivery system for the salts. I tend to use an approximately 8 oz glass. At this dilution I find it suits my taste well and I find it refreshing and almost pleasant to drink. I wouldn't go as far as to say I like the taste but to me it's certainly far from unpleasant. If you are suffering from constipation then double the measure of salts and take once before breakfast or before bed. You can take the 5ml dose up to 4 times a day.

The last time I used this was a week after Christmas, I find I'm too tired to bother over indulging much over the festive season, however once New Years is put to bed and I can relax there lies the danger period for me. I can be inclined to go a bit mental, feasting on the remains of boxes of chocolates; reduced Christmas fare in the supermarkets is scoffed down with gay abandon. This combined with the general stress of Christmas (even though I love it) has repercussions and sometimes - as it did this year - sends my stomach into terrible griping spasms accompanied by bloating that makes me look and feel like a puffer fish. Luckily I already had a pot of Andrews in the cupboard, the supply being replenished the week before by my husband who'd tried to kill himself with alcohol poisoning over the Christmas period, something which has become something of a tradition.

Having been woken in the dead of night by my stomach trying to simultaneously climb out of my throat, burrow its way out of my bellybutton and fast making a break for my bottom too, I rushed to the kitchen... Rushed is perhaps too organised a word, stumbled doubled over whimpering quietly to myself is more accurate . . . and fumbled for the Andrews. In the half light surrounded by cats thinking their luck was in and breakfast had come early and dogs demanding to be let out into the garden I managed to shovel a spoonful of the soft white effervescent powder into a cool glass of water, and heard the reassuring fizz as it started to dissolve. A good stir and with a rush of bubbles surging through the glass I drank it down as quickly as possible. Which wasn't as easy as it sounds, as my stomach was behaving weirdly almost as if it was so full it wasn't going to allow the liquid in.

Once the liquid was down my stomach started to make weird creaking depth chargy type noises as the Andrews swooshed to the heart of the matter. I can't say it instantly made me better but it made a significant improvement pretty much immediately. I curled up on the sofa buried in a mound of brupping cats pawing at my soft bits.. which didn't help in terms of stomach comfort, and prayed for oblivion and a quick resolution to my self inflicted pain.

When I woke an hour or so later my stomach pain and general bloating felt much improved though still not in perfect shape. Another glass of Andrews was enough to put things back on a pretty even keel though and I felt human again.

The Andrews did mitigate the burning fire of hell that was rising behind my breastbone, and is very effective in calming indigestion. However if indigestion is all you are suffering from I'd recommend Ranitidine, Gaviscon or similar products as being more effective.

When I've used this in the past one dose is usually enough to set me straight, but this time my tummy was particularly outraged by something I'd eaten (I think it might have been the 'on use by date' bailey's cream on a scrummy apple crumble... on top of my own body weight of other rather rich food that day) that made this occasion a particularly difficult challenge. Andrews rose the occasion admirably and ensured that I will be much more likely to reoffend in future, knowing that Andrews will be there to help save my bacon.

The husband who is forcibly on the wagon for the foreseeable future on pain of kneecapping also found the Andrews did wonders for his ... well hangover is not really and adequate description of what created a shambling zombie like creature for two whole days! The Andrews did nothing to mitigate his headache, but then again I don't think it's meant to... that would be Alkaseltszer (with which I often get Andrews mixed up for some reason), but painkillers helped with that, nor did it help with the apparent brain damage that stopped him speaking like a human being for two days. It did however stop him throwing up, and clutching his stomach and rolling around like a baby.

I haven't used this product to treat constipation as it's something I don't suffer with (touch wood). However my mother uses if for precisely this purpose and finds it more gentle, targeted and pleasant to take than the usual tablet form treatments, and assures me that it is effective in this role.

All in all a great product which has been around for generations and I hope will be around for many more. I know I'll always have a tub of this handy.

If you should wish to know more about the composition of the product and how it works the following website gives extensive information on many aspects of the product including detailed information about contraindications such as people with renal problems or on low sodium diets checking with a medical professional before using Andrews (or simply avoiding it) : http://www.medicines.ie/medicine/2083/SPC/Andrews+ Liver+Salts/

Not suitable for children under 3