My working life can be incredibly stressful at times. A few months ago, I had a particular meeting approaching that I was dreading and could feel the usual symptoms of anxiety building up as it got closer to the date. The day before, I set off to find something that I could use immediately before and during the meeting, just to calm my nerves slightly.

Many years ago, I tried the original Bach Rescue Remedy formula, which came in a glass bottle with a dropper. Something a little more discreet was needed this time and I had vague memories of reading about the formula now being available in a pastille format. I've never actually seen this out on display anyway so I was quite surprised to discover that my local Boots branch - one of the smaller stores - does actually stock these. I did have to ask behind the pharmacy counter, however, which is a little strange as there are no restrictions on the sale of these pastilles. (They contain no alcohol or medication and only contain natural colours and flavouring.)

These Rescue Remedy Pastilles are based on a combination of Dr Bach's original flower esssences, designed to alleviate and soothe emotional issues. Each flower essence is believed to have particular properties and effects on people's emotional state. The five essences used in this particular formulation are supposed to reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety and the rescue remedy is commonly used before events such as intervews and driving tests.

The pastilles come supplied in a bright yellow tin, with the 50g tin equating to around forty small yellow 'sweets.' The packaging looks quite eye catching although it isn't particularly practical. My first issue was actually trying to open the tin itself, as the lid fits into position with a series of little 'grips' around the edge. Fortunately, there are idiot-proof instructions on the back and it is simply a matter of pressing down on the centre of the lid, to release the grips and get at the contents. Sadly, this method of opening and closing the lid isn't particularly secure which was something I discovered when the contents ended up swishing around the bottom of my work bag! I found myself dusting down the loose pastilles (fortunately not too much fluff down there) and having to keep the tin in a zipped side pocket to keep them relatively secure. Even there I have found that the tin has worked its way open several times, meaning that this small tin isn't quite as portable and practical as it might initially appear.

The 'sweets' themselves are an attractive design, with lines around the edge, presumably deliberately intended to make them resemble small flowers. My natural instinct, given their size, appearance and slightly hard texture, is to suck these. The basic action of sucking is something that we naturally associate with the comfort it offers as infants, so it seems pretty logical to offer a relaxing treatment in the form of something designed to be sucked. I was quite surprised to discover, from a cursory glance at the base of the tin, that the pastilles are actually intended to be chewed. Chewing the pastilles is not particularly pleasant or something that the texture of these sweets really lend themselves to easily. Although these have a slightly chewy consistency, vaguely similar to a tough wine gum or similar gelatinous sweet, they don't break down altogether easily and I find that they tend to get stuck in the gaps in my back teeth, which is a little irritating.

I must admit that I'm not overly keen on the taste of these pastilles either. These are flavoured with orange and elderflower, a combination that would not be my first preference. (The pastilles are also available in a blackcurrant flavour which does sound more to my liking.) The flavours are discernible but the main taste that comes to me is the unpleasant artificial sweetness of saccharin. Not surprisingly as these contain both sorbitol and xylitol, both used as artificial sweeteners. Given these contents, the pastilles also come with a warning that excessive consumption can have a laxative effect - which is not the best potential side effect for an anti-anxiety remedy! I've taken at least four or five of these pastilles within the space of an hour and, fortunately, didn't need to make a dash for the toilet! I'm not sure how many would be classed as 'excessive' as the tin doesn't offer any more specific information, which could be a bit of an issue.

Despite not being overly keen on the actual taste, I would be prepared to continue to use and buy these if they had any impact on my frame of mind so the crucial issue is how effective these are. I sucked the first couple of pastilles that I tried, with only minimal discernible effects on my stress and anxiety levels and did wonder whether chewing might make these more effective. In all honesty, I haven't noticed any difference between the two methods and personally much prefer sucking these as though they are tiny little boiled sweets. If anything, the sucking motion is slightly more soothing and seems to have slightly more impact on my ability to relax during tense moments. The difference is pretty minimal, however, and I daresay I would find the same amount of comfort and distraction from sucking any type of standard sweet, which would cost considerably less than these did.

Having paid £5.65 for a tin of these and having some prior awareness of the Dr Bach brand, I must admit that I am slightly disappointed by the minimal effects that I've felt from taking these pastilles. I don't find the taste of these particularly endearing, the tin is poorly and impractically designed and I haven't experienced any noticeable impact of my frame of mind or anxiety after taking these. All in all, I won't be making a repeat purchase - indeed, I have well over half of the contents of the tin left- and can't really recommend these as a product to relieve anxiety or stress, based on my own experiences.