Xtra Vitamin Shot - Rest and Relaxation

Xtra energy shots, on the whole, contain a whole lot of bargain fun. They can usually be found in dollar stores and other places where energy shots should cost around a dollar or so.  This variety I have had sitting around a while - a vitamin shot with special rest and relaxation powers.  I can usually handle a decent amount of stress - but then there are those times when I find myself all wide and awake at 4am, knowing that it's going to be a looong night.

Waking up in the middle of the night because my kid just got hit by a car and now I have medical bills and I dont know how much they are and why can't someone shut that fucking dog up because it is four thirty in the morning and who just LETS their dog keep barking like that and I seriously do not have enough money to cover all my bills and chat about the woman who destroyed her car and I understand if it was a burglar but you know that goddamn mongrel is barking at a fuzzy squirrel or something stupid and WONT SHUT UP and ohmygod I need a relaxation drink N O W!!

The thing is, I have no problem falling asleep when things get stressful.  When I get stressed - my natural instinct is to crash.  I once fell asleep during the opening performance of a Bertolt Brecht play with a naked guy in a bathtub on stage - and I was the guy onstage!   So when I get stressed out - I really don't need to take something to bury my head in the sandman.  What I do need is something to just help me RELAX.  This means that melatonin is fun but not really necessary if I am actually in a stressful situation.  But, from first glance it does not look like the ingredients in Xtra Vitamin Shot's Rest and Relaxation Formula is powerful enough to help me either.

Of course I knew what I was getting into from the big label on the shot too.  I love how it lists exactly what you are drinking right on the front - like a giant nutritional label.  While this is not so great from a design sense - I like the straightforwardness of Xtra's relaxation formula.  Xtra relaxation shot is about the most boring plain shot design I have ever seen - but I like it a whole lot for that too.  I enjoy its clinical prescription-esque feel.  It would be cool if all of Xtra's shots were as straightforward.

Xtra's Relaxation Shot tastes great going down. I was unsure about the shot's relaxing blue-green color.  Other than the occasional Mountain Dew Baja, I rarely down bluish drinks.  Along with the color, the flavor was very unnatural too. but did taste quite delicious.  The taste was unlike mostly every other shot I have had.  The closest I can come to in taste is an herbal iced tea Jolly Rancher.  The sweetener is sour - but worked well with the whole flavor profile.  

It worked too!  yeah - it did make me sleepy too, but it also worked well in getting me to mellow out and not want to kill canines - even annoying little yappy ones.  However I was able to just take it easier after drinking the anti-energy shot.  I was not ready to crash - but I was a bit more mellow - like if I had a nice cup of Celestial Seasonings.  Yeah - it was most likely psychosomatic, as it did not contain anything in it other than some Tryptophan and L-theanine (which was pretty cool to see) and some herbal tea filler, like Valerian Root,  lemon Balm,  white willow bark, chamomile and passion flower.

Taste:9, Packaging:8, Anti-Buzz:8