# How do "unergy" drinks work? Do they work for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987 "2011-06-10T16:36:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/1 "2011-06-10T16:36:17Z")
I picked up a little bottle of this stuff called iChill at the gas station today, which is supposed to be the opposite of that 4-hour energy stuff. The tagline is: unwind from the grind; helps you relax, reduce stress, sleep better. Never tried it before, but I figured it’d be neat to see if it worked. Has anyone else tried it? Anything to report? In a 2 ounce bottle, it contains 0 sugars, 0 calories, 20mg B3, 2mg B6, 6mcg B12, 10mg B5, 10mg valerian root, 10mg rose hips, and 5mg melatonin. I suspect that the melatonin and valerian root are the sleepy-making ingredients, but I don’t know about any of the other ingredients. Is this something I should avoid using when I have to be reasonably alert (like at work, while driving) or is it a pretty weak formulation? Or more placebo than anything else? Let’s dish 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/2 "2011-06-10T21:48:55Z")
I’d say it’s the melatonin that is making you sleepy. 1-6mg is what is usually recommended. 10mg of valerian is a very small amount. 300-900mgs daily is what is usually recommended for insomnia. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/3 "2011-06-10T22:02:55Z")
Melatonin tells your body it’s night time. Valerian has an effect on the GABA[sub]A[/sub] or BZD receptors–the same ones stuff like Valium works on. B3 has also been shown to have an effect on those receptors. The other B’s are usually energizing, but, due to the complex nature of the body, extra energy can actually make you tired. Rose hips I believe is supposed to be a depressant, but I’ve not seen any actual studies. Also, note that the vitamins probably come from the herbal supplements, and were not specifically added. So my analysis of them may not be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/4 "2011-06-10T22:14:53Z")
My unergy drink is a Valium. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/5 "2011-06-10T22:23:49Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > My unergy drink is a Valium. That’s available in a liquid? ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/6 "2011-06-10T22:56:45Z")
I’ll just stick to good ol’ fashioned purple drank, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/7 "2011-06-11T06:05:25Z")
The best unergy drink is a beer or six. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-unergy-drinks-work-do-they-work-for-you/584987/8 "2011-06-11T06:20:03Z")
It’s not a drink but a pill. If I have insomnia it works pretty well. It’s called “knock out” and contains (among other things) Valerian root.