Melatonin
Melatonin, or 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is a hormone produced by pinealocytes in the pineal gland, located in the center of the brain. It is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan.
Melatonin helps regulate sleep-wake or circadian rhythms. Normally, production of melatonin by the pineal gland is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light.
In recent times, melatonin has become available as a drug and a dietary supplement. It appears to have some use against insomnia and jet lag. It has been studied for the treatment of cancer, immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, depression, seasonal affective disorder, and sexual dysfunction; no apparent benefit in these has been found.
To synthesize melatonin, serotonin is converted to N-acetylserotonin by the enzyme 5-HT N-acetyltransferase. N-acetylserotonin is then converted to melatonin by the enzyme 5-hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase. See serotonin for details on how tryptophan is converted to serotonin.
Commercial melatonin may be extracted from bovine pineal glands. There may be a risk of contracting mad cow disease.
Evidence shows that melatonin can be responsible for vivid dreaming. This may be because melatonin releases naturally produced dimethyltryptamine from the pineal gland.
Melatonin has been shown to increase the lifespan of mice by 20% in some studies
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Warning:
USE ONLY AT BEDTIME. For adult use only. Not for use by children, teenagers, or pregnant or lactating women. If you are under medical supervision, or have an auto-immune disease, diabetes, a depressive disorder, epilepsy, leukemia or a lymphoproliferative disorder, or are taking MAO inhibitor drugs or corticosteroids such as cortisol or prednisone, consul a physician before taking this product.
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