That’s a shame. I got it in bulk powder in the US. I still use time released as well so I can stay asleep though.
Here is a nice interview with Dr. Reiter, a melatonin specialist at the University of Texas. Watch the first 1 minute to hear his credentials. He’s clearly a big deal in Melatonin. Show notes below.
Show Notes
-How Dr. Reiter got into melatonin research [1:23]
-What melatonin does in the body [3:28]
-How blue light inhibits melatonin production [7:05]
-How melatonin is passed to the fetus and newborn [12:00]
-The anticancer benefits of melatonin [15:25]
-How pharmaceutical drugs suppress melatonin production [18:40]
-When should melatonin be taken during the day? [22:47]
-Does taking melatonin affect natural production? [24:36]
-Older people need more melatonin [29:20]
-How melatonin can reduce the impact of Covid-19 [31:15]
-The impact of alcohol and caffeine on melatonin production [34:45]
-Melatonin acts as an antiviral [37:24]
-How sunlight helps with the production of melatonin [44:35]
-Melatonin can reduce the likelihood of metastasis [50:45]
I. Executive Summary
This meta-analytical review distillates the clinical dialogue between host Chris Wark and cell biologist Dr. Russell Reiter regarding the underutilized cytoprotective, antioxidant, and oncostatic efficacy of the indoleamine melatonin. The core thesis establishes that melatonin is not a simple soporific hormone but a highly conserved, pleiotropic molecule essential for cellular survival, mitochondrial integrity, and genomic protection. Dr. Reiter establishes a critical physiological distinction between two individual body pools: circulating pineal melatonin and tissue-localized subcellular melatonin. Circulating melatonin is synthesized strictly under nocturnal conditions by the pineal gland, directed by the master suprachiasmatic nucleus clock via melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. This circadian pool orchestrates systemic temporal coordination and gates sleep onset. However, its amplitude undergoes severe age-related decline and is acutely suppressed by modern unshielded blue-wavelength artificial light, evening chronodisruptors, and common pharmaceuticals like lipophilic beta-blockers.
Crucially, the vast majority of total body melatonin resides in a separate, non-circadian pool synthesized directly within the mitochondria of peripheral somatic tissues. This localized pool is stimulated primarily by deep-penetrating solar near-infrared radiation, acting as an immediate, site-specific autocrine and paracrine free radical scavenger that counters intracellular oxidative stress. In pathological states, exogenous high-dose melatonin demonstrates substantial multi-tiered therapeutic efficacy. In oncology frameworks, melatonin modifies the Warburg effect by forcing a metabolic shift in malignant lines from cytoplasmic aerobic glycolysis back to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, effectively down-regulating metastatic cascades and driving apoptosis. Furthermore, clinical evidence indicates that high-dose oral bedtime melatonin mitigates intensive care mortality, ventilation dependencies, and severe systemic inflammatory cascades in acute viral syndromes like COVID-19. Melatonin displays an exceptionally wide therapeutic index, possessing no calculable median lethal dose in animal titrations and exhibiting no negative feedback inhibition on its own endogenous production. This document reviews these physiological mechanisms and translates them into a tiered clinical protocol designed to optimize light hygiene, utilize solar photobiomodulation, and implement empirical dosing strategies to minimize systemic morbidity and counter age-associated degenerative pathways.
II. Insight Bullets
- Melatonin was originally isolated and identified in 1958 by dermatologist Dr. Aaron Lerner [01:31].
- Initial military and space travel research in 1964 sought an endogenous factor to induce hibernation for long-duration Mars missions, accidentally focusing investigative attention on the pineal gland [02:09].
- Every vertebrate species possesses a pineal gland that synthesizes melatonin strictly during the dark phase of the photoperiod to serve as a circulating temporal cue [03:34].
- Melatonin functions concurrently as a circadian clock providing time-of-day data and a seasonal calendar tracking changing night lengths to adjust reproductive and metabolic status [04:11].
- Exogenous melatonin does not operate as a direct classical soporific drug; it functions by resetting the core circadian pacemaker to open the physiological sleep gate [05:10].
- Supplementation fails or yields suboptimal sleep induction in 30% to 35% of individuals because it is taken at an inappropriate circadian phase relative to individual sleep gates [05:29].
- Maintaining strict sleep hygiene and administering exogenous melatonin at the exact same chronological time nightly is required to preserve circadian entrainment [05:53].
- Artificial interior lighting exposure after sunset delays the natural onset of the endogenous melatonin rhythm, representing an evolutionary mismatch [07:16].
- Blue monochromatic wavelengths (460–480 nm) within standard white light are the most potent inhibitors of pineal melatonin synthesis [07:52].
- Ambient illumination derived from firelight, candlelight, or natural moonlight lacks the blue spectral power necessary to suppress pineal gland production [10:17].
- Activating standard overhead lighting in the middle of the night causes an immediate arrest of pineal melatonin synthesis, inducing acute chronodisruption similar to jet lag [08:31].
- The photic suppression of melatonin is completely independent of the rods and cones utilized for conscious image-forming vision [09:15].
- Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) utilize the photopigment melanopsin to transmit ambient light levels directly to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) [09:36].
- Maternal melatonin freely crosses the placental barrier during gestation, imparting vital circadian phase-setting cues to the developing fetus [12:02].
- Human neonates do not produce endogenous pineal melatonin for approximately the first six months of postnatal life [12:50].
- Maternal breast milk serves as the primary exogenous source of synchronized melatonin for infants during early postpartum development [12:59].
- Commercial infant formulas completely lack melatonin, creating a profound chronobiological divergence between breastfed and formula-fed infants [13:09].
- Aberrant development or disruption of the neonatal melatonin rhythm via nocturnal light exposure has been hypothesized as a potential factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) [14:04].
- Documented evidence of melatonin’s direct oncostatic capacity was first published in 1968 by European researcher Vera Lapin [15:52].
- Melatonin operates as an elite intracellular free radical scavenger, significantly outperforming classical chain-breaking antioxidants like vitamins C and E [17:05].
- Endogenous pineal melatonin production declines linearly with chronological aging, directly correlating with the parallel escalation of age-related systemic disorders [16:33].
- Conventional lipophilic beta-blockers suppress endogenous melatonin synthesis by blocking the beta-1 adrenergic receptors required for sympathetic pineal activation [18:47].
- Chronic circadian disruption via night-shift work or frequent transmeridian flight schedules significantly increases overall oncogenic risk profiles [19:29].
- Exogenous melatonin administration does not exert a negative feedback loop on endogenous production, avoiding the glandular atrophy seen with other hormone therapies [24:41].
- The pineal gland is controlled primarily by neural inputs from the sympathetic nervous system rather than circulating endocrine feedback mechanisms [24:52].
- In profoundly blind individuals lacking photic perception, the master clock free-runs on an approximate 25-hour period, progressively shifting peak melatonin timing daily [25:23].
- Smith-Magenis syndrome is a distinct genetic disorder characterized by an inverted melatonin rhythm, causing high daytime peaks and nocturnal nadirs [26:05].
- The inverted rhythm in Smith-Magenis patients causes severe daytime hypersomnolence and nocturnal insomnia, which can be corrected by daytime beta-blockers and nighttime melatonin [26:31].
- Chronically healthy, robust elderly individuals display significantly better-preserved nocturnal melatonin amplitudes compared to frail, age-matched counterparts [27:47].
- Malignant tumor cell metabolism undergoes a dramatic diurnal shift, exhibiting aggressive Warburg-type aerobic glycolysis during the day when melatonin is absent [22:58].
- At night, exposure to circulating nocturnal melatonin alters malignant energy pathways, suppressing the Warburg effect and reducing overall cancer aggressiveness [23:22].
- Critically ill neonates and adults suffering from severe sepsis have been successfully treated with daytime melatonin to blunt systemic hyper-inflammatory cascades [23:50].
- Standard over-the-counter sleep-gating doses range between 3 mg and 5 mg for young individuals, escalating with age to compensate for natural pineal calcification and decline [29:16].
- Dr. Reiter self-administers an ultra-high dose of 100 mg of melatonin nightly specifically to exploit its potent immunomodulatory and antiviral protective properties [30:07].
- Multiple human clinical trials demonstrate that melatonin co-administration reduces mortality, hospital stay durations, and intubation requirements in severe COVID-19 [31:05].
- Heavy evening intake of alcohol or concentrated caffeine significantly compromises nocturnal melatonin peak amplitudes [34:36].
- Advanced maternal age-associated reproductive decline and ovarian senescence can be deferred or mitigated via melatonin-mediated oocyte protection [35:14].
- Melatonin shields mammalian oocytes and granulosa cells from cumulative oxidative stress, preserving mitochondrial function and enhancing blastocyst implantation success [35:58].
- Melatonin acts therapeutically during viral epidemics by up-regulating host immunomodulatory responses, whereas standard antivirals attempt to target viral proteins directly [37:38].
- Standard commercial blue-blocking glasses often fail to optimize melatonin protection due to lack of a tight, wrap-around goggle frame, allowing peripheral light leakage [40:10].
- Light operates biologically as a powerful neuroendocrine drug that directly dictates master SCN clock phase settings and downstream hormone expression [42:54].
- Excess tissue oxygenation generates toxic volumes of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), accelerating systemic oxidative stress and industrial cellular aging [43:45].
- Melatonin is non-exclusively synthesized in the pineal gland; the vast majority of total body melatonin is produced locally inside non-endocrine somatic cells [45:19].
- Somatic tissue-derived melatonin is retained strictly intracellularly within local tissues and does not enter or contribute to circulating plasma concentrations [45:36].
- Solar near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (600–1300 nm) penetrate deeply through skin and subdermal structures, stimulating subcellular melatonin production [44:44].
- Early morning and late afternoon sunlight provides high ratios of near-infrared to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, priming cells with an antioxidant shield prior to midday UV exposure [48:08].
- Malignant cell lines systematically produce lower levels of intracellular melatonin compared to healthy counter-parts, disabling internal oncostatic auto-regulation [50:32].
- The primary clinical utility of high-dose melatonin in oncology frameworks is the targeted suppression of cancer cell migration and metastatic cascades [51:28].
- Exogenous melatonin supplementation has been demonstrated to stimulate endogenous melatonin synthesis pathways within cerebral glial cells [53:32].
- Melatonin provides substantial cytoprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury during acute myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke by neutralizing the immediate surge of free radicals [56:36].
- In animal toxicity models, melatonin lacks a calculable median lethal dose (LD50), demonstrating extremely low systemic toxicity profiles [01:00:49].
- Integrative oncology frameworks utilize high empirical doses of 120 mg to 150 mg of melatonin daily to exploit oncostatic and anti-metastatic effects [59:54].
- Historical clinical safety data include a landmark study where 75 mg of melatonin was administered to 1,400 women for up to four years without serious adverse consequences [01:03:32].
- Idiosyncratic or unique adverse events recorded in literature are restricted to extremely rare case reports of transient diarrhea or isolated gynecomastia [01:03:32].
III. Adversarial Claims & Evidence Table
| Claim from Video | Speaker’s Evidence | Scientific Reality (Current Data) | Evidence Grade (A-E) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-dose melatonin administration significantly reduces mortality, hospitalization duration, and intubation rates in severe COVID-19 infections. | Cites six clinical trials demonstrating decreased mortality and disease severity markers. | Prospectively evaluated trials and meta-analyses confirm that high-dose oral bedtime melatonin (OBM) reduces intensive care 90-day mortality (20.8% vs 36.1%) and lowers SOFA scores via systemic immunomodulation [Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, 2026]. Small sample sizes in initial RCTs introduce minor bias, but clinical data remains robust [Examine Meta-Analysis, 2023]. | Level B | Strong Support |
| Solar near-infrared (NIR) radiation penetrates human tissue deeply to trigger extra-pineal subcellular (mitochondrial) melatonin synthesis. | Mentions a joint publication with lighting engineer Scott Zimmerman concerning tissue penetrability and cellular stimulation. | Photobiomodulation frameworks and biochemical analyses support the hypothesis that NIR radiation activates mitochondrial melatonin synthesis, acting as a site-specific antioxidant. However, direct real-time in vivo quantification of newly synthesized intracellular melatonin under solar exposure remains a high priority for experimental human validation [PubMed, 2026]. | Level D | Plausible (Translational Gap) |
| Exogenous melatonin supplementation delays ovarian aging, protects oocytes from oxidative stress, and optimizes clinical reproductive outcomes. | Cites animal models and collaborative reproductive research with colleague Dr. Doris Loh. | A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 human RCTs confirms that melatonin supplementation (≤3 mg/day) significantly increases clinical pregnancy rates (OR = 1.59), high-quality embryo formation, and mature MII oocyte counts by mitigating follicular oxidative stress [Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 2025]. | Level A | Strong Support |
| Prescription beta-blockers suppress endogenous pineal melatonin synthesis, inducing clinical sleep disturbances that require exogenous replacement. | Describes the sympathetic neural pathway where beta-1 adrenergic receptors on pinealocytes drive melatonin production. | Human clinical data demonstrate that lipophilic beta-blockers (propranolol, atenolol) depress nocturnal plasma melatonin amplitudes by 40% to 80%. Randomized placebo-controlled crossover trials confirm that nighttime melatonin supplementation successfully restores sleep architecture without drug tolerance [Scheer et al., 2012 / Semantic Scholar]. | Level B | Strong Support |
| Melatonin lacks a calculable median lethal dose (LD50), avoids negative feedback loops, and is entirely non-toxic at extreme doses (100–150 mg). | Cites animal toxicity titration failures and his personal 28-year regimen of self-administering up to 100 mg nightly. | Large-scale systematic reviews confirm melatonin’s high safety index. High-dose long-term trials (including 75 mg daily administered to 1,400 women for up to four years) demonstrate no serious adverse events or drug dependencies, with mild transient events (headache, dizziness, nausea) matching placebo rates [Wu et al., 2026 / Journal PAIN]. Glandular feedback inhibition is absent due to neural control [Mayo Clinic Press, 2026]. | Level A | Strong Support |
IV. Actionable Protocol (Prioritized)
High Confidence Tier (Backed by Level A/B Human Clinical Evidence)
- Chronobiological Sleep Gating: To resolve primary insomnia or age-related sleep latency issues, administer 1 mg to 5 mg of pure crystalline melatonin 30 to 60 minutes before the intended sleep window [Mayo Clinic Press, 2026]. Maintain a rigid chronological schedule to properly align the SCN master clock; avoid random weekend administration shifts [[Chris Wark & Dr. Reiter, 00:05:53]].
- Correcting Drug-Induced Suppression: Patients prescribed chronic lipophilic beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol, metoprolol, atenolol) for hypertension must co-administer 2 mg to 3 mg of melatonin nightly at bedtime to reverse drug-induced pineal suppression and preserve normal sleep architecture [Scheer et al., 2012 / Semantic Scholar].
- Reproductive & IVF Optimization: Females facing advanced maternal age (≥35 years) or undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) should implement a daily bedtime dose of 2 mg to 3 mg of melatonin for at least 8 weeks prior to and during the stimulation cycle to reduce oocyte oxidative stress and enhance high-quality blastocyst formation [Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 2025].
Experimental Tier (Backed by Level C/D Evidence or Mechanistic Plausibility)
- Adjuvant High-Dose Oncology Support: Under strict integrative oncological supervision, advanced-stage or metastatic cancer patients may consider empirical night-time dosing of 20 mg to 100+ mg to target cancer cell migration pathways, exploit anti-metastatic actions, and blunt the daytime Warburg metabolic phenotype [MDPI Oncology, 2024; [Dr. Reiter, 00:51:28]].
- Solar Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation: Maximize natural subcellular, non-pineal mitochondrial melatonin synthesis by obtaining 15 to 30 minutes of unshielded, direct outdoor solar exposure during early morning and late afternoon windows, where the ratio of near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths to ultraviolet (UV) light is highly favorable [PubMed, 2026].
- Acute Ischemia & Inflammatory Prophylaxis: In the immediate, acute phase of an ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, or severe septic onset, empirical emergency loading of 100 mg of oral melatonin may be utilized to capitalize on its massive radical-scavenging capacity and limit tissue necrosis caused by sudden ischemia-reperfusion injury [[Dr. Reiter, 00:23:50], [57:41]].
Red Flag Zone (Claims Lacking Safety Data or Clear Clinical Contraindications)
- Unshielded Nocturnal Photic Exposure: Complete prohibition of overhead unshielded white or blue-wavelength artificial light after 21:00. Standard commercial blue-blocking glasses must be substituted with strict wrap-around, goggle-style lenses to prevent peripheral light leakage from resetting SCN neural firing rates [[Dr. Reiter, 00:08:31], [40:10]].
- Sub-Therapeutic Low Dosing in Oncology: Utilizing standard low doses (<10 mg) for active oncology adjuvant care is clinical nonsense; meta-analyses confirm that low-dose protocols are entirely ineffective for managing the complex symptom clusters and metabolic realities of active malignant disease [ASCO / Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2026].
- Unmonitored Infant Chrono-disruption: Avoid using standard artificial lighting or digital screens during midnight infant care or nursing periods. Because human infants are entirely dependent on maternal breast milk for their systemic melatonin signals for the first six months, using un-supplemented artificial formulas under conditions of high ambient nocturnal light induces severe infant chronodisruption [[Dr. Reiter, 00:12:50], [13:09]].
V. Technical Mechanism Breakdown
[Ambient Photic Environment] │ ▼ (Blue Wavelengths: 460-480nm) [Melanopsin-Expressing ipRGCs] │ ▼ (Retinohypothalamic Tract Monosynaptic Input) [Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)] ───(Nocturnal Activation/Absence of Photic Signal)───► [Polysynaptic Sympathetic Pathway] │ ▼ (Norepinephrine Release) [Pinealocyte Beta-1 / Alpha-1 Adrenoceptors] │ ▼ (cAMP / PKA Activation) [AANAT / ASMT Enzymatic Cascade] │ ▼ [Circulating Pineal Melatonin Secretion]
1. The Retinohypothalamic-Pineal Gland Axis
The suppression and synchronization of systemic melatonin are governed by a specialized non-image-forming photic pathway. Photons within the blue spectrum (460–480 nm) hit the retina and are captured by a distinct population of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that express the photopigment melanopsin [[Dr. Reiter, 00:09:36]]. These cells transmit a continuous bioelectric signal via a monosynaptic pathway—the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT)—directly to the master circadian pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the base of the hypothalamus [[Dr. Reiter, 00:09:36]].
During daylight or artificial blue-light exposure, SCN neural firing suppresses the descending sympathetic output. At night, in the absence of blue photons, the SCN permits the transmission of an active sympathetic signal. Postganglionic sympathetic fibers originating from the superior cervical ganglion release norepinephrine onto the pinealocytes. Norepinephrine binds concurrently to beta-1 and alpha-1 adrenergic receptors on the pineal cell membrane. This dual binding induces a sharp increase in intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, which up-regulates the transcription and stabilizes the activation of the rate-limiting enzyme arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), alongside acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT / HIOMT) [Semantic Scholar, 2022]. This enzymatic chain converts serotonin into melatonin, which is immediately secreted into the capillary bed via passive diffusion [Semantic Scholar, 2022].
2. Modification of the Warburg Effect
Malignant oncology lines utilize the Warburg effect: an altered metabolic phenotype wherein cells rely on cytoplasmic aerobic glycolysis to generate ATP and carbon skeletons for rapid proliferation, even in the presence of abundant oxygen [[Dr. Reiter, 00:23:22], [50:59]]. Melatonin operates as a major endogenous epigenetic and metabolic modulator that reverses this process. Exogenous or circulating melatonin enters the malignant cell via passive diffusion or glucose transporters (GLUT1) and accumulates directly within the mitochondrial matrix [[Dr. Reiter, 00:53:24]].
Once inside the mitochondria, melatonin down-regulates hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) signaling and suppresses pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). The systematic suppression of PDK reactivates the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA within the matrix, forcing the cell out of cytoplasmic aerobic glycolysis and shifting it back into mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation [[Dr. Reiter, 00:23:22], [50:59]]. This profound metabolic realignment drastically starves the tumor cell of the necessary structural precursors for biomass synthesis, down-regulates matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) responsible for tissue degradation, prevents metastatic cell migration, and restores normal intrinsic mitochondrial apoptosis cascades via cytochrome c release [MDPI Oncology, 2024].
3. Extra-Pineal Mitochondrial Melatonin Production
[Solar Near-Infrared Radiation (600-1300nm)] ───► Deep Tissue Penetration (Skin/Subdermis) ───► Somatic Cell Mitochondria │ ▼ [Mitochondrial ASMT/AANAT] │ ▼ [Localized Subcellular Melatonin] │ ▼ [Site-Specific ROS Neutralization]
The classical view that melatonin is uniquely an endocrine product of the pineal gland is biologically inaccurate. Glandular pineal melatonin represents a minor, highly specialized circadian pool that serves as a systemic timing marker [[Dr. Reiter, 00:45:19]]. The vast majority of total body melatonin is synthesized non-circadianly within the mitochondria of peripheral somatic tissues (e.g., immune-competent cells, hepatic tissue, and neural cells), where it is consumed locally and never enters systemic circulation [[Dr. Reiter, 00:45:36]; Semantic Scholar, 2022].
This localized pool is driven by solar near-infrared (NIR) radiation within the 600–1300 nm spectrum [PubMed, 2026]. Because NIR light penetrates several centimeters through the cutaneous dermis and subdermal organ structures, it interacts directly with the mitochondrial electron transport chain. NIR photons stimulate cytochrome c oxidase, boosting ATP synthesis and up-regulating the local mitochondrial AANAT and ASMT production machinery [PubMed, 2026]. This cellular mechanism serves as a pre-emptive, highly conserved cytoprotective adaptation: early morning infrared radiation induces a localized mitochondrial melatonin shield that protects healthy tissues from the subsequent oxidative stress and ultraviolet-induced DNA damage of midday solar exposure [[Dr. Reiter, 00:48:08]].
4. Continuous Intracellular Radical Scavenging Cascade
Melatonin operates as a superior antioxidant through a non-receptor-mediated chemical interaction known as a “scavenging cascade.” While conventional antioxidants like vitamin E are chain-breaking molecules that neutralize a single free radical before becoming toxic pro-oxidant radicals themselves, melatonin undergoes continuous sequential oxidation.
Upon direct interaction with the highly destructive hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) or peroxynitrite anion (ONOO−), melatonin is modified into cyclic 3-hydroxymelatonin. This metabolite further reacts with subsequent free radicals to convert into N1-acetyl-N2-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK), which subsequently breaks down into N1-acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AMK) [Semantic Scholar, 2022]. Crucially, every single downstream metabolite in this cascade retains the full chemical capacity to scavenge additional reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) [Semantic Scholar, 2022]. Consequently, a single original molecule of melatonin can successfully neutralize up to 10 highly reactive free radicals inside the mitochondrial matrix, providing unprecedented protection to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and lipid membranes against ischemia-reperfusion necrosis and hyper-inflammatory cytokine storms [[Dr. Reiter, 00:56:36]].
What is the best extended-release melatonin brand at a reasonable price?
Some notes from the video in the comment above https://youtu.be/YU9QUbsqrcQ:
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Melatonin levels are both an internal clock and an internal calendar, the latter because of the changing amount of light in different seasons.
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You should take Melatonin at the same time very night.
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Avoid blue light at night, and avoid light during the night.
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Retinas have a set of photoreceptors (not cones or rods) that affect the internal clock.
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Fire light, candle light, and moon light have no blue.
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Night lights should be red, yellow, orange.
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Melatonin helps set the biological clock of a developing fetus. Nursing children for 3-4 months and maybe as long as 5-6 months do not produce melatonin – they get it from nursing. Babies who do not nurse do not receive this melatonin. Some have speculated that SIDS could have a correlation with melatonin, but this has not been studied.
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Melatonin is one of the most powerful anti-cancer hormones and it is also an antioxidant.
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Most cancers are age-related. As you age you produce less melatonin. Melatonin suppresses tumor growth and cancer growth.
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Melatonin is part of your body’s repair and regeneration process.
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Melatonin should be more widely used because of the misuse of light.
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We could reduce some negative age-related effects on health through the use of melatonin.
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Animal studies show that cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases are inhibited by melatonin.
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People fighting cancer may want to take melatonin during the day as well as night, because it leaves the body quickly.
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Melatonin can also help sepsis.
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Does taking Melatonin reduce your body’s ability to produce Melatonin? Melatonin in the body is produced in the pineal glad. This Melatonin is controlled by the nervous system and not by endocrine feedback. Therefore, there is no evidence of this.
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Blind people have lower rates of certain cancers. This could have to do with their high levels of melatonin.
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Melatonin levels drop as we age. If you take 75 year olds and separate them by health level, those who are more healthy have more melatonin. Could be one way or the other, but there is the correlation.
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How much do you take at night? Started with 3-5 mg as a young person. To defer aging, a 45 year old person might take 10mg. But others more. He is reluctant to say how much he takes because he doesn’t want to make a recommendation. But he does take 100mg nightly “for a very specific reason.” It is also very anti-viral. He wants to impede the likelihood that he’ll get COVID. If not for COVID he would be taking less. Probably 30-50mg/night as an 85 year old.
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Six clinical trials on Melatonin and COVID were currently being conducted when the video was made. They have all shown it helps: reduce either the severity of the infection, duration of hospitalization, necessity for tracheal intubation, decreased mortality.
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Melatonin is cheaper than aspirin.
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Older people have lower melatonin. They also tend to take more prescription medications. Some of these reduce melatonin levels.
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Does alcohol affect melatonin? Yes, particular if late in the day or evening. Also coffee.
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Women are delaying child-bearing. This leads to some negative effects in the children. Melatonin seems to help protect against this. Women in late reproductive periods should take melatonin, also helps preserve the reproductive system.
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There is very little evidence that it ever has negative effects.
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Melatonin is an anti-viral generally, even against the common cold. Zika, Ebola. Up-regulates the immune system.
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Ebola: WHO says any reasonable treatment should be used to help if it helps. Melatonin can help.
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Blue-blocker glasses: are these helpful? One or two studies say maybe. Often they’re not wrap-around. If you’re going to wear them they should be like goggles. Avoid blue light in the the evening by any means. But they are so-so as a help.
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Astronauts change the wavelengths of the light on the space stations. Light is a drug that impacts our physiology.
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Oxidative stress is a great pressure on the body.
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Infrared light from the sun has an effect on melatonin in the body. This has high permeability. It impacts cells directly.
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Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland. It is also produced in the body, in cells, but it is never released into the blood.
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Infrared light has impacts on melatonin synthesis in the cells.
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Sunlight changes during the day: In the early morning hours we’re getting mostly infrared. Later UV. In late afternoon back to infra-red. The infrared actually helps repair skin damage, so morning and evening sun help the skin to repair what is caused by the midday UV.
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So melatonin is also produced during the day – not in the blood but in the cell.
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Cancer cells produce less melatonin than normal cells. Warberger Effect. They are deficient in the way of protecting themselves with melatonin.
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Melatonin reduces the effect of metastasis. It has actions that suggest it would be anti-metastatic.
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Melatonin is absorbed from the blood by the cell and by the mitochondria. Supplemental melatonin encourages in-cell production of melatonin.
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Can infrared light from devices also encourage the body to produce melatonin? Probably, it is the light that does it.
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The evidence regrind stroke and heart attack – those cells don’t regenerate or don’t do it very well. Aspirin is often chewed to get it in the blood quickly. This doctor would immediately load up on melatonin if he had a heart attack. What dose? 100mg perhaps several times over that next 24 hours. Not a recommendation.
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Melatonin is not magical. It is just a good wholesome molecule that evolved to help cells operate at a maximum level. Benefits greatly outweigh the risks.
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Some say 120-150mg a day. Is that too much? Different cancers, comorbidities may suggest different amounts. But…
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You can’t overdose on melatonin.
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The optimal dose is hard to decide upon. The double-blind studies have not been done. But don’t be afraid of taking too much.
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Are there any side effects that might suggest an overdose? Sleepy? Dizzy? This is hard to quantify. There could be some unique metabolic issues for some people in some times where Melatonin might not be recommended.
This has been discussed months ago
Reiter takes 180mg per day, review Shallenberger paper/discussion.
Shallenberger’s slides and paper have been posted more than one time on this forum
And a link to a PDF copy of Reiter’s medical book {NOT his consumer book] has been posted.
Yes, I see the thread is quite long. Do you disapprove of me sharing more information on the subject? I thought these details might be helpful for some people.
Also, Shallenberger’s paper and slides explicitly recommend a particular brand of melatonin from a specific company. That made me hesitant to trust his recommendation. Dr. Reiter does not make any such recommendation, so I trust his conclusions more.
As it happens, they do align! All the better.
Mentions the brand he uses That is NOT the only brand that is 60mg per capsules size. There are other brands mfg/sold in 60mg capsules
FWIW
I personally know Frank since the early 80’s. I was the person that organized the first German Medical Ozone Training Course (done in English) in Heidelberg.
The persuasion is really strong that high dose melatonin is snake oil.
If I wanted to make money by selling snake oil, I would do what he does.
(i.e see all his statements like “prevent cardiovascular disease”), there’s a reason why that’s not allowed, if it’s not true, it’s fraud and he’s lucky he is not on the radar of the FDA.
"Do you disapprove of me sharing more information on the subject? "
Absolutely not, I for one am not interested in rummaging around trying to find an old thread. The content of this site has grown to be quite large. When some new reason comes up to discuss things in an old thread, it is fine by me.
The video I watched of Dr. Reiter was persuasive to me. Also, he did repeat many of the claims by Dr. S.
It sounds like high dose melatonin is inexpensive and almost impossible to overdo. It does not stop your body from making its own melatonin and does do something that your pineal glad melatonin does not do: it travels through your bloodstream into your cells where it supplements the natural melatonin that cells make for themselves as an antioxidant.
This appears to be the primary benefit of supplemented high doses of melatonin — not to regulate sleep but to help regenerate and repair the inner machinery and especially the mitochondria of your cells.
I’m going to give it a go and we’ll see what happens. I’m taking 60mg tonight for the first time. I’ll report back a few times to share my experience, particularly as regards daytime grogginess and sleepiness (two supposed side effects that some experience), and as regards sleep quality.
If you find something that seems “too good to be true”, it probably is. Also please be careful, and consider why you are doing this. What are you really trying to get out of it? Can’t you get that from something else.
High dose melatonin will certainly not increase happiness.
I got rid of my weighted blanket. I felt like I was being slowly crushed every night. Not trying that again.
I’m surprised people can get away with such high doses of melatonin without feeling groggy. Even just 5mg makes me tired well into the next day. It’s a relaxing feeling at least.
I find it quite useful as a “stress buffer”, so for example if I exercise a lot of am cutting calories, I can get away with higher doses without as much sedation.
The research is certainly promising.
Timing is key, not only against the circadian cycle, but also against ultradian cycles.
Way way higher than 180
Tg2576 mice receiving ~66.66 mg/kg daily starting at age 4 months showed a significant reduction in Aβ levels in brain tissues, as well as lowered abnormal nitration of proteins [362]. Importantly, Tg2576 mice receiving ~266.66 mg/kg daily starting at age 4 months produced the most impressive results where the brains of mice terminated at 15.5 months not only exhibited a dramatic decline in oligomeric Aβ40, but also a significant increase in soluble monomeric Aβ40. A noticeable decreasing trend in Aβ42 was observed in treated compared to untreated mice at the same age [361]. When Tg2576 mice from two separate experiments were administered ~266.66 mg/kg melatonin in drinking water daily starting at age 4 months until termination at 15.5 months, survival was significantly increased in treated compared to untreated mice [361,362]. Melatonin treatment at ~266.66 mg/kg daily in drinking water was able to reduce mortality in Tg2576 mice to levels observed in wild-type mice [361] (Table 2). Consequently, the effective translation of melatonin doses between animals and humans becomes the primary consideration when designing the dosage for clinical trials.
Table 3. Calculations of three HEDs converted from animal doses using different adjustments that account for differences in (A) Metabolic rates by scaling to the ¾-power; (B) Bioavailability; (C) Bioavailability that is enhanced by solubility and/or formulation.
| Study Design/Total Daily Dose/Duration/Ref. | Results | (A) HED Daily Total (mg/kg) Scaled to Mb3/4 | (B) Dose (A) Adjusted by Bioavailability | (C) Dose (A) Adjusted by Enhanced Bioavailability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mg/mL in drinking water, Tg2576 AD mice/266.66 mg/kg/11.5 mos starting at 4 mos old/[361,362] | Striking reductions in Aβ aggregates at all ages during treatment; dramatic extension of survival of AD mice to levels similar to wild types. | 2499 mg (35.7 mg/kg) | 4831 mg (69 mg/kg) | 10,621 mg (151.73 mg/kg) |
| 0.5 mg/mL in drinking water, Tg2576 AD mice/66.66 mg/kg/11.5 mos starting at 4 mos old/[362] | Striking reductions in Aβ levels in brain tissues of treated mice at 8, 9.5, 11, and 15.5 months. | 625 mg (8.928 mg/kg) | 1208 mg (17.26 mg/kg) | 2656 mg (37.94 mg/kg) |
| 0.016 mg/mL in drinking water, Tg2576 AD mice/2.13 mg/kg/10 wks starting at age 14 mos old/[363] | Failed to reduce brain Aβ levels, unable to reverse oxidative damage. | 19.96 mg (0.285 mg/kg) | 38.58 mg (0.55 mg/kg) | 84.83 mg (1.21 mg/kg) |
| 10 mg/kg in drinking water, healthy, normal C57BL/6J mice/14 days after tauopathy initiation/[366] | Reduced memory impairment, tau hyperphosphorylation, ROS, and neuroinflammation. | 96.23 mg (1.375 mg/kg) | 186.0 mg (2.66 mg/kg) | 408.98 mg (5.84 mg/kg) |
| 40 ppm in food pellets, healthy, normal B6C3F1 mice/7.2 mg/kg/11 weeks different age groups/[364] | Significant reduction in Aβ peptides in brain cortex tissues: 57% in Aβ40 and 73% in Aβ42; increased melatonin levels in cerebral cortex in all 3 treated age groups (12 > 6 > 27 mos) compared to untreated. | 69.29 mg (0.99 mg/kg) | 133.94 mg (1.91 mg/kg) | Not applicable |
| 10 mg/kg IP injection, C57BL/6J mice treated with Aβ1-42 peptide/daily IP injections for 3 wks/[365] | Reversed Aβ1-42-induced synaptic disorder, memory deficit; prevented Aβ1-42-induced apoptosis, neurodegeneration, and tau phosphorylation. | 98.55 mg (1.41 mg/kg) | 486.15 mg (6.95 mg/kg) | Not applicable |
Based on the info in this thread, I have increased my Melatonin dose to 20 mg extended release. I feel so much more rested in the AM. I was a skeptic.
I was surprised also. John Hemming’s report of his personal usage inspired me to take a closer look at the literature. Because melatonin has many anti-cancer properties I was interested in increasing my dose. I just assumed that taking high doses would induce daytime sleepiness. That is not the case. I have experienced zero daytime sleepiness from taking doses of 60 to 100 mg at night. The number of adverse events associated with taking high-dose melatonin is very small.
“Beyond its sleep and chronobiotic properties, melatonin is a potent antioxidant9 and has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier,10 with suggested anti-amyloid properties. Due to this, melatonin has been increasingly investigated in many varying conditions, including cancer, cardiometabolic conditions and neurodegenerative diseases at higher doses, where there is less documentation of its safety. Doses ranging from 30 to 100 mg are being suggested or tested for effectiveness in a range of conditions and ages, including ocular ischaemic syndrome”
“In supporting the anti-cancer effect of melatonin, its efficacy in reducing the incidence of cancer has been proven through animal studies and clinical trials”
“Safety of higher doses of melatonin in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis”
I’m back up to 40mg time released melatonin and on days off if I wake up too early or in the middle of the night I’ll take an additional 80mg bulk powder. I’m currently doing shift work from 06:30-19:00 so sleep can be a bit challenging. When I was taking high doses before I thought it was causing hair shedding but apparently it was a coincidence because I don’t have that problem this time around.
I was wondering if anyone has read that melatonin can help menopause by lowering FSH/LH? I had run across that info years ago but haven’t been able to confirm if it’s true. My menopausal symptoms seem greatly improved with a high enough dose of melatonin -although it could be placebo.