USP Pharmaceutical Grade Melatonin: A Gift to Humanity

 

“Using the best possible source is your surety for therapeutic success without the risk of side effects.”

Melatonin derived from bovine pineal gland extract was discovered in 1958 by Aron Lerner and co-workers. I recall the first-time melatonin became available as a raw material for over-the-counter sales—it was 32 years ago. Because it was novel with limited supply and in hot demand, it traded at global prices so my first purchase was locked in at $12,000 USD per kilo. Even before taking delivery, the price escalated by 50%. I refused, and in 1990 we produced our first melatonin under the brand Your Choice which evolved to Life Choice®.

Melatonin is the hormone produced within the pineal gland located near the center of the brain. The pineal gland is often referred to as the “third eye,” which originated for many reasons ranging from its location deep in the center of the brain to its connection to light. It is a very small organ shaped like a pine cone (which is where it gets its name). It is reddish-gray and about 1/3 inch long.

Melatonin has become extremely popular and is being given to children to help them sleep. Society assumes that melatonin is safe, and that they are all produced the same but that is the farthest from the truth. Melatonin is a hormone and quality measures for all hormones must be produced to pharmaceutical standards to be considered safe, especially for children.

When you think of triggering such an important gland—which controls bodily functions such as sleep/wake cycle or reproductive development and targets both the central and peripheral nervous system tissues—that the purity of the source would be of utmost importance. Imagine stimulating this sensitive gland with an unknown animal pineal gland and with unknown chemical residues or having it extracted from pig’s pineal gland mixed with unknown synthetic sources that may pose a risk to humans because it could be contaminated with animal viruses. It is no wonder why Chinese sourced melatonin is associated with radical side effects such as nightmares, clenching of the teeth and muscle spasms. These side effects are not from melatonin but from the sourcing of the melatonin.

In the beginning, the quality of melatonin was produced to United States Pharmaceutical Standards (USP), meaning the material was everything it was meant to be; every step-in the production process was to the same standards used for producing a pharmaceutical drug. Today that is not the case as most melatonin is sourced from China and produced to feed grade standards so the quality is anyone’s guess. This melatonin sourced from China costs about $175 CAN per kilo, the patented USP grade melatonin sourced for Life Choice® is priced at $2,000 USD per kilo and the price paid is worth every penny.

So why is melatonin so important? According to an article in Pubmed, “[m]elatonin has wide range of applications in physiology and biomedical fields. (…) Consistent efforts have uncovered the mystery of this indoleamine, and demonstrated its role in regulation of a large as well as diverse body functions in different groups of animals in general, and in humans in particular.”[1]

At first, melatonin was the answer for treating insomnia and reducing the impact of jet lag by regulating the circadian cycle. Within the human body the pathway melatonin takes includes both tryptophan and serotonin. Melatonin production is influenced by darkness while light causes the production to stop, this sleep-wake cycle is called the circadian rhythm; it helps to facilitate the transition to sleep and promotes quality rest the body needs for restoration.  Shift workers, those that work during the night, often struggle with sleep difficulties related to a misaligned circadian rhythm. Studies have produced inconclusive results, although some people report a benefit. In my studies the answer lies in when and how melatonin is administered and also depends on the source of the raw materials used. My recommendation is to take one milligram (seven drops) of Sweet Dreams Melapure Melatonin one to two hours before sleep to allow the body to relax. This is also the exact amount for anti-aging purposes. For jet lag research has found that “melatonin, taken close to the target bedtime at the destination (10pm to midnight), decreased jet lag from flights crossing five or more time zones.”[2] Dosage from one to three milligrams has been shown to be effective.

My field of study throughout my career has been associated with development of chronic disease, the origin within the body and the causal chain leading to the diseased state and natural treatment to reverse the process. My other field of study is reducing premature aging, better known as anti-aging, but the one which is life in the purest sense. It is the process of aging that I find fascinating.

According to a study reported in Science Direct, melatonin has been used successfully for treating neurological diseases. “The aging process is not univocal, both body and brain age. Neurological disorders are a major cause of disability and death worldwide. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015, neurological diseases are the second most common cause of death and 16.8% of total deaths are caused by neurological diseases worldwide. Neurological disease deaths have risen 36% worldwide in 25 years. Melatonin is a neuroregulator hormone that has free radical scavenger, strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunosuppressive actions.”[3] The article goes on to state that “melatonin levels are low in people with neurological diseases. Both preventive and therapeutic effects of melatonin are known for many diseases, including neurological diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy, headache, etc.). Based on all these reasons, clinical trials of melatonin were performed and successful results were declared. (…) Melatonin may be the solution we have been looking for.”[4]

A double-blind study from Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran has received very little attention. Their “single-center, double-blind, randomized clinical trial included 74 hospitalized patients with confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19 from April 25, 2020-June 5, 2020. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive standard of care and standard of care plus melatonin at a dose of 3mg three times daily for 14 d. Clinical characteristics, laboratory, and radiological findings were assessed and compared between two study groups at baseline and post-intervention. Safety and clinical outcomes were followed up for four weeks.”[5] Results showed that “[c]ompared with the control group, the clinical symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, and fatigue, as well as the level of CRP and the pulmonary involvement in the intervention group had significantly improved (p <0.05). The mean time of hospital discharge of patients and return to baseline health was significantly shorter in the intervention group compared to the control group (p <0.05). No deaths and adverse events were observed in both groups.”[6] As a conclusion, the study stated that clinical symptoms of COVID-19 could potentially be improved with the adjuvant use of melatonin.

Another study revealed even more impressive results where the study group of people had metastatic stage IV lung cancer. Adding 20mg of melatonin to chemo led to significantly higher rates of tumour regression and survival than chemo alone. In particular, no patient treated with chemotherapy alone was alive after 2 years, whereas a 5-year survival was achieved in three of 49 (6%) patients treated with chemotherapy and melatonin. “Moreover, chemotherapy was better tolerated in patients treated with melatonin. This study confirms, in a considerable number of patients and for a long follow-up period, the possibility to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in terms of both survival and quality of life by a concomitant administration of melatonin. This suggests a new bio-chemotherapeutic strategy in the treatment of human neoplasms. The ones on melatonin also had fewer side effects.”[7]

The human gut is also referred to as the second brain. “The gastrointestinal tract of vertebrate species is a rich source of extra pineal melatonin. The concentration of melatonin in the gastrointestinal tissues surpasses blood levels by 10-100 times and there is at least 400x more melatonin in the gastrointestinal tract than in the pineal gland. (…) It has been hypothesized that some melatonin found in the gastrointestinal tract might be of pineal origin. (…) Because of its unique properties, melatonin could be considered for prevention or treatment of colorectal cancer, ulcerative colitis, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and childhood colic.”[8]

I have only touched the surface on what melatonin can do for you. I have studied its therapeutic properties for 30 plus years and the new research still amazes me.  As you can see melatonin does far more than just produce a restful sleep, it is a miracle hormone. Considering all the health benefits melatonin can offer, using the best possible source is your surety for therapeutic success without the risk of side effects. This is why Melapure® Melatonin from Life Choice® is the brand to take.

References:

  • Bubenik, George A. 2002. Gastrointestinal melatonin: localization, function, and clinical relevance. Digestive diseases and sciences vol. 47,10: 2336-48. doi:10.1023/a:1020107915919
  • Farnoosh, Gholamreza et al. 2022. “Efficacy of a Low Dose of Melatonin as an Adjunctive Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized, Double-blind Clinical Trial.” Archives of medical research 53,1: 79-85. doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2021.06.006
  • Chowdhury, Indrajit et al. 2008. Melatonin: fifty years of scientific journey from the discovery in bovine pineal gland to delineation of functions in human. Indian journal of biochemistry & biophysics 45,5: 289-304.
  • Herxheimer, A, and K J Petrie. 2002. Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2: CD001520. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001520
  • Gunata, M et al. 2020. Melatonin: A review of its potential functions and effects on neurological diseases. Revue neurologique 176, 3: 148-165. doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2019.07.025
  • Lissoni, P et al. 2003. Five years survival in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy and melatonin: a randomized trial. Journal of pineal research vol. 35,1: 12-5. doi:10.1034/j.1600-079x.2003.00032.x

[1] Chowdhury, Indrajit et al. 2008.

[2] Herxheimer, A, and K J Petrie. 2002.

[3] Gunata, M et al. 2020.

[4] ibid.

[5] Farnoosh, Gholamreza et al. 2022.

[6] ibid.

[7] Lissoni, P et al. 2003.

[8] Bubenik, George A. 2002.