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Melatonin is a molecule synthesized in the brain by the pineal gland and in the gastrointestinal tract. Melatonin is also synthesized in other organisms including plants.
Melatonin is believed to be responsible for the synchrony of circadian rhythm, modulating sleep patterns with day and night.
Melatonin is an antioxidant and protects tissues from oxidative damage by free radical elements. Further more, melatonin induces synthesis of endigenous antioxidants such as superoxide dismtase (SOD).
Several researches indicate that melatonin protects the gastrointestinal tract from irritation, reduces stress-induced lesion formation and heals ulcer.
Below are lists containing natural plant sources of melatonin. Melatonin content is in nanogram (ng) per gram of plant sample.
Table 1:
| Melatonin source |
Melatonin content (ng/g) |
| Huang-qin |
7,110 |
| St. John’s wort, flower |
4,390 |
| Fever few, green leaf |
2,450 |
| Fever few, gold leaf |
1,920 |
| St. John’s wort, leaf |
1,750 |
| White mustard seed |
189 |
| Black mustard seed |
129 |
| Wolf berry seed |
103 |
| Fenugreek seed |
43 |
| Sunflower seed |
29 |
| Fennel seed |
28 |
| Alfalfa seed |
16 |
| Green cardamom seed |
15 |
| Tart cherry fruit (Montmorency) |
15 |
| Flax seed |
12 |
| Anise seed |
7 |
| Coriander seed |
7 |
| Celery seed |
7 |
| Poppy seed |
6 |
| Milk thistle seed |
2 |
| Tart cherry fruit (Balaton) |
2 |
Table 2:
| Melatonin source |
Melatonin content [ng/g] |
| Feverfew, fresh leaf |
> 1,300
|
| Feverfew, dried leaf |
>7,000
|
| Almond seed |
39
|
| Pimpinella peregrina, dried root |
38
|
| Sunflower seed |
29
|
| Fennel seed |
28
|
| Lemon verbena, young plant |
22
|
| Balm mint, young plant |
16
|
| Green cardamom seed |
15
|
| Art cherry, Montmorency, fruit |
15–18
|
| Anise seed |
7
|
| Tall fescue seed |
5
|
| oat seed |
1.8
|
| Indian corn seed |
1.3
|
| Rice seed |
1
|
| Red radish root tuber |
0.6
|
| Japanese radish , stem and leaves |
0.6
|
| Tomato fruit |
0.5
|
| Ginger tuber |
0.5
|
| Banana fruit |
0.5
|
Review article on melatonin:
Melatonin: introduction
Melatonin in food and gastrointenstinal tract
Melatonin reactions with oxidants
Metabolites of melatonin; melatonin as a prodrug
Melatonin as antioxidant
Safety of melatonin; conclusion
Melatonin data sources and references:
Rüdiger Hardeland and SR Pandi-Perumal. Melatonin, a potent agent in antioxidative defense: Actions as a natural food constituent, gastrointestinal factor, drug and prodrug. Nutrition & Metabolism 2005, 2:22 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-2-22 ---(Table 2 )
Russel J. Reiter and Dan-Xian Tan. 2002. Melatonin: An antioxidant in edible plant. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 957: 341-344. (Table 1)
S. J Konturek, P. C. Konturek, T. Brzozowski. 2006. Melatonin in gastroprotection against stress-inuduced acute gastric lesions and in healing of chronic gastric ulcers. Journal of physiology and pharmacology, 57( Suppl 5): 51-66.
Guofang Chen, Yushu Huo, Dun-Xian Tan, Zhen Liang, Weibing Zhang, Yukui Zhang. 2003. Melatonin in Chinese medicinal herbs. Life Sciences, 73: 19-26.
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