Insomnia, Melatonin, Kava Root Extract & Delta rhythm Sleep
Since 1993, the Medline Database lists 1,179 published
studies, many of which support the usefulness of melatonin as an aid to safe
natural sleep and its role as powerful antioxidant. Additionally, other research
has demonstrated that melatonin may offer protective influences against certain
types of cancer.
In the January 1995, Journal of Pineal Research, an article entitled "A Review
of the Evidence Supporting Melatonin’s Role as an Antioxidant, "the authors summarize
their findings, accumulated in the two years prior, concerning melatonin’s role in
defending against toxic free radicals, the most damaging being hydroxil radical (.OH).
Not only has melatonin been shown to be a highly efficient neutralizer of free radicals
(more than even vitamin E) but it was also found to stimulate glutathione peroxidase
activity in neural tissue, as the following abstract demonstrates:
"Exogenously administered
melatonin causes a 2-fold rise in glutathione peroxidase activity within 30 min
in the brain of the rat. Furthermore, brain glutathione peroxidase activity is
higher at night than during the day and is correlated with high night-time tissue
melatonin levels"
Glutathione peroxidase is thought to be the principal enzyme
eliminating peroxides in the brain. This antioxidative enzyme reduces the formation
of hydroxyl radicals formed via iron-catalyzed Fenton-type reactions from hydrogen
peroxide by reducing this oxidant to water. Since the hydroxyl radical is the most
noxious oxygen radical known, induction of brain glutathione peroxidase might be an
important mechanism by which melatonin exerts its potent neuroprotective effects.
(ABST) Neurochem Int; (1995 May) v26 n5 p497-502
For those concerned about eye health, melatonin’s protective influences are
especially good news. In newborn rats injected with a GSH-depleting drug, melatonin
showed significant protection for lenticular macromolecules. Other research
establishes melatonin as a useful supplement for the treatment of Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) and for treating the symptoms of Jet Lag.
Melatonin has also received a lot of attention because of its effectiveness in
promoting natural Delta-Rhythm sleep.
According to researchers at University of Haifa in Israel, Melatonin is showing
the greatest promise as an aid to natural sleep and without side effects. As a
naturally occurring brain hormone whose production is suppressed by many environmental
antagonists including age, melatonin is vitally important in promoting natural Delta
rhythm sleep. This the deepest sleep state and the phase during which the brain resets
its sodium-potassium patterns. Additionally, optimal neurotransmitter levels and
somatostatin production are dependent on Delta rhythm sleep.
Kava Root Extract (KRE) has also been used by the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands
for centuries as an relaxing botanical that also promotes Delta rhythm sleep.
Because it potentates the effectiveness of melatonin, it is the ideal complement in
a melatonin complex formula. Kava Kava (piper mehtysticum) has been proven to be
especially effective in treating refractory sleep disorders, including those involving
headaches, menstrual cramps, and gastrointestinal disorders. Kava Root Extract
contains significant levels of kavalactones and six fat soluble synergistic
constituents.
|
|
