These days my drugstore visits keep giving me pangs of astonishment. I never thought that melatonin supplements would take up more than half of the space in the aisles. They promise a good night’s sleep and that is true. It is tailor-made by mother nature to ensure rest for mankind.
However, chronic supplementation of melatonin might push the tolerance button. Talking of melatonin, we would like to give you a brief insight into this substance to help you understand how it helps with sleep.
What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that performs a lot of functions, including:
- Neuroprotection
- Cardioprotection
- Anti-inflammatory action
- Antioxidative action
- Anti-neoplastic action
- Metabolism regulation
- Melanogrnesis modulation
- Circadian rhythm control
- Sleep initiation
Its secretion is regulated by the darkness in the surrounding of an individual. Once the blanket of darkness begins to invade your senses, your pineal gland initiates the secretion of melatonin, reaching peak levels during the nighttime.
It receives the information of the dark-light cycle from the retina (eyes) and commences the secretion of melatonin into the bloodstream accordingly. This way, melatonin helps in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle and Circadian rhythm.
People with blindness often suffer from certain Circadian rhythm irregularities due to malfunctioning of the retina.
Despite its outclass benefits and rising popularity, its overuse is desensitizing the brain receptors and people are switching melatonin brands to seek potential therapeutic effects.
We, at Mayernik Kitchen, have always cherished the natural sources of medicines and encourage people to incorporate these gentle therapies into their routines for painless treatments.
Today, we are about to honor the most prestigious herbs that have been used for centuries to cater to sleep disorders.
Valerian Root Tincture
Valerian is a Eurasian plant chiefly used for its sleep-inducing benefits. Its medicinal perks were joyously celebrated by ancient Greeks and Romans for treating migraine, headaches, insomnia, menopausal symptoms, depression, and anxiety.
Valerian Root Tincture contains valproates and valerenic acid that upregulates the secretion of GABA receptors to reduce brain activity in the motor cortex and change the response of the brain towards stress and anxiety, compelling the person to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Passionflower Tincture
Passionflower Tincture is a time-tested remedy for the treatment of anxiety, stress, and sleep-related disorders. It naturally modulates the levels of GABA in the brain to hush down the excitatory neurotransmitters and relaxes the brain cells to receive a good night’s sleep.
Add half to a full dropper of Passionflower Tincture to your bedtime beverages and enjoy a peaceful sleep and hangover-free morning.
Mugwort Tincture
Mugwort Tincture is yet another fascinating herbal preparation that helps relieve stress and exhaustion to help the person fall asleep. It's also popular for being used in dreamwork to achieve lucid dreams. It helps in relieving ruptured, bad dreams and encourages sound sleep to pave the way for vivid and colorful dreams.
Use it at least 3 times daily, preferably once before bedtime to achieve a dreamland-worthy sleep experience.