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Original post: IEatNewAgers

I recently started taking malatonin for insomnia, to my surprise it helped me with my evening meditations. I decided to experiment with it in other settings, namely daytime meditations. I find that taking 3 to 6 mg of melatonin makes it extremely easy to reach and maintain alpha (and perhaps other) levels of mediation under almost any circumstances. Earlier today my father was watching starwars and I was on the couch, after taking melatonin I was able to meditate with ease despite Luke Skywalker destroying the death star in my living room . I find that any higher of a dose actually inhibits my ability to a)reach a meditative state and b) focus once I get there. Has anyone else had any similar experiences with melatonin, or any chemical for that matter?

Original post: KCh

Melatonin is a hormonal secretion by the Pineal Gland.(Its location is where the third eye would be)

It's name derives from the Greek melos:black, and tosos:labor, because high melatonin production causes strong reaction to sunlight so those that have high counts of this hormone usually work at night as the sunlight affects their mental capability and dampens its effect. Those people who are blind produce this hormone in high quantities, which hightens the other senses.

Melatonin enhances many of the bodies natural defenses and high secretions are enough to prevent most cases of cancer development. It also hightens the subtle mind, making meditation second nature and developing a high intuition. Its directly related to sleep patterns, keeping the body regulated through the cardiovascular system. Its been said to be the bodies most powerful antioxidant.

So, technically speaking, everyone has had experience with melatonin on some level I suppose. My own experiences with drugs and meditation were non-conclusive. As in the drugs had little to no positive or negative effect. They were the equiviant of drinking water before-hand, to put it in an analogy.

Original post: kaaba

I like melatonin for meditation. Although continuous and consitent use can sometimes upset the hormonal balance of seratonin and melatonin in some people. Personally, I'd be a bit wary of any kind of synthetic hormone. But sounds as if it is useful for those times when you can't arrange to make a quiet space during your meditation time.
I hear Valerian and Kava Kava have similar effects as melatonin, though haven't tried them myself.

Original post: IEatNewAgers

Kaaba, I think you are probably right in your concern in the balance between melatonin and seratonin. I decided to stat taking 5-htp as well as my melatonin if not at the same time. Admittedly screwing around with hormones can be dangerous (exogenous testosterone probably being the most dangerous) but then again, you have to die of something .

Original post: Channel Null

Time out, kids. Unless you're over forty, daily use of melatonin will ultimately put a bad hurt on your pineal gland. It's meant to be used occasionally for resetting sleep cycles or against insomnia; take the tablet, then kill the lights--if you don't, it'll blunt the melatonin--then go to sleep. I've actually found darkness to be a much better, more effective, technique than melatonin.

I've seen it suggested in some places that it's acceptable to use daily if you dose at or under 1 mg per day. On the other hand, melatonin in high doses (30 to 50 mg injected) has a potent anti-cancer effect; some alternative and open-minded doctors swear by it.

As far as 5HTP, that's relatively okay; stay under 75mg/day. It'll kill the appetite, if you're looking for that. Taking high doses will cause nausea and puts a strain on the liver; high doses also lead to very, very, very mild psychedelic effect (e.g., around 300-500mg), but that's pushing it as far as toxicity is concerned, and you'll feel pretty sick. 5HTP is not a hormone, it's a serotonin precursor, which makes me wary of it. While many psychedelic compounds *resemble* serotonin, that doesn't mean taking a substance to increase endogenous serotonin production will approach the effects of, say, psilocybin. Daniel Pinchbeck suggested that serotonin is the "consensus reality" neurotransmitter.

If you want natural melatonin manipulation, just get into a dark room. Some people have said blindfolds work, but at least one study has shown that light does not have to visible to inhibit melatonin. Stan Grof, a psychologists, has used this trick--although he frequently combines it with LSD--successfully since the sixties, and Ross Heaven, who wrote Voodoo Shaman, holds "Darkness" seminars where he puts people in the dark for a couple days; he claims melatonin is a precursor to DMT and psilocybin, so staying in a darkened room for a few days will increase the amounts of these tryptamines present in the brain. While I'm not sure about this theory, in any case, you will experience sensory deprivation, which can lead to out-and-out hallucination.

As far as drugs--I've found DXM to be a potent aid for remote viewing and etheric projection. At the same time, when I use psychedelic compounds, I often meditate to mitigate the fear and breakdown, but it doesn't seem to help all too much with reaching the meditative state.

Stupid Trivia: Exogenous testosterone can't kill you or make a raging lunatic--acts of violence actually decrease amoung users of certain forms of testosterone--possibly because it lifts mood--but super-high doses, or long term (eight weeks daily) use, *might* permanently damage your endocrine system. Don't worry, though, lots of steroid users just take other drugs, like anti-estrogens, to mitigate this, then spend all year on gear and get huge. The real danger is tendon injuries, since the muscle gets stronger faster than the tendons: snap, crackle, pop.

Original post: superbeast_7

I'd like to point out that if you take supplements that are hormonal on a regular basis your body won't see a need to continue makeing them. Wich is fine if you want start an addiction to melatonin.

Original post: enki360

Channel Null and superbeast 7 bring up very important precautions. Your pineal gland produces plenty of melatonin if it is healthy, and overuse may cause damage.

I know from personal experience, from several people I know closely who take thyroid medication, whether derived from animal sources or synthroid, that their thyroids have completely atrophied and can no longer produce its own hormone.

And speaking of deriving from animal sources, some melatonin is harvested from cows. And if you dream after taking that melatonin, is it your dream or the cows?

I have been in and out of the supplement industry and have a decent working knowledge of the field, and I have always been reticent about "glandulars" as they are called. Working for Futurebiotics in the early 1990s the glandulars weere big sellers. "Adrenal Plus" was one of the products, the adrenaline being derived from cows.
[This is a little off topic but girls are maturing sexually almost 1.5 years earlier than 30 years ago, and women's breasts are on average larger as well (the latter study was anecdotal not scientific, the first one is scientific). Many hypotheses have been presented, but I personally think it has to do with the prevalance of hormones in meat and dairy food in particular. Well, what do you think a hormone designed to produce more milk will do to a young girl?
We're messing with things we don't fully understand.

On the topic of 5-HTP, it is excellent for depression or other seratonin imbalances, but there would be no real reason to take it otherwise. An excellent antidepressant combo is 5-HTP and St. Johnswort.I'm sure they (pharmaceutical interests) will try to get 5-HTP off the market. Tryptophan was a big market years ago, and the FDA banned it because of the supply of one batch made in Japan killed several people. Their method of production? Irradiating waste sludge which grows bacteria that produces tryptophan as a by-product. No need to worry with 5-HTP however, most of the world's supply derive from the African griffonia bean.

Original post: Dragon_Of_Light

Guess I'll jump on the band wagon here & advise caution as well.

If you're under 40 & take in alot of caffeine (coffee or the proverbial fave of Mountain Dew) each day, a little Melatonin once a week will help offset the caffeine & help you sleep more regularly.

Using it or any kind of drug to help with Meditation is honestly just a crutch though. You'll never learn to swim for real if you're always wearing water wings. have enough faith in yourself & discipline to do it the old fashioned way. It'll take longer at first, but ultimately you'll go farther.