Comment · Sun, January 2, 2022 · Natrium Health & Nootropics Depot
Does chamomile tea work better than melatonin for anyone else?
Original post in this thread
Beneficial_Ask_9575 · 112 points
I drank a cup of chamomile tea last night and it knocked me out and I didn’t have the awful effects of melatonin like next day grogginess (I get this even when I split my 1 mg pill in thirds). It’s weird because I’d never think an herbal tea would be more effective than a well known sleep aid
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Natrium Health & Nootropics Depot
Melatonin only works for those with low levels or a shifted circadian rhythm. It's not something people should treat as a universal sleep aid. For many people, things that hit GABA or modulate glutamate work better for sleep. Chamomile contains apigenin, which has good evidence for helping with insomnia. Apigenin is a flavonoid with a bunch of effects. The sleep ones are due to modulation of the GABA system and BDNF. If you look at the structure, apigenin is very similar to 7,8-dihydroxyflavone; which also modulates the BDNF system. Many people would get much better sleep effects if they concentrated on flavones/flavonoids than melatonin.