
Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods. The interactions listed below are based on reports in scientific publications, laboratory experiments, or traditional use. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy.
| Condition | Study Design | Author, Year | N | Statistically Significant? | Quality of Study 0-2=poor 3-4=good 5=excellent |
Magnitude of Benefit | ARR | NNT | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jet lag | Systematic review | Buscemi, 2006 | Nine trials (efficacy) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Outcomes were similar for melatonin and placebo. |
| Jet lag | Systematic review | Herxheimer, 2001; Herxheimer, 2002 | 10 trials | NA | NA | NA | NA | 2 | Nine out of 10 trials suggested a benefit of melatonin. |
| Jet lag | Randomized controlled trial | Spitzer, 1999 | 257 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg, 0.5mg, or placebo. |
| Jet lag | Placebo controlled trial (nonrandomized) | Paul, 2004 | 30 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin and zopiclone were equal facilitators of sleep. No randomization. |
| Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) | Meta-analysis | Buscemi, 2005 | 279 (14 trials) | Varied | NA | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin was not effective in treating most primary sleep disorders with short-term use. |
| Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Kayumov, 2001 | 22 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg or placebo. |
| Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Rahman, 2010 | 20 | Yes | 3 | Large | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg or placebo. |
| Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) | Randomized controlled trial | Mundey, 2005 | 22 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | No between-group comparison. |
| Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) | Placebo controlled study, crossover (nonrandomized) | Nagtegaal, 1998 | 30 | Yes | 1 | Medium (sleep onset latency) | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg vs. placebo. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Baskett, 2003 | 40 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg, fast-release. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Garfinkel, 1995 | 15 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Crossover study. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial | Luthringer, 2009 | 40 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | 2mg of prolonged-release melatonin or placebo. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial | Lemoine, 2007 | 170 | Yes | 3 | Large | NA | NA | Melatonin PR 2mg or placebo for three weeks. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial | Wade, 2007 | 354 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin PR 2mg vs. placebo for three weeks. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Randomized controlled trial | Zhdanova, 2001 | 30 completers | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Three melatonin doses (0.1, 0.3, and 3.0 mg) orally 30 minutes before bedtime for a week. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Double-blind clinical trial | Haimov, 1995 | Not reported | Not reported | 2 | NA | NA | NA | 2mg of melatonin. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Double blind trial (two trials) | Valtonen, 2005 | 70; 81 | Varied (no overall) | 1 | NA | NA | NA | Two studies investigating effects of night milk with melatonin. |
| Insomnia (elderly) | Double-blind clinical trial | Dawson, 1998 | 12 | No | 1 | NA | NA | NA | Patch containing 0.5mg of melatonin or placebo placed on gums. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Systematic review | Bendz, 2010 | Four trials | Yes | NA | Medium | NA | NA | Twenty pieces of literature evaluated. Melatonin suggested to be safe and effective in children with ADHD. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Systematic review | Phillips, 2004 | Three trials | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Possibly effective in reducing sleep latency. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover, followed by open-label study | Wasdell, 2008 | 51 | Yes | 5 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg vs. placebo. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Weiss, 2006 | 27 | Yes | 5 | Medium | NA | NA | Two-phase treatment study; melatonin 5mg or placebo. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial | Braam, 2008 | 58 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin or placebo in intellectually disabled subjects. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Garstang, 2006 | 11 | Yes | 4 | Large | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg vs. placebo; children with autism. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Wirojanan, 2009 | 18 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | 3mg at bedtime. Only sleep onset time significantly changed, though other measures showed tendencies toward improvement. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover, followed by open-trial | Coppola, 2004 | 25 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 3mg vs. placebo in children with mental retardation. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover trial | Niederhofer, 2003 | 20 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin vs. placebo in mentally retarded children. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial; open label (two trials) | Jan, 2000 | 16; 42 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Compared fast-release melatonin and controlled-release melatonin. |
| Sleep disorders (children with behavioral, developmental, or intellectual disorders) | Randomized controlled trial | Van der Heijden, 2007 | 105 | Yes | P | P | P | P | Melatonin 3 or 6mg or placebo. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Meta-analysis | Brzezinski, 2005 | 17 studies; 284 participants | Yes | NA | Small | NA | NA | Rigorous criteria for inclusion/exclusion. Limited by meta-analytic nature. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Systematic review | Morera, 2000 | 111 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Reviewed eight trials. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Tzischinsky, 1994 | 8 | Yes | 5 | Large | NA | NA | Limited by male-only population. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial | Wyatt, 2006 | 26 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Limited to healthy adults. Well-characterized study. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial (two parallel trials) | Kunz, 2004 | 16 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Crossover design. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial | Paul, 2004 | 23 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Magnitude of benefit for total sleep time and latency in melatonin compared to placebo. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial | Pinto, 2004 | 40 | Yes | 3 | Medium | N/A | N/A | Male-only test population. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Almeida Montes, 2003 | 10 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 0.3 or 1mg or placebo. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial | Cajochen, 1996 | Eight (in each of two experiments) | Yes | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Limited by homogeneity of subject population (all males of similar age). |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial, single-blind, equivalence trial | Satomura, 2001 | 7 | Yes | 2 | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin vs. triazolam vs. placebo. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Randomized controlled trial | Ellis, 1996 | 15 | No | 2 | None | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg or placebo. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Double-blind placebo controlled trial | Nave, 1995 | 12 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Narrow age range of subject population. |
| Sleep enhancement in healthy people | Double-blind, crossover trial | MacFarlane, 1991 | 13 | Yes | 1 | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin 75 mg orally vs. placebo. |
| Aging (thermoregulation) | Randomized controlled trial | Gubin, 2006 | 97 | Yes | 2 | Small | NA | NA | 1.5mg melatonin daily or placebo for two weeks. |
| Anti-inflammatory | Randomized controlled trial | Forrest, 2007 | 75 | Mixed results | 3 | None | NA | NA | Melatonin group suggested proinflammatory action in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. |
| Anti-inflammatory | Randomized controlled trial | Gitto, 2004 | 40 | Yes | 1 | Medium-large | NA | NA | IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels lower in melatonin group (in preterm infants with respiratory distress). |
| Benzodiazepine tapering | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Garfinkel, 1997 | 21 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Elderly subjects received controlled release melatonin or placebo. |
| Benzodiazepine tapering | Randomized controlled trial | Cardinali, 2002 | 45 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Patients received 3mg of fast-release melatonin or placebo for six weeks. |
| Benzodiazepine tapering | Randomized controlled trial | Garfinkel, 1999 | 34 | Yes | 3 | Large | 53% | 2 | Patients received 2mg of CR melatonin or placebo for six weeks. |
| Benzodiazepine tapering | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Peles, 2007 | 80 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Patients received 5mg daily of melatonin or placebo for six weeks. |
| Benzodiazepine tapering | Placebo controlled trial | Vissers, 2007 | 38 | No | 0 | NA | NA | NA | Not randomized or blinded. |
| Cancer treatment | Systematic review | Block, 2007 | Four trials of melatonin | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | No individual effects of melatonin. |
| Cancer treatment | Systematic review | Ernst, 2006, | 13 trials | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Authors mentioned encouraging but not conclusive results. |
| Cancer treatment | Systematic review | Mills, 2005 | 10 trials; 643 patients | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Authors suggested great potential for melatonin in treating cancer. |
| Circadian rhythm entraining (in blind persons) | Double-blind crossover trial | Fischer, 2003 | 12 | Yes | 1 | Large | NA | NA | Totally blind subjects received 5mg of melatonin one hour prior to bedtime. |
| Circadian rhythm entraining (in blind persons) | Placebo controlled single-blind trial | Hack, 2003 | 10 | Yes | 0 | Small | NA | NA | 0.5mg of melatonin or placebo daily at bedtime. |
| Cognitive disorders | Systematic review | Jansen, 2006 | Three trials | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Insufficient evidence to support the use of melatonin in managing cognitive and noncognitive sequelae of dementia. |
| Cognitive disorders | Randomized controlled study | Peck, 2004 | 30 | Yes | 4 | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin 1mg or placebo each night for four weeks. |
| Depression | Randomized controlled trial | Serfaty, 2010 | 33 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | 6mg of slow-release melatonin or placebo for four weeks. |
| Exercise performance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Mero, 2006 | 10 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Oral ingestion of melatonin (6mg) during daytime with heavy resistance exercise. No effect was observed on strength capacity. |
| Exercise performance | Double-blind clinical trial, crossover | Atkinson, 2001 | 12 | No | 1 | NA | NA | NA | 5mg had no effect on physical performance in athletes. Crossover design. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Lu, 2009 | 32 | No | 4 | NA | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin or placebo. A significant effect was observed in normal, but not IBS patients. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Randomized controlled trial | Saha, 2007 | 18 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin or placebo at bedtime for eight weeks. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Lu, 2005 | 24 | Yes | 3 | Medium | 41% | 3 | Female patients received 3mg of melatonin or placebo for eight weeks. Incorrect method of randomization. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Randomized controlled trial | Song, 2005 | 40 | Yes (abdominal pain) | 3 | Large | NA | NA | Female patients received 3mg melatonin or placebo at bedtime for two weeks. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Placebo controlled trial | Klupińska, 2007 | 60 | Yes | P | P | 50% | 2 | 5mg of melatonin or placebo for 12 weeks. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | Equivalence trial (nonrandomized and nonblinded) | Kandil, 2010 | 36 | Yes | 0 | NA | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin daily, with and without omeprazole. All treatment groups showed improvement. |
| Headache (prevention) | Randomized controlled trial | Leone, 1996 | 20 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 10mg. |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial | Grossman, 2006 | 38 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Patients with controlled hypertension. |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial | Cagnacci, 2005 | 22 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | No effects on diurnal BP but did reduce systolic, diastolic, and mean BP. |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial | Rechciński, 2010 | 62 | Yes | 2 | Small | 20% | 5 | 5mg of melatonin or placebo for 90 days. |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Scheer, 2004 | 16 | Yes | 2 | Small | NA | NA | Male patients with essential hypertension. |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial | Cagnacci, 2000 | 31 | Yes | 2 | Small | NA | NA | Effect was only observed in HRT-treated women (not in those not on HRT). |
| High blood pressure (hypertension) | Randomized controlled trial | Cagnacci, 1997 | 12 | Yes | 2 | Large | NA | NA | Melatonin 1mg. |
| Insomnia (children) | Randomized controlled trials | van der Heijden, 2005 | 110 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg or placebo. Study combined two previously published studies (Smits, 2001 and Smits, 2003). |
| Insomnia (children) | Randomized controlled trial | Smits, 2003 | 70 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | 5mg melatonin or placebo for four weeks. |
| Insomnia (children) | Randomized controlled trial | Smits, 2001 | 40 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 5mg. |
| Memory | Randomized controlled trial | Rimmele, 2009 | 50 | Yes | 0 | Small | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin or placebo one hour prior to stress test. |
| Menopause | Randomized controlled trial | Secreto, 2004 | 262 | NA | 5 | NA | NA | NA | Soy isoflavones (80mg) + melatonin (3mg), soy isoflavones alone, melatonin alone, or placebo for three months. Statistical analysis not done due to high placebo effect. |
| Menopause | Randomized controlled trial | Bellipanni, 2001 | 79 | Yes | 3 | Mixed | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin or placebo at bedtime. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Caumo, 2009 | 63 | Yes | 5 | Medium | 66% | 2; 16 (depending on anxiety level) | 5mg following total abdominal hysterectomy. Melatonin as effective as standard treatment. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Capuzzo, 2006 | 150 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | Elderly patients. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Borazan, 2010 | 52 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | 6mg of melatonin or placebo the evening before and one hour prior to surgery. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Ismail, 2009 | 40 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | 10mg of melatonin or placebo 90 minutes prior to surgery. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Caumo, 2007 | 35 | Yes | 4 | Medium | Unknown | 3 | Melatonin or placebo the night before and one hour prior to surgery. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Samarkandi, 2005 | 105 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Children. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized dosing and equivalence trial | Kain, 2009 | 148 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin vs midazolam. Midazolam was significantly more effective than melatonin. |
| Preoperative sedation / anxiolysis | Randomized controlled trial | Acil, 2004 | 66 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | No effects on postoperative psychomotor performance. |
| Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) | Randomized controlled trial | Leppämäki, 2003 | 58 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | Healthy adults with SAD. |
| Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) | Randomized controlled trial | Danilenko, 2005 | 16 (SAD) + 17 (healthy controls) | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Female patients with SAD. |
| Seizure disorder (children) | Randomized controlled trial | Gupta, 2004 | 31 | P | P | P | P | P | Primary outcome was subjective change in quality of life of add-on melatonin in children on valproate monotherapy via questionnaire. |
| Sleep disturbance | Meta-analysis | Braam, 2009 | Nine trials | Yes | NA | Medium | NA | NA | Patients with intellectual disabilities. |
| Sleep disturbance | Systematic review | Rossignol, 2009 | 13 trials | Yes | NA | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin suggested as a novel treatment for symptoms associated with autism. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Serfaty, 2010 | 33 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | 6mg of slow-release melatonin or placebo for four weeks. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Gögenur, 2009 | 121 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | In postoperative patients. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Ibrahim, 2006 | 32 | No | 5 | NA | NA | NA | Patients with tracheostomy. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Gupta, 2005 | 31 | Yes | 5 | Medium | NA | NA | Sleep parameters were affected by administration of melatonin in combination with valproate. Study in children with seizures. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Garzón, 2009 | 22 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | In elderly patients with sleep or behavioral problems. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Medeiros, 2007 | 20 | Yes | 4 | Small | NA | NA | Sleep quality was improved according to a sleep index. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Dowling, 2005 | 43 | Yes | 4 | Small | NA | NA | Small improvements were observed. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Campos, 2004 | 22 | Yes | 4 | Medium | NA | NA | Improved sleep; no effects on asthma symptoms. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Andrade, 2001 | 33 | Yes (specific days) | 4 | Unclear | NA | NA | Melatonin average dose: 5.4mg. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | de Castro-Silva, 2010 | 19 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Patients with cystic fibrosis. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Gehrman, 2009 | 41 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Patients with Alzheimer's disease. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Koch, 2009 | 20 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | 3mg of melatonin or placebo over 18 weeks. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Suresh, 2007 | 40 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | Patients with schizophrenia. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Coppola, 2004 | 25 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin appears to have negative effects on seizure frequency. Study in children with seizures. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Shamir, 2000 | 19 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 2mg in patients with tardive dyskinesia. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Shamir, 2000 | 14 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | 2mg of melatonin improved alertness test. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Dolberg, 1998 | 19 | Yes | 3 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin patients with depression. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Leibenluft, 1997 | 5 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 10mg had negative effects in patients with bipolar disorder. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Braam, 2010 | 66 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Patients with intellectual disabilities. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | Dowling, 2008 | 50 completers | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | No effects of melatonin on nighttime sleep but improvement in daytime somnolence. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized equivalence trial, crossover | Kemp, 2004 | 7 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | No differences between melatonin and amitriptyline compared to baseline. |
| Sleep disturbance | Randomized controlled trial | O'Callaghan, 1999 | 7 | Yes | P | Small | NA | NA | Small but clinically significant improvement. |
| Sleep quality | Double-blind clinical trial | Atkinson, 2001 | 12 | No | 1 | NA | NA | NA | 5mg had no effect on physical performance in athletes. Crossover design. |
| Smoking cessation | Randomized, controlled trial, crossover | Zhdanova, 2000 | 12 | Yes (self-ratings); No (performance tests) | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Only self-ratings of mood were significantly affected. |
| Tardive dyskinesia | Randomized, controlled crossover trial | Shamir, 2001 | 24 | Yes | 4 | Small | NA | NA | Patients with schizophrenia and TD. |
| Tardive dyskinesia | Randomized, controlled crossover trial | Shamir, 2000 | 19 | No | 4 | NA | NA | NA | 2mg of melatonin daily or placebo for four weeks. |
| Tinnitus | Randomized controlled trial | Lopez-Bonzalez, 2007 | 120 | Unclear | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin alone better than placebo; melatonin plus sulpiride most effective. Significance of results unclear. |
| Tinnitus | Randomized controlled trial | Neri, 2009 | 102 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Of three subject groups (melatonin, melatonin plus sulodexide, and no treatment), only the combination group showed significant improvement. |
| Urination (nocturia) | Randomized, placebo controlled trial, crossover | Drake, 2004 | 20 | Yes | 3 | Small | NA | NA | Men received 2mg of melatonin or placebo for four weeks. |
| UV-induced erythema prevention/sunburn | Randomized controlled trial | Fischer, 1999 | 20 | Yes | 2 | Large | NA | NA | Melatonin 0.6mg/cm2 skin reduced erythema when applied before UV but not after. |
| UV-induced erythema prevention/sunburn | Randomized controlled trial | Bangha, 1996 | 20 | Yes | 2 | Medium | NA | NA | Melatonin 0.05, 0.1, 0.5% in gel. 0.5% reduced erythema eight hours after UV. |
| UV-induced erythema prevention/sunburn | Double-blind trial | Howes, 2006 | 16, 19 | No | 2 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin (5%) and its vehicle showed no effect. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Systematic review | Buscemi, 2006 | Nine trials (427 subjects) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | No evidence that melatonin is effective in treating secondary sleep disorders. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Bjorvatn, 2007 | Unclear | Yes | 4 | Moderate | NA | NA | Modest increases in sleep were reported (15-20 minutes). |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Randomized controlled trial, crossover | Cavallo, 2005 | 45 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 3mg before bedtime in the morning after the night shift. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Randomized controlled trial (not double-blind) | Dawson, 1995 | 36 | No | 1 | NA | NA | NA | Melatonin 2mg may have had small effect on sleep quality but most endpoints were not significantly changed. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Double-blind trial (nonrandomized) | Smith, 2005 | 36 | No | 3 | NA | NA | NA | Small nonsignificant improvements in sleep were reported. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Double-blind trial, crossover (nonrandomized) | Sharkey, 2001 | 21 completers | Yes (daytime sleep on day 1) | 1 | Small | NA | NA | Melatonin 1.8mg. |
| Work shift sleep disorder | Placebo controlled trial | Crowley, 2003 | 67 | No | P | NA | NA | NA | Participants wore sunglasses during the day and melatonin (1.8mg, sustained-release) at night. |
Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.