*Melatonin may increase the risk of blood clotting, so it should not be used by people using warfarin (Coumadin), other medications that influence blood clotting, or by people with clotting disorders.
* Melatonin influences the production of other hormones. It could theoretically interfere with normal sexual development, so it shouldn't be used by children unless they are under the supervision of a healthcare provider. For the same reason, it shouldn't be used by women who are trying to conceive or by pregnant or nursing women. Increased male breast size and reduced sperm count have also been reported. Melatonin may also affect insulin levels.
*Melatonin can influence immune function and it's not known how it affects people with autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. *Melatonin supplements may worsen the symptoms in people with depression, so people with depression should only use melatonin under the supervision of a health care provider. Melatonin is broken down by the liver, so people with liver disease should avoid melatonin. ''Possible Drug Interactions''<br> *Melatonin may interact with the following drugs: **High blood pressure medication**Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as cyclosporine**Antidepressant medication**Corticosteroids (used for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis)**Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), and other drugs that cause sedation**Herbs that cause sleepiness or drowsiness, such as kava kava and valerian**The herb St. John's wort
==The benefits of Melatonin are==
*stimulate natural "killer cells" by enhancing Interlukin-2 production.
* [[Cancer]] : Besides helping to increase longevity of cancer patients, they also report a better quality of life. It inhibits cancer cell growth and proliferation; it destroys cancer cells, stops angiogenesis (new tumor blood vessel growth), and prevents harmful forms of estrogen from stimulating cancer cell growth.
* [[Prostate Cancer]] : individuals who have a higher level of melatonin are less likely to develop prostate cancer.
*Melatonin is believed to be responsible for the synchrony of circadian rhythm, modulating sleep patterns with day and night.
*antioxidant that protects tissues from oxidative damage by free radical elements. Further more, melatonin induces synthesis of endigenous antioxidants such as superoxide dismtase (SOD).
Below are lists containing natural plant sources of melatonin. Melatonin content is in nanogram (ng) per gram of plant sample.<br><br>
<p>Table 1: Melatonin sources ( Rieter and Tan, 2002).</p>
<table style="width: 437px; height: 354px;" summary="list of natural food and herbal sources of melatonin" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<td><strong>Melatonin source </strong></td>
<td align="right"><strong>Melatonin content (ng/g) </strong></td>
<tr>
<td>[[St. John’s John's wort]], flower</td>
<td align="right">4,390</td>
[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:Alternative Cancer Treatments]]
[[Category:Hypnotic]]