Autoimmune

Melatonin

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone your brain makes every night. Your pineal gland starts producing it when it gets dark and stops when light hits your eyes. It tells your body when to sleep. Not how deeply to sleep. That distinction matters.

You can also take it as a supplement. It’s the most popular sleep aid in the United States. About 3.1 million Americans use it regularly. But melatonin isn’t a sleeping pill. It’s a timing signal. It shifts your internal clock, and that’s what makes it useful for things like jet lag and delayed sleep.

Ashwagandha

What Is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Its scientific name is Withania somnifera. It’s one of the most studied herbal supplements available today.

You’ll see it marketed for everything from anxiety to testosterone to muscle growth. Some of those claims hold up. Others don’t.

We analyzed 12 meta-analyses and systematic reviews covering 47 individual studies. Here’s what the data actually shows.