5-HTP is an amino acid that assists in controlling appetite, moods, insomnia, anxiety and reduces the symptoms of headaches, PMS, and fibromyalgia.

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L-Tryptophan- Tryptophan is an essential amino acid as well as within the group of only twenty standard amino acids that are required by the human diet. It is one of the building blocks required for protein biosynthesis. It is also viewed as a precursor to serotonin and thereby also melatonin, niacin and also auxin. Interestingly enough, lactose intolerance and fructose malabsorption have the side effect that tryptophan is only improperly absorbed in the intestines which leads to diminished levels of it in the system. Dietary sources of tryptophan are plentiful, it can be found in red meat, poultry, fish, milk, milk products, peanuts, mangoes, dates, chocolate and oats, among others. As a dietary supplement tryptophan has found applications as a safe sleeping aid and also as a calming agent.

Melatonin, a naturally produced chemical messenger made by the pinealocytes, the cells in the pineal gland, which is located in the brain. Melatonin is involved in the circadian cycle, where it is believed that it chemically lowers the body temperature and causes drowsiness. The pineal gland produces melatonin only when it is dark, i.e. during the night. It is furthermore believed that melatonin interacts with leptin, whereby the leptin levels are lowered. Actually it was found that the interaction with insulin stimulated the leptin levels, which seems to be responsible for appetite suppression during sleep. Further investigation provided evidence that melatonin displays strong antioxidant properties. N-Acetyl-5-Methoxytryptamine, or melatonin, has been studied extensively for treatment of many diseases, including treatment of drug abuse, cancer, seasonal affective disorder and depression.