Tryptophan is a precoursor to Seratonin
(5-hydroxy-tryptamine) and Melatonin
(n-acetyl-5-methoxy-tryptamine). They are both in the
family of compounds known as Tryptamines. Some
migraine medications and several 'hallucinogenic' or
'psychedelic' compounds also are in this family. It
is believed that Melatonin is converted to one such
compound, namely n,n-dimethyl-tryptamine (DMT) by the
penial gland--and that DMT may likely be the chemical
responsible for dreaming. DMT has been found to occur
naturally in the cereberal-spinal fluid and brains of
mammals (including humans). It has short acting
'psychedelic' effects in humans, and is closely
related to psilocybin (4-hydroxy-DMT)--the compound
found in 'magic' mushrooms. So melatonin does appear
to have a connection to dreams. There is a book out
by Rick Straussman, who discovered melatonin while
researching DMT
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0892819278/qid=1014956380/sr=8-1/ref=sr_\
8_67_1/002-5339504-4599212)
that may be of interest.
>Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 10:37:22 +0100
> From: Giacomo <gia334@...>
>Subject: Re: Re: melatonin/tryptophan
>
>Gianine,
>
>Thank you for the lead. I went on google and found
>the following
>article:>
>http://www.acsh.org/publications/priorities/0704/melat>onin.html
>
>At one point it says:
>
>"Consumers should also be aware that sleep-promoting
>compounds are found in a number of foods. Rather than
>popping a pill at bedtime, a person with
>a mild case of sleeplessness could try a bedtime
>snack that included foods such as milk, peanuts,
>turkey, chicken or almonds. All of these foods
>contain tryptophan, which raises brain serotonin that
>in turn can be converted to melatonin.
>Eating a tryptophan-containing food along with a
high->carbohydrate food
>will help enhance the entry of tryptophan into the
>brain. Thus,
>Grandma's
>bedtime warm milk with honey is actually a sound
>sleep aid! Many foods also
>contain melatonin, but in such tiny amounts that
>someone would have to eat
>an enormous amount to get an effective dose (a snack
>of 72 bananas, for example, to get 0.3 mg of
>melatonin). "
>So if these people are to be believed, the tryptophan
>in the milk produces
>melatonin when ingested. It would be interesting to
>see what studies have been done on if/how/why
>melatonin is related to vivid dreams.
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