Melatonin Plus Effervescent - GymBeam

Melatonin Plus by GymBeam is a functional complex in the form of an effervescent tablet. Each tablet contains 0.4 mg of melatonin, 75 mg of valerian root extract (Valeriana officinalis) at a 4:1 ratio, 50 mg of chamomile flower extract (Matricaria chamomilla) at a 4:1 ratio, 50 mg of lemon balm leaf extract (Melissa officinalis) at a 5:1 ratio, standardised to 0.5% rosmarinic acid, 2.1 mg of vitamin B6 (150% NRV) and 2.5 µg of vitamin B12 (100% NRV).

Vitamins B6 and B12 contribute to normal psychological function, the normal functioning of the nervous system, and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.¹ Vitamin B6 also contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity¹, while vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.¹ Simply dissolve the tablet in 200 ml of water for a refreshing raspberry drink. No swallowing capsules, no measuring powder. The product is vegan, free from gluten, lactose and GMOs, and made in the EU. It is also regularly tested in an accredited German laboratory.

Form is not a minor detail. It determines whether you actually take the product.

An effervescent tablet dissolves in water before you take it. The ingredients therefore enter your body already dissolved, eliminating the step your digestive tract must perform with capsules and tablets: breaking down the solid form. For people who have difficulty swallowing capsules, this is a significant difference.

The second reason is more practical than it may seem. An effervescent tablet dissolves in water. The water is not merely a carrier for the flavour; it is an extra glass of fluid that becomes part of your evening routine. And a routine is precisely what turns taking a supplement into a habit. You can forget a capsule. A glass you prepare for yourself is harder to forget.

The third reason is taste. Raspberry flavour is not a marketing embellishment. A product that tastes good is taken regularly, and with food supplements, consistency matters more than anything else.

Melatonin is a neurohormone that the body naturally produces in the pineal gland, a small gland located in the center of the brain. Its production is linked to the cycle of light and darkness. The body produces different amounts during the day and after dark. This is why it is also called the hormone of darkness.

Melatonin is a substance that the body can produce on its own, and this formulation contains 0.4 mg per tablet.

The evidence base for melatonin is exceptionally extensive. A meta-analysis published in PLoS ONE included 19 randomized placebo-controlled trials with 1,683 participants and demonstrated a reduction in the time needed to fall asleep by 7.06 minutes and an increase in total sleep time by 8.25 minutes. Overall sleep quality improved significantly, and the authors conclude that although the effect of melatonin is modest, it does not diminish with continued use.⁴

There is a widespread belief that, with melatonin, “more is better.” A randomized crossover study from MIT, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows the opposite. In a double-blind design, 30 participants received a placebo and three doses of melatonin—0.1, 0.3, and 3.0 mg—in random order, each taken 30 minutes before bedtime for one week, with one-week washout periods between treatments. Sleep data were collected using polysomnography.⁵

The result: the physiological dose of 0.3 mg restored sleep efficiency, acted primarily during the middle third of the night, and raised plasma melatonin levels to the normal range. The pharmacological dose of 3.0 mg also improved sleep, but induced hypothermia and caused melatonin levels to remain elevated into the daytime. The study’s lead author summed it up directly: according to their research, a physiological dose of around 0.3 mg restores sleep in adults over 50 years of age, while the dose commonly sold in health food stores—around 3 mg, or ten times as much—is less effective for insomnia and may also cause adverse effects, including hypothermia.⁵

The 0.4 mg dose in this tablet falls squarely within the physiological range. It is not an insufficient dose; it reflects a different approach to formulation. The aim is not to flood the body with a hundred times the amount it produces on its own, but to approximate the level the body naturally establishes after dark.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a perennial herb that grows in damp meadows in Europe and Asia. For dietary supplements, the root is processed, not the above-ground parts.

Our extract is prepared at a 4:1 ratio. This means that four grams of dried root are used to produce one gram of extract. The 75 mg of extract in each tablet therefore corresponds to 300 mg of dried valerian root.

Valerenic acid is primarily responsible for its effects. Pharmacological studies have shown that valerian’s active compounds act as modulators of the GABAergic system, the system of the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter, and have serotonergic and antioxidant activity.⁸

The clinical evidence is extensive, but also inconclusive, and it is worth stating this plainly. A landmark meta-analysis in the American Journal of Medicine identified 16 eligible studies involving a total of 1,093 patients. Six of these assessed sleep quality dichotomously—that is, by asking whether it had improved or not—and found a statistically significant benefit in the relative likelihood of improved sleep. However, the authors noted signs of publication bias.⁶

A more recent meta-analysis from 2023 examined a larger body of evidence. It included 21 randomized controlled trials with a total of 1,433 participants and found a small to moderate effect on PSQI scores, self-reported sleep quality, and self-reported sleep duration. Among objective measures, valerian had a significant effect only on the duration of NREM sleep.⁷

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is one of the most widespread medicinal plants in temperate regions. Its flower heads are used.

This extract also has a 4:1 ratio, meaning that 50 mg of extract corresponds to 200 mg of dried chamomile flowers.

A key compound is the flavonoid apigenin. Chamomile’s secondary metabolites include flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins, and phenylpropanoids. Its effects are thought to be primarily attributable to apigenin, alpha-bisabolol, chamazulene, caffeic acid, and umbelliferone.⁹

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Phytotherapy Research searched eleven databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and Scopus, and included 12 randomized controlled trials. The findings were specific: chamomile significantly improved sleep quality according to six RCTs, while a meta-analysis of three RCTs found no difference in anxiety.⁹

A more recent meta-analysis published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine further refined these findings. The systematic review included ten studies with 772 participants and found that chamomile improved sleep, particularly by reducing the number of awakenings and improving the ability to stay asleep. However, it did not improve sleep duration, sleep efficiency, or measures of daytime functioning.¹⁰

Also worth noting is a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial that tested a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia—in the form used in supplements, rather than as tea.¹¹

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb in the mint family that smells of lemon when crushed. The leaves are used.

Here, we have gone a step further than with the previous two. The extract has a 5:1 ratio, so 50 mg corresponds to 250 mg of dried leaf. It is also standardized to 0.5% rosmarinic acid, which amounts to 0.25 mg per tablet.

Rosmarinic acid is not merely a marker of quality; it is a molecule with a described mechanism of action. Standardized lemon balm extracts characterized by the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids have been shown experimentally to have anxiolytic and anti-insomnia pharmacological effects, attributed at least in part to the action of rosmarinic acid on the enzyme GABA transaminase. GABA transaminase is an enzyme that breaks down GABA, the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter. Slowing this enzyme means that GABA remains in the system longer.¹⁴

Lemon balm is also one of the few herbs tested in healthy people, not just patients. In two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies, healthy young adults took lemon balm extract in a drink and in yogurt. A 0.3 g dose significantly reduced self-rated anxiety after both one and three hours, and all active doses reduced salivary cortisol, a physiological marker of stress, one hour after administration.¹⁵ An earlier randomized crossover study involving twenty healthy volunteers provided a practical detail: the lowest dose, 300 mg, increased self-rated calmness; a 600 mg dose improved accuracy on a sustained-attention task; but the highest dose, 900 mg, noticeably reduced alertness.¹⁶

Among standardized formulations, the most frequently cited is the Cyracos extract. A fifteen-day prospective, open-label study evaluated the effectiveness of a standardized Melissa officinalis extract containing approximately 8% rosmarinic acid, given at a daily dose of 600 mg, in twenty stressed volunteers with mild to moderate anxiety and sleep disturbances.¹² A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients following coronary artery bypass surgery¹³ and a prospective, double-blind crossover study of a phytosome formulation focused specifically on sleep quality are also available.¹⁴

On the packaging, you see “4:1 extract” and “5:1 extract.” Most people glance over these figures without understanding what they mean. Yet this is the most important information on the entire label, more important than the milligram amounts themselves.

Imagine making a rich stock. You put a kilogram of bones and vegetables into a pot, simmer them for a long time, and end up with just under a litre of liquid. That litre contains what could be extracted from the kilogram of ingredients.

An extract works in exactly the same way. A 4:1 ratio means that four grams of dried plant material were used to produce one gram of extract. A 5:1 ratio means five grams.

Here is why this matters: 75 mg of extract looks like very little on the label. Seventy-five milligrams is roughly the weight of a single grain of rice. But at a 4:1 ratio, it corresponds to 300 mg of dried valerian root.

When you add up all three extracts in the tablet, you get the following conversion:

A total of 750 mg of dried herbs in a single tablet. This is information that you will not find on the packaging because it does not have to be stated there—but it is what you actually have in the tablet.