They do sell melatonin in correct dosages too, Sundown Naturals 300mcg is the one I use.

I even got a good effect from buying a bottle of these and splitting them in half.

I recall listening to a sleep specialist on a radio show one morning (how's that for citing my sources).

Apparently there are two different methodologies for administering Melatonin. One is to use a higher dose(1mg - 3mg) before sleep (~an hour) as a hypnotic. The other is to take a much lower dose, closer to the 0.3mg you suggested, roughly 4 - 6 hours before the desired bed time.

The latter is used for modifying the circadian rhythm , and fixing problems with sleep wake cycles.

I think the primary takeaway from that show was that people should discuss their sleep problems and treatment with a doctor that specializes in sleep. The treatments and science can be somewhat counter intuitive.

There was an article on this that was posted to HN last year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17632668

The only problem is that the suggest 3 mg a day to get the effects of the study.

Recent studies? That link is from 2001.

From my recollection the smaller doses as you suggest were always known to be better but they were patented in the US by the institution that found them so only larger 3mg style doses can legally be sold cheaply, hence why most of what you can easily buy is 3mg+.

And [1] explains why this is the case. In short: patents.

[1] https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/10/melatonin-much-more-th...

“Many health food stores are now selling melatonin, to induce sleep and “prevent cancer.” They have taken some information out of context, and don’t realize how dangerous melatonin is. It makes the brain sluggish, causes the sex organs to shrink, and damages immunity by shrinking the thymus gland. It is the hormone of darkness and winter, and is produced in the pineal gland by any stress which increases adrenalin. Adequate sun light suppresses the formation of melatonin.” -Ray Peat, PhD

"In general, the direct actions of melatonin on the gonads and adnexa of mammals indicate it is an important agent for maintaining optimal reproductive physiology" - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/14/4/7231

When I look at other papers in this space I do find some adverse responses in hamster nuts when given melatonin injections (but not when it is administered using an implant).

At this point I did not want to research the other claims in the quote anymore. Instead, perhaps I can ask you: Do you know of any solid research that backs these (frankly very strong and contrary to everything else I've read) claims? If not, why did you choose to say this?

He sure comes off as a quack.

"sluggish" "shrink" "damages immunity". lol.

I found this out by chance, because my mom had 0.1mg pills and I laughingly took a few thinking they were a placebo amount.