Page Content (OCR)
sive. Neither is it scientifically established that melatonin plays a role in jet lag, winter depression, sleep, cancer, or aging.” 64 +¢ THE BUILDING BLOCKS in the body's reaction to danger: the "fight-or-flight" response. However, only adrenaline and noradrenaline released by nearby pineal nerve end- ings, not by the adrenal glands, have any effect on pineal function. This is not what we would expect. Since the pineal gland does not originate from brain tissue, it exists outside the blood-brain barrier and ought to be responsive to blood-borne chemicals and drugs. Neverthe- less, the body protects the pineal gland with a fierce tenacity. The stress-related surges of adrenal-gland adrenaline and noradrenaline se- creted into the blood never get to the pineal. The pineal security system, made up of "vacuuming" nerve cells, simply cleans up the blood-borne adrenaline and noradrenaline in an incredibly efficient manner. Not sur- prisingly, this barrier makes it nearly impossible to stimulate the pineal gland to produce melatonin during the day. Tiny blood vessels surround the pineal, so once it makes melatonin, the hormone quickly enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body. The pineal also secretes melatonin directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, where it can affect the brain even more quickly. The function of melatonin in humans is uncertain, despite major ad- vances in our understanding of its effects in other animals. There is great interest in determining whether melatonin has the same effects on repro- ductive function in humans as it does in other mammals. Melatonin levels fall dramatically at human puberty. Some investigators think this may allow the sexual apparatus to free itself from pineal restraint and thus begin functioning in an adult manner. Conclusive evidence remains elu- For any chemical to qualify as a spirit molecule, it must at least possess psychedelic effects. Does melatonin's striking chemical similarity to DMT and 5-methoxy-DMT mean that it also is profoundly psychoactive? Some early studies suggested that melatonin has mind-altering prop- erties. For example, administering high doses before bedtime seemed to induce vivid dreams. However, it is difficult to interpret those older stud- ies. They were not looking for, nor did they measure, psychedelic effects