Pumpkin's Tryptophan Helps with Sleep, Sex and Mental Wellness
By Jules Popp
Researchers have found new evidence linking tryptophan and some brain functions. Tryptophan is a chemical substance known as an amino-acid. Melatonin and serotonin are formed from tryptophan. Pumpkins, which are such loved ingredients of Thanksgiving fare, are rich in tryptophan. Craig Hudson, a doctor in Toronto, has found that volunteers, who took part in a study, were able to cope with pressure better after taking this substance found in pumpkin seeds. These patients also experienced higher levels of mental well-being.
Lower heart beat records and video tapes of the volunteers performing functions, confirm the positive feelings they recounted. Craig Hudson, M.D. has published the findings in the September 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. Dr. Hudson practices psychiatry, and specializes in the effects of diet on the mind. He has also written a book on this subject.
Tryptophan combines with light to calm the night. It also helps people to fall asleep after dark. This amino acid combines with carbohydrate to cross rapidly between circulating blood and brain cells. Earlier studies, published in the April 2005 edition of Nutritional Neuroscience have concluded that tryptophan in food help people fall asleep relatively quickly.
Longer durations of undisturbed sleep, better mental states during wakefulness, and more enjoyable sex, are other benefits that research subjects reported during this study. The findings were confirmed by giving a control group of volunteers, foods without tryptophan and by not letting researchers know which of the two groups of subjects were given tryptophan.
Dr. Hudson has now started a company to produce and to market a product based on the pumpkin seed extract he studied. The company is known as Biosential. The product has been branded as Zenbev. It is a powder with a lemon flavor, and can be made in to a cold or a hot drink. Zenbev is also available in the United States, where it is distributed by Gateway Nutrition Products.
This company is based in Everson, WA. Dr. Hudson and his wife have applied for patents for Zenbev in some one dozen countries. It is already available commercially in most parts of Europe. Zenbev was first launched in 2004, and is largely retailed through outlets concerned with natural foods. Biosential has been in business for about a decade. The company is dedicated to producing and marketing products that Dr. Hudson tests and develops. Most of these products are nutritional by nature, and focus on influencing the working of the human mind.
