NOW Foods Melatonin 3mg Chewable 180 Lozenges

What it is

NOW Foods Melatonin 3 mg Chewable is a dietary supplement supplied as 180 peppermint-flavored lozenges in one bottle. The Supplement Facts panel sets the serving at one lozenge and declares two nutrients in that serving: vitamin B-6 (from pyridoxine HCl) at 3 mg, and melatonin at 3 mg. The front of the bottle marks the product Chewable and Vegetarian/Vegan, and the side panel carries the brand's own line, "Family owned since 1968." On this store it is filed under Supplements.

No servings line is printed on this panel. The figure of 180 servings used below is therefore derived — the count on the front divided by the one-lozenge serving size — rather than transcribed from the label.

What's inside

The panel declares two actives and seven other ingredients, and it is the only source for every number on this page.

Vitamin B-6, 3 mg (176% Daily Value). Vitamin B-6 is one of the eight water-soluble B vitamins, and the panel names the specific form used here as pyridoxine hydrochloride. This is the only row on the panel carrying a percentage, because vitamin B-6 has an established Daily Value to measure against: 3 mg set against the current 1.7 mg reference gives the printed 176%. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on vitamin B-6 gives general background on the nutrient itself.

Melatonin, 3 mg. Melatonin is described on the bottle as naturally produced in the pineal gland. Its row on the panel carries a dagger rather than a percentage, and the footnote directly underneath spells out the reason: "† Daily Value not established." Panels of this kind, with their actives and amounts as printed, are indexed in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

The seven other ingredients. Printed in full on the panel: Fructose, Cellulose, Stearic Acid (vegetable source), Mannitol, Natural Peppermint Flavor, Sorbitol and Magnesium Stearate (vegetable source). The panel names these as ingredients and assigns no role to any of them, so neither do we. What they are is still worth knowing, and three of the seven are carbohydrates. Fructose is the simple sugar found in fruit and honey. Mannitol and sorbitol are sugar alcohols — carbohydrates built on a sugar's carbon backbone but ending in alcohol groups — and both also occur naturally in fruit. Cellulose is plant fiber. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in plant and animal fats, and magnesium stearate is its magnesium salt; the panel marks both of those as vegetable source. Natural peppermint flavor is the seventh.

For general reading on how supplement labels are written and what the terms on them mean, the NIH guide to dietary supplements is a neutral starting point.

Supplement Facts

How to use it

The directions printed on the bottle read: "Take 1 lozenge just prior to bedtime as needed. Chew lozenge or hold in mouth until dissolved and swallow." That is the whole of the suggested usage — one lozenge, taken as needed rather than on a fixed daily schedule, and taken by mouth rather than swallowed whole.

Two further lines sit on the panel and both concern keeping the product as it arrives: "Do Not Eat Freshness Packet. Keep in Bottle." The lozenges are meant to stay in the bottle they come in, alongside the freshness packet, which is not food.

A third printed line describes the lozenges themselves: "Natural color variation may occur in this product." Shade differences between lozenges, or between one bottle and the next, are anticipated by the manufacturer and are noted on the label.

Who it's for

This is an adult product — the bottle's own caution opens "For adults only." Within that, the 180-count bottle suits someone who already knows how a chewable lozenge fits their routine rather than someone meeting the format for the first time; at one lozenge per serving it holds 180 servings. The front of the bottle is marked Vegetarian/Vegan, and the ingredient panel is the place to check that against any individual dietary rule you follow. On this store the product is also filed under Health & Wellness.

Anyone taking prescription medication, anyone pregnant or nursing, and anyone managing a medical condition should read the caution below in full and speak to a physician before using it.

Good to know

The caution is printed on the bottle in full and is reproduced here as written: "For adults only. May cause drowsiness. Do not operate a vehicle or heavy machinery following consumption of melatonin. Consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking medication (especially sedatives, immunosuppressants or anticoagulants), or have a medical condition (including diabetes, auto-immune conditions, depressive disorders, cardiovascular conditions and epilepsy). Keep out of reach of children."

The allergen statement on the panel reads: "Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens." Both halves of that sentence matter, and both are printed.

The bottle carries a GMP Quality Assured seal. No certifying body is named beside that seal on the bottle itself. No California Proposition 65 warning is printed anywhere on this package.

Orders ship in plain outer packaging, with no product imagery, no brand marks and nothing on the outside describing the contents. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lozenges are in the bottle, and how many servings is that?

The bottle holds 180 lozenges, which is 180 servings. The Supplement Facts panel sets the serving size at one lozenge and prints no servings line of its own, so the 180-serving figure comes from dividing the count on the front by that one-lozenge serving.

Does the panel declare anything besides melatonin?

Yes — it declares vitamin B-6 as well. Each lozenge provides vitamin B-6 (from pyridoxine HCl) 3 mg, listed at 176% of the Daily Value, on the row above melatonin 3 mg. Melatonin's row carries a dagger instead of a percentage because, as the panel's footnote states, no Daily Value has been established for it.

Do I chew this or swallow it whole?

Chew it, or hold it in the mouth until it dissolves and then swallow — those are the printed directions, word for word. The product is sold as a lozenge rather than as a capsule or a tablet to be swallowed intact, and the bottle front identifies it as Chewable.

What else is in the lozenge besides the two declared nutrients?

Seven other ingredients, printed on the panel as fructose, cellulose, stearic acid (vegetable source), mannitol, natural peppermint flavor, sorbitol and magnesium stearate (vegetable source). Three of those seven are carbohydrates: fructose is a simple sugar, while mannitol and sorbitol are sugar alcohols. The flavor is listed as Natural Peppermint Flavor.

Which allergens does the label address?

The panel states the product is not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients, and in the same sentence that it is produced in a GMP facility which processes other ingredients containing those allergens. Read both parts together; if a specific allergen is not named on that list, the label does not speak to it, and the full ingredient line above is the thing to check.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.