Herbal jetlag pills: good/bad?

August 3, 2008 4:16 PM

How helpful are those "herbal jetlag pills"?

I was at some health-store today and saw some supplements made up of a bunch of herbs and other stuff (few/no artificial chemicals)... the instructions were to take a pill before take-off and one every four hours thereafter until arrival. They were about US$15 - not a bad price at all if it works.

Have any of you used these pills, and if so, how good are they? Sure would appreciate any suggestions/tips for dealing with jetlag... I travel a lot and as time goes by, I find it increasingly difficult to get past the effects of the time difference without losing a few days.

Thanks a lot!

posted by mateuslee to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

I have no idea what's in your pills. What I do is do my best to sleep on the plane, then force myself to stay awake during daylight in the new place. The only pill I take is melatonin at bed-time in the new time zone; it helps provide some reasonably natural sleep and keeps you from waking up at 3am local time. Usually three days of that is enough to get me reset by 8-9 hours.
posted by Nelson at 5:02 PM on August 3, 2008

As an alternative to herbal remedies, I strongly recommend this book: Overcome Jet Lag. It uses a set of known cues to reset your body clock (diet,exercise, sleep/wake, light/dark) I can't remember if it includes the use of melatonin but taking melatonin at bedtime can help you fall asleep more naturally.

The most common brand that I have seen is "Airborne". Anything that advertises in big letters on the front of the package "Created by a school teacher" (actually a second grade teacher) just immediately triggers too much skepticism on my part to think it has more than a placebo effect (and placebo effects can be amazing so I'm sure many people swear by it) In March, 2008, Airborne had to pay out $23.3 milllion for claiming that the product's efficacy had been proven in a clinical trial but it turns out the the trial included only two people with no clinic and no scientist.
posted by metahawk at 5:22 PM on August 3, 2008

Try fasting for 16 hours. I did this on my last cross-country trip -- had lunch about noon, then took the red-eye from Seattle to Charlotte and ate breakfast when I landed about 6 AM. After about two hours I needed a short (45-minute) nap, but after that I was fine all day. I went to bed around midnight and awakened at 8 AM.
posted by kindall at 5:30 PM on August 3, 2008

Airborne isn't actually marketed as a jet-lag solution, but as a concoction of vitamins & herbs that will supposedly prevent you from getting sick (from the various germs etc. in the recirculated air of a plane).

I find acting as if I am already in the time zone I will land in from the moment I'm on the plane works very well (sleep and eat on that schedule, taking melatonin or another sleeping aid if necessary, using eye masks to block light during "night" and so on). That said, the best laid plans of mice and men and all. I did just fine with a 12-hour shift traveling West to East, got right on schedule. Coming back the same way? I felt like I'd been hit in the head with a frying pan, and didn't feel completely back in form for at least a week.
posted by tigerbelly at 5:58 PM on August 3, 2008

I just realized I didn't answer the specific question. I have tried a No Jet Lag oral spray, and didn't find it made much difference either way.
posted by tigerbelly at 6:00 PM on August 3, 2008

Warning: if you have depression, melatonin can make it worse. But if you don't, there's some evidence suggesting that it helps if taken at proper time.
posted by Maias at 6:10 PM on August 3, 2008

I have found them to be pretty ineffective. What's most helpful to me is getting out in the daylight as early as possible, and not going to sleep until it's dark. Repeat every day.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:28 PM on August 3, 2008

I used to work at a herbal products snake oil company and am now suspicious of touts of "natural" or "no artificial chemicals". The U.S. FDA allows dietary supplements to make health claims as long as the manufacturer isn't addressing an actual medical condition. Since jetlag isn't a disease, claims can be pretty broad and bold with little or no justification.

Also, just because something is natural doesn't make it good for you, or more likely to be effective. Foxglove plants are 100% natural, and poisonous.

I don't know the specific pills you're talking about, but unless it has ingredients for which there's a good body of supporting research, your best outcome is likely a placebo effect.

I travel a lot, and many red-eye flights have taught me this regimen:
- behave like you're at your destination's time zone starting as soon as possible, or at the latest when you get on the plane
- bring your own food on the flight and eat per destination's time zone
- If it's an overnight flight, get as much sleep as possible with: ear plugs, eye shades, neck pillow, no coffee for 12 hours beforehand, and (if you and your doctor approve) Ambien
- at your destination, stay in the sunlight and KEEP MOVING as much as possible
- feel free to drink coffee in the morning, but not after 3pm
- personally, I find I can usually go to sleep the first night with no problem, but the second can be tough. I'll use Ambien again if needed
- if you have a sleep ritual at home, follow it at your destination. For me, that's lavender bath oil, a lavender pillow insert (a very nice bit of snake oil, thank you very much), and a trashy novel to get my mind relaxed before bed

Good luck with your travels!
posted by CruiseSavvy at 11:21 AM on August 4, 2008

If I can't get to sleep due to jet lag, I usually try melatonin (which you can get at a vitamin store). I've tried those herbal jet-lag supplements, and haven't really found them to work, but it wouldn't hurt to try.
posted by bluefly at 12:04 PM on August 4, 2008