Comparison
Melatonin vs PQQ
Melatonin
Pineal hormone regulating circadian rhythm. Low doses (0.3-1mg) often outperform higher doses for sleep.
PQQ
Pyrroloquinoline quinone — cofactor in mitochondrial biogenesis. Found in fermented foods and breast milk.
| Field | Melatonin | PQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Category | neuroprotective | neuroprotective |
| Dose range | 0.3–3mg | 10–40mg |
| Half-life | 1h | — |
| Onset | 30min | — |
| Evidence | EVIDENCEA | EVIDENCEC |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Legal (US) | USOTC | USOTC |
| PubMed refs | 28000 | 320 |
The comparison in plain English
Auto-generated from dataMelatonin and PQQ are both in the neuroprotective category respectively. Melatonin Pineal hormone regulating circadian rhythm. PQQ Pyrroloquinoline quinone — cofactor in mitochondrial biogenesis.
Bottom line
Melatonin (evidence A, safety 5/5) has a weaker evidence base than PQQ (evidence C, safety 5/5). Melatonin has the slightly cleaner safety profile. For users new to either, the higher-evidence option is the safer first try.
Choose Melatonin if
Melatonin is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (Endogenous hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, signalling the circadian sleep window) and the dose range (0.3–3mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is 1h.
Choose PQQ if
PQQ is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (Pyrroloquinoline quinone uniquely stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis via the PGC-1α pathway — it doesn't just improve existing mitochondrial function but creates new mitochondria) and the dose range (10–40mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is —h.