Gastrodin (Gastrodia elata)

Gastrodia elata (tian ma)

Last updated 2026-05-19 · 3 primary citations

Mechanism

Gastrodin acts on multiple brain systems at once — it gently engages the same calming receptor system as magnolia (GABA), supports the production of growth factors that protect brain cells, and reduces inflammation in the brain. Preclinical work in sleep-deprivation models shows it helps recover from circadian disruption.

Why we use it

Tian ma has been used in Chinese medicine for sleep and headache for over a thousand years. The human trial data is still limited, so we list it as a supporting (Tier 2) active — added to widen the recovery profile for a population whose sleep biology is already disrupted.

How we dose it

Hericea uses 600 mg per serving (per Post-Shift packet). The clinical trial range that anchors this dose is 300–1,000 mg/day.

600 mg of Gastrodia elata extract (tian ma), the traditional Chinese-medicine herb used for sleep, headache, and anxiety. Standardized to deliver about 18 mg of gastrodin — the most-studied active compound.

Quality & sourcing

10:1 extract; ≥3% gastrodin standardized.

Gastrodia elata rhizome.

Primary literature

Liu Y et al. (2022)

Front Aging Neurosci

PubMed →

Animal (Alzheimer's model)

Gastrodin protected cognitive function in Alzheimer's-model mice by regulating gut microbiota and reducing brain inflammation.

Adds mechanism evidence that gastrodin acts on both the gut-brain axis and neuroinflammation — both implicated in chronic sleep disruption.

PMID 35721206

Yi W et al. (2025)

Neuropharmacology

PubMed →

Comprehensive review

Reviewed gastrodin's effects across mood, sleep, anxiety, and cognitive endpoints.

Most recent (2025) single source — current state of the mechanism evidence.

PMID 40371076

Ye T et al. (2018)

Brain Res Bull

PubMed →

Animal (cognitive dysfunction model)

Gastrodin improved cognitive function and reduced inflammation in a brain-stress model.

Adds inflammation-reduction evidence — directly relevant to shift workers, whose biology accumulates inflammatory load.

PMID 30524286