Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41194623›Full record

ArticleJournal of the science of food and agriculture2026

Longan flower water extract promotes sleep in mice via the serotonin-melatonin axis.

Tzu-Huan Hung, Chiu-Ping Cheng, Wei-Chung Chiou, Tzu-Lan Hsia, Hui-Kang Liu, Hsu-Feng Lu, Yu-Heng Lai, Shang-Ting Tsai, Chiung-Ju Chen, Cheng Huang

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the science of food and agriculture, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Tzu-Huan HungInstitute of Plant Biology, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5884-2778
Chiu-Ping ChengInstitute of Plant Biology, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6643-5643
Wei-Chung ChiouDepartment of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tzu-Lan HsiaDepartment of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hui-Kang LiuDivision of Basic Chinese Medicine, National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5297-6836
Hsu-Feng LuDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Asia University, Wufeng, Taiwan.
Yu-Heng LaiDepartment of Chemistry, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shang-Ting TsaiDepartment of Applied Chemistry, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-602X
Chiung-Ju ChenDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Cheng HuangDepartment of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8220-1815

Funding

This research was funded by grants NSTC 113-2320-B-A49-031-MY3 from the Ministry of Science and Technology, 112NYCU-TARI_01 from the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, and 2022SKHAND005 and 2025SKHAND012 from Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLongan (Dimocarpus longan) flower is an underutilized botanical byproduct rich in polyphenols with reported neuroprotective actions, yet its role in sleep regulation remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the sleep-promoting effects of longan flower water extract (LFWE) and its underlying neurochemical mechanisms in vivo. Although longan flower extract has been suggested to enhance melatonin biosynthesis in vitro, its functional role in sleep modulation remains unclear.

resultsHigh-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling demonstrated that LFWE is rich in phenolics and flavonoids, with corilagin, gallic acid and epicatechin as dominant constituents, alongside ellagic acid, rutin, procyanidin A2, quercetin and kaempferol. Male C57BL/6 mice received oral LFWE (25 mg kg

conclusionOur findings support a mechanistic model in which LFWE augments the serotonin-melatonin axis and modulates monoaminergic tone to enhance sleep maintenance. The combination of water solubility, high polyphenol content and selective prolongation of sleep duration without sedative-like latency reduction highlights LFWE as a safe and sustainable phytochemical resource with translational potential in functional food and nutraceutical applications for sleep regulation. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Indexed as

MelatoninPlant ExtractsSapindaceaeSerotoninSleepAnimalsBrainFlowersHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMelatoninPlant ExtractsSerotoninLC–MS profilinglongan flower water extractmelatoninpolyphenolsserotoninsleep regulation

Identifiers

PMID41194623
PMCPMC12790649

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.