MoonBrew is a powdered supplement used to support sleep. The brand describes their product line as "the best alternative to melatonin and sleeping pills," and it's the updated brand from the company behind NoonBrew (which was a tea for general health).

But does MoonBrew contain ingredients proven to support optimal sleep? Are these ingredients effectively dosed? Does MoonBrew contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is it better or worse than popular sleep supplements like melatonin?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in MoonBrew to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for improving sleep, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also discuss the risk of side effects and compare it to other popular sleep supplements, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains research-backed active ingredients for sleep support
• Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend MoonBrew

Ingredient Analysis

The active ingredients in MoonBrew Hot Cocoa are shown below:

Magnesium is included at a dose of 72 milligrams (mg).

This mineral is clinically shown to support sleep quality and resolve insomnia, but we consider this to be underdosed.

A 2024 meta-study found that magnesium supplementation supports sleep quality, but the dose in every analyzed study was higher than that in MoonBrew.

Zinc is shown in some studies to support sleep, and appears to be effectively-dosed in this supplement.

We would recommend speaking with a doctor before using 200% Daily Value (DV) of zinc for extended periods.

L-tryptophan is an amino acid that's clinically shown to improve sleep, but as we documented in our Relaxium reviews article, we consider its effective dose to be over 1,000 mg, or twice the amount in MoonBrew.

Chamomile extract is an excellent choice for a sleep supplement.

A clinical trial published in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal analyzed the effects of chamomile extract supplementation on sleep, and concluded the following:

"The use of chamomile extract can significantly improve sleep quality among elderly people."

The inactive ingredients in MoonBrew are shown below:

Natural cocoa flavoring is an ingredient we recommend avoiding.

This broad categorical descriptor allows for ingredients like solvents and preservatives according to a medical review published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal.

Citric acid has been clinically shown to cause inflammation in some individuals, as we discussed in our article investigating are THC gummies good for sleep.

Overall, we consider MoonBrew highly likely to support increased sleep duration and improved sleep quality due to its active ingredients. From an efficacy perspective, this is an above-average formulation.

We do not currently recommend MoonBrew from a health perspective, given the two inactive ingredients discussed above, and given the relatively high zinc dose.

Does MoonBrew Cause Side Effects?

MoonBrew doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so we'll have to make an educated guess about its likelihood to cause side effects based on the stated ingredients.

Polygala root extract may cause gastrointestinal irritation according to a 2024 medical review, though this has only been shown in animal studies.

Zinc toxicity can cause side effects like nausea and fatigue, and the European Union sets the tolerable upper intake level of daily zinc at 25 mg, or only 3 mg more than what's included in this supplement.

This means that any consumer taking 4 mg of zinc outside of this supplement (from food or other supplements) would be exceeding the European Union upper intake level.

Overall, we do not consider MoonBrew likely to cause side effects for healthy individuals during short-term use, but we're less sure about long-term use, given the zinc dose.

MoonBrew vs. Popular Sleep Supps

Here's how MoonBrew compares to other popular sleep supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Melatonin

Melatonin is clinically proven to increase sleep duration and improve sleep quality, and is one of the most well-studied sleep supplements.

We consider this single-ingredient supplement to be a healthier choice than MoonBrew due to the lack of questionable inactive ingredients.

Winner: Melatonin

Inositol

This single-ingredient supplement is clinically shown to improve sleep quality (in at least some trials), as we documented in our inositol and sleep article.

Due to the lack of natural flavors and citric acid, we give inositol the advantage from a health perspective.

Winner: Inositol

Night Shred

This supplement is used for both weight loss and sleep.

It contains an active ingredient which is clinically shown to increase oxidative stress and promote insulin resistance (at certain doses), so we consider it to be less healthy than MoonBrew.

Winner: MoonBrew

MoonBrew Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Multiple research-backed active ingredients for sleep
• Some are effectively-dosed
• Likely to improve sleep quality
• Likely to increase sleep duration

Cons:

• Contains relatively high zinc dose
• Contains natural flavor
• Contains citric acid
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
  
• Taking melatonin or inositol may be healthier

Conclusion

MoonBrew is effectively formulated for sleep support.

From a potential efficacy perspective, this is an above-average sleep supplement in our opinion. It contains multiple active ingredients which are clinically shown to improve sleep quality, and which are included at research-backed doses.

We're concerned about the relatively high level of zinc, and would recommend speaking with a doctor prior to taking such a zinc dose over extended periods of time.

This supplement contains two inactive ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

While we don't consider MoonBrew likely to cause side effects with short-term use, long-term use of high supplemental zinc can cause toxicity (when combined with other dietary sources), which speaks to our prior suggestion to speak with a doctor.

We consider melatonin and inositol to be healthier sleep supplements than MoonBrew, but we consider MoonBrew to be a better-formulated sleep supplement than Night Shred.