Green tea is known for its high levels of antioxidants and catechins.
Green tea, which is rich in l-Theanine, is a potent source of powerful amino acids that can be used to reduce anxiety and stress.
L-Theanine’s remarkable benefits have emerged thanks to Japanese research over the past decade.
L-Theanine benefits
- Reduce anxiety
- Sleep better
- Stimulates immune system
- Powerful anti-cancer properties
- Protects your brain against aging
- Antibacterial properties
L-Theanine calms the mind and reduces anxiety.
Theanine is known to reduce stress and anxiety, induce deep relaxation without sedation, and relieve nicotine addiction. It also improves learning and promotes sleep. Despite appearing unrelated, all these benefits are linked by an increase in GABA neurotransmitters.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter that counterbalances the stimulatory effects caused by glutamate. GABA is the ‘off switch in the brain, while glutamate is the brain’s on/off switch.
Many studies have linked low levels of GABA to:
- Chronic anxiety
- epilepsy
- insomnia
- Panic attacks
- wondering pains/fibromyalgia
- Racing thoughts
- Headaches
- Carbohydrate cravings
Benzodiazepines should be the first choice for chronic anxiety. They increase the GABA effect at the GABA receptor. These psychoactive drugs can cause severe side effects, such as addiction and drowsiness. They are usually prescribed only for short-term use.
There are many GABA analogs for pharmaceutical use currently on the market. These analogs are not effective, despite the claims of many websites selling them. GABA, a large molecule, cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier. (Unless you have a leaky brain).
Phenibut, another nootropic drug, stimulates neuronal vesicles to release GABA and increase receptor uptake. This results in feelings of calmness and well-being. Although phenibut does not have the same side effects as common benzodiazepines, there are reports that it can cause withdrawal symptoms if taken in large doses and for prolonged periods. The hypothesis is that phenibut may cause a decrease in endogenously produced GABA due to its increase in brain GABA levels. You’d find yourself in a lower level of GABA if you stopped taking Phenibut.
Theanine is a completely natural amino acid that comes from green tea. It is smaller than GABA and doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms.
The theanine’s unique properties and safety profile make it an excellent choice for anxiety relief and high-stress states.
L-Theanine also has other benefits.
ADHD and L-Theanine
It has been shown that theanine can also increase dopamine through interaction with glutamate receptors and noradrenaline by its effect on increasing GABA levels.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and rewarded. Low dopamine levels can lead to addiction to drugs, food and high-risk behaviors like gambling. The person with naturally low dopamine levels will feel the effects wear off and start to crave that feeling of well-being again. This can lead to addiction.
Ritalin releases dopamine and noradrenaline, neurotransmitters that are used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Theanine, especially for children, is a safer and more effective alternative to Ritalin.
Bacteria and Theanine
High levels of glutamate are essential for many microorganisms such as Streptococcus and Escherichia coli, Shigella, Mycobacterium, and Escherichia decarboxylase. They do this by activating the GAD enzyme (glutamate dehydrogenase/glutamate decarboxylase), which brings glutamate into the cell and converts it to GABA. This is then used for energy production.
Theanine, a glutamate antagonist, has shown antibacterial activity against E Coli & Staphylococcus Aureus.
How effective is L-Theanine?
Clinical studies have shown that L-Theanine’s effectiveness is greatest in the 100-200 mg range. The effects can be felt in 15-30 minutes and last up to eight hours. People with anxiety or chronic stress can increase the dose to 600mg over 6 hours.
You can also drink 5-6 cups of green tea daily to reap the antioxidant and calming properties of green tea. You will get approximately 150mg to 190mg of theanine each day.