Do you have a daily tea habit? If it's green, then you're already getting some beneficial L-theanine!
L-theanine is an amino acid found almost exclusively in tea (green, oolong, and Pu-erh have the highest concentration). Discovered in 1949, it's responsible for the caramel-like taste and aroma that green tea has in comparison to black tea.
In today’s email, we'll take a deep-dive into it and cover the following:
- An overview of L-theanine
- Conditions or symptoms that may benefit from L-theanine
- Dosing of L-theanine
- Bonus!
1: An Overview of L-theanine
- Increases alpha wave activity in the brain, which is responsible for improving focus, promoting a sense of calm but without drowsiness.
- Plasma half life is around an hour, but it seems to exert its effects longer. It can cross the BBB within 30 minutes, reduce presynaptic glutamate release (glutamate is an excitatory molecule), increases GABA, and enhances glycine and dopamine release.
- It may modulate the immune system. One way is by increasing EPCs, or Endothelial Progenitor Cells; lower levels of EPCs are connected to plaque formation.
- It may lower cortisol in those with high free cortisol levels
- It appears to have neuroprotectant activities
- There does not appear to be a dose that is considered toxic when consumed as a supplement (but I still stick to the doses noted in studies; see below for details).
**Note, rare liver damage has been seen in excessive consumption of tea (but details to this are unknown, i.e. was the tea organic, contaminated with heavy metals, did the individuals partake in other habits that affected liver health?)
2: Conditions or symptoms that may benefit from the use of L-theanine
- Mood enhancement
- Help with falling and staying asleep
- Supports cognition
- It may not be effective as a stand-alone treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), however some studies show the most promise in those with stress-related anxiety. I would still try it in anyone with anxiety, though - even GAD! [Reference]
3: Dosing of L-theanine
1 cup of green tea has up to 30mg of L-theanine.
When used as a supplement, the average dose is 200-400mg, but up to 900mg was used in some studies.
I generally recommend taking it in supplement form 2-3 times a day with or without food. Note, it does come in liquid and dissolvable tablets if someone needs this for more acute symptoms (effects may be felt within 10 minutes when taken in these forms).
Bonus
Here's an example of how I "store" my knowledge of functional medicine for easy access. There is 10-20x more working knowledge we must use in a clinical setting when practicing functional medicine - no one should be expected to memorize it all!
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