According to the 2005 edition of the "Archives of General Psychiatry," 40 million American adults suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. While medications such as Valium and Xanax are often prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, they are potentially addictive and may come with side effects. One of the most effective and popular natural alternatives to drugs is an amino acid called L-theanine. As with any supplement, consult your physician before taking L-theanine.
Anxiety Disorders
While it's natural to worry and feel anxious at times, anxiety disorders are serious conditions marked by chronic feelings of worry and anxiety in the absence of a specific cause. You frequently feel uneasy, nervous and on edge if you're afflicted with this chronic illness. Examples of specific types of anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Anxiety disorders can occur at any age, but they most often develop sometime between childhood and middle age. Though stress can play a role, a genetic component has been described in the "Journal of Affective Disorders."
Understanding L-theanine
L-theanine, or theanine, is an amino acid mainly found naturally in the green tea plant. It is considered the main component responsible for the taste of green tea, which in Japanese is called umami. However, you would need to drink an enormous amount of it to get a therapeutic dose of theanine. As a dietary supplement, theanine is used to promote mental and physical relaxation without causing drowsiness. It's unique in that it improves focus and concentration and calms stress and anxiety at the same time. In Japan, theanine is added to more than 50 different foods, including soft drinks and chewing gum, to produce an anti-stress effect.
Evidence
A double-blinded, placebo-controlled human study published in the October 2004 issue of "Human Psychopharmacology" compared theanine with the popular anti-anxiety medication, Xanax. Remarkably, theanine outperformed Xanax in inducing relaxing effects among 16 volunteers. While most people taking Xanax use 0.25 to 0.5 mg per day, the dose of Xanax used in this study, 1 mg, was much more substantial, making the study all the more impressive. In a Japanese study reported in the January 2007 issue of "Biological Psychiatry," participants given theanine experienced a lowered heart rate in response to a stressful task -- math testing -- compared with those given a placebo. It was suggested that theanine appears to lessen activation of the "fight-or-flight" response, thus, potentially preventing the damaging effects of chronic stress.
Dosage and Safety
A typical dose of L-theanine is 50 to 200 mg once or twice a day. For more severe cases of anxiety, it can be taken three or four times daily. Unlike many anxiety drugs, theanine is not habit forming. Consult with your physician before taking theanine, especially if you are taking medications. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid this supplement.
References
- "Archives of General Psychiatry"; Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of Twelve-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication; Ronald C. Kessler et al.; June 2005
- "Journal of Affective Disorders"; Evidence for Genetic Influences Common and Specific to Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety and Panic; January 2000
- "Human Psychopharmacology"; The Acute Effects of L-Theanine in Comparison with Alprazolam on Antcipitory Anxiety in Humans; K. Lu, et al.; October 2004
- "Biological Psychiatry"; L-Theanine Reduces Psychological and Physiological Stress Responses; K. Kimura et al.; January 2007
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