While there have not been definitive clinical trials, Theanine probably does calm anxiety and promote relaxation through stressful events and times. I last blogged about Theanine for anxiety some time ago. On that post someone commented that:
Under my doctors supervision, I was able to wean myself off of Ativan. I have been on L-Theanine since January and I am very happy with the results. Most days, I only take 100 mg but during periods of stress, I increase it to 200 mg. I have also found that a 100 mg dose before as stressful event (such as performing before a live audience!) helps a great deal.
This kind of response to Theanine is quite common. It is not as noticeably powerful as the benzodiazepine class of drugs, such as Valium and Xanax, however that is one of its benefits: instead of feeling spaced out, sleepy or “high”, you feel pleasantly alert but more relaxed.
There has been some research done, mostly in Japan where the main source of Theanine, green tea, is the national drink. In a study where participants took either 50mg or 200mg of Theanine it was found that more Alpha Waves were produced.
In one study of these mental responses to L-theanine, brain wave topography showed that alpha waves were observed from the back to the top of a person’s head (occipital and parietal regions of the brain) within approximately 40 minutes after the subjects had taken either 50 or 200 mg of L-theanine. In a separate study, the intensity of alpha waves were determined to be dose dependent (with a 200 mg dose showing a significant increase over controls) and detectable after 30 minutes.
The alpha wave state should be pleasantly calm and for people that suffer from anxiety it should be a refuge. Because Theanine’s effects are quite gentle it might not be strong enough to tackle the most voracious anxiety. There is only one way to find out.
Luckily, Theanine has a very good side-effect profile. The best way to get it is through supplementation . You can just drink Green Tea but you need to drink a lot, eight cups a day. Green tea also contains caffeine which might over-excite you in those quantities.
I recommend trying 200mg and seeing how you feel. 600mg a day is considered the maximum dose by most people however an upper tolerance has not been established at this time.
