... which is a claim made by other manufacturers. It doesn't boost serotonin or dopamine, but that's actually good. I studied neurochemistry as a Harvard grad student, a subject I got into because my own brain was behaving like a wild experiment in same (due to a sleep disorder). This is as informed a review as you can read.<br /><br />So, stress and anxiety have two components. There's the bad feeling that you get when you think about the stressful thing, and there's the continual thinking about the thing itself. There's not much you can do about the former that's not worse than the stress itself (drink and drugs). So we want a way to get our minds off the thing that is stressing us out and/or making us anxious.<br /><br />The next question is, is this a legitimate stressful thing? Or are you being overly anxious about things that other people deal with better? Boosting serotonin treats the latter, by helping the feeling part of the brain accept the message from the thinking part of the brain that "nothing bad is likely to happen." That's why it's an effective treatment for general anxiety disorder, OCD, and the like. But it does jack-all to keep your mind off of an actual stressful situation.<br /><br />To do that, you want to reduce the level of the brain chemical that focuses your attention, that keeps your attention on whatever you're currently thinking about so that your mind doesn't wander. Ordinarily you want plenty of that chemical. As you might guess, when it's low, you get ADD symptoms, and boosting the chemical will treat the distractibility of ADHD. That chemical is norepinephrine (NE). (I actually figured all this out in 1998, several years before Eli Lilly stumbled on the role of NE in attention by developing Strattera).<br /><br />When we are in a stressful situation the brain boosts NE. That's a good idea if the stressful situation is fleeing from a bear, and your mind wandering off to some other topic will get you eaten. However, we did not evolve to deal with stressful situations that might go on day and night, like losing your job and not being able to pay your bills. In that situation, you want ordinary NE levels, so you can get your mind off the situation (and thereby reduce the stress), and only deal with it when *you* want to. You want to reduce your NE levels. And that's what this amino acid does. Really and truly.<br /><br />Now, how do I know that? Here's a short version of the story. All my life I've been able to do a certain type of genuine multi-tasking, namely, being deep in thought while executing tasks like making myself dinner (I’m always deep in thought). To do this, you have to continually switch your attention from the deep thoughts to the task at hand and then back, or else you won't remember what you've done. It's not something you do consciously--it just happens.<br /><br />Well, over the past months I lost this ability to a disturbing degree. Example: taking the milk out and putting it on the counter, then going back to the fridge and looking for the milk (with increasing frustration). Or deciding to wash my hands to take out my contacts, then finding myself sitting at my desk remembering that I had intended to do that, a few minutes ago, but having no memory at all of having done it or not. I could remember the train of deep thought, but did I do it all sitting here, or was half of it at the bathroom sink? No idea.<br /><br />It was clear to me that excessively high NE was preventing my brain from doing the quick unconscious attentional switches that would allow me to remember what I was doing while I'd been thinking. (Another indicator was my decreasing ability to handle hot salsa. I told you this was the short version!) Finally, I stopped executing habits; it was when I tried, for the first time in my life, to get out of the car without having unbuckled my seat belt that I finally decided to search for a natural OTC substance that might reduce NE.<br /><br />It worked overnight. Dramatically. And there was unexpected evidence beyond a 90% restoration of my ability to multi-task. I use Office a lot, where Ctrl-B and Ctrl-I do bold and italics, but I use another app where they do different, unfortunate things, and as hard as I could try I’d been unable to avoid using them, over and over again. Since Theanine I've been catching myself 9 times out of 10 -- the brain just goes there now on its own.<br /><br />But wait, there's even more. I've been on a beta (NE)-blocker for a benign but very uncomfortable irregular heartbeat for about five years. I've gotten the daily dose down from 75 mg to 50, but when I tried 25 I had some very mild symptoms the next day, under random circumstances, so I went back to 50. When my prescription ran out while I was on Theanine I decided not to refill it. Sure enough, in 10 days I've had very mild symptoms just twice, both times when I was most stressed out (driving and being late to my destination). It's not something I would have much noticed if it weren't for my history, so it's clear to me that the Theanine is handling that problem as well.<br /><br />I started out with 100 mg at day and upped it to 200 mg when my brain seemed to be adjusting to its presence a bit; that hasn't happened at the higher dose. I’ve also done 100 and then 200 at night. This hasn’t helped me sleep better that I can tell, but my breathing (as measured by my CPAP machine), which was always excessively deep, is more normal with it. I'll update this review if I get a better handle on that.

Hello Everyone, I have been a huge fan of Suntheanine for years. This product NO LONGER contains Suntheanine! It used to contain Suntheanine but the company has decided to switch the ingredient to a generic theanine. I find it questionable to say the least that they would keep the reviews when it contained high quality Suntheanine and use these reviews to sell a different product. Why? Just to make more money? Not cool. Buyers beware.

WHAT IT IS: L-Theanine is an amino acid (a constituent of protein) found in green tea. "Suntheanine" is a brand name of L-Theanine produced by a Japanese company, Taiyo International, esteemed for its purity.<br /><br />WHAT IT DOES: So, what does L-Theanine do, exactly? Well, like all supplements, its effects on your individual biochemistry may vary slightly, so I'll tell you what it does for me.<br /><br />I drink quite a bit of green tea on a daily basis (averaging a minimum of 4 cups a day), so I'm getting a bit of L-theanine throughout the day, every day. I'm a writer and I find that l-theanine gives me a mental edge: a relaxed concentration that makes it much easier for me to do my job (which involves a lot of research and editing).<br /><br />HELP FOR ADD: I have very mild Attention Deficit Disorder and I find it noticeably easier to concentrate when I take L-theanine, hence my green tea habit. If I find myself getting impatient or frustrated with a project, it's L-theanine to the rescue--it takes the "edge" off in about 10 minutes. I also feel more relaxed, but with a significant amount of calm, focused energy. It doesn't make me sleepy, but I have experimented with it at bedtime & found that my dreams were more intense. I, however, prefer to take it during the day. Your mileage may vary.<br /><br />OTHER BENEFITS: The research I initially did on this supplement (before I started taking it years ago) stated that l-theanine works to improve concentration by actually altering brain waves, enhancing the alpha wave phase. It also raises dopamine and serotonin levels (both are feel-good neurotransmitters). Personally, I don't take the supplement daily (remember, I drink TONS of green tea). I take it on an "as needed basis"--if I feel my mind drifting too far afield of a mounting "To Do" List or find myself daydreaming, I supplement with an L-theanine capsule and regain my focus within about 20 minutes.<br /><br />I've read on several health forums that many people take l-theanine as an anti-anxiety treatment and to help with panic attacks. Many others use it for enhancing sleep (but as I mentioned, I like it better during the day, myself). Many women swear it helps alleviate PMS symptoms.<br /><br />COUNTERING MSG REACTIONS: My husband has an allergic reaction to MSG (monosodium glutamate), a "flavor enhancer" that's often added to restaurant food. He gets terrible headaches, dizziness, & dry mouth if exposed. Much to my amazement, an L-theanine capsule after exposure has prevented his headache/dizziness reaction, which is astounding in itself. If you're MSG-sensitive, try L-theanine and see if it helps. Even Jarrow's label clearly states that l-theanine helps mitigate glutamate toxicity (very unusual labeling).<br /><br />HOW TO TAKE IT: As with any amino acid, you want to take this either an hour before or 2 hours after eating and only with water or a protein-free fruit juice. Take it with any protein-containing meal or drink & you're blunting its effect & more or less wasting your money. Start with 1 capsule mid-morning, on an EMPTY stomach. You can also take one mid-afternoon, and, as I mentioned, some people take one before bedtime. See how you react; if it makes you sleepy, you'll do best using it as a sleep-enhancing supplement. If you're like me, it will give you more mental energy.<br /><br />QUICKEST ACTION: If you need REAL help real fast, open the capsule & pour the contents under your tongue. Let it completely dissolve. This method is quicker because the L-theanine gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream, bypassing a metabolic step in the liver. I never have to do this, but if I were someone who suffered from panic attacks, I'd certainly do so without hesitation.<br /><br />200 MG DOSAGE COMMENT: I've been taking another company's 100 mg Suntheanine capsule off and on for a couple of years and I was wondering if this 200 mg dosage would be too high for me. I'm happy to say it isn't and I actually find it is more effective for me than the lower dosage I've been taking.<br /><br />I highly recommend l-theanine, especially for anyone like myself who's fought against attention deficit disorder since childhood. It won't cure you, but it certainly makes it easier to calmly concentrate on any project. Good luck to all!<br /><br />CAUTIONARY P.S. As with any amino acid, those on pharmaceutical antidepressants should talk to their doctor before supplementing with any substance that alters dopamine/serotonin levels. Just an FYI.

Our pediatrician recommended this product for our son who has Asperger's. We noticed instant results! That was about a year ago and we do not go a day without it. Now my wife and I take it as well when we are feeling anxious. It works wonders.

I suffer from somewhat fitful sleep. Yet, all of the sleeping meds, prescribed or over the counter including antihistamines make me ultra groggy the next day. This isn't a &#34;take one and become a zombie&#34; sleeping aide, but it does knock down the constant &#34;thinking&#34; that keeps many of us awake. Very, very helpful for me. My wife on the other hand, who suffers from the same agitated sleep doesn't find it to be helpful at all. So, this is probably one of those &#34;works for some and not for others&#34; kind of thing that might be worth trying if your options like mine are limited.

It took me awhile to realize this made my insomnia worse. I figured it just wasn't working. Then one night, after not being able to sleep, I took an extra one and that did the trick. If you want to use it for sleep, take 400mg. Take less if you want to use it during the day. I use it to break down histamine during the day in the summer and also a sleep aid when needed, but I usually take zinc and magnesium for sleep.<br />The quality is good but you have to trouble shoot the dosage if you want it to work.