A study done October 31st 2011 at the University of Shizuoka, Japan, showed that “Theanine intake may be of benefit to the postnatal development of hippocampal function.”
Ahhh, time for a nice cup of tea. Nothing is quite as cozy feeling as a good cup of tea. First thing in the morning. Afternoon tea. Tea time. Late night spot of tea. Tea to get you going. Tea to help get over a cold. Having guests over for tea and a light snack. Talking out your problems over a cup of tea. Is there any culture at this point that doesn’t drink tea? Tea is the 2nd most consumed beverage after water on earth, and that’s probably because those that drink water just didn’t have any tea at the moment.
So what is it about tea that makes it so refreshing yet calming at the same time? One of the virtues of tea comes from the amino acid it contains called Theanine.
From Web MD:
“Theanine is an amino acid (a building block for proteins) found in green tea.
People use theanine for treating anxiety and high blood pressure, for preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and for making cancer drugs more effective
How does it work? Theanine has a chemical structure very similar to glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid in the body that helps transmit nerve impulses in the brain. Some of the effects of theanine appear to be similar to glutamate, and some effects seem to block glutamate.”
Tea causes changes in body chemistry that rejuvenate, relax, enhance the ability to think, and change mood. The biochemical changes provoked by tea are scientifically supported, and they’re not due to caffeine alone. It can prevent depression and lower blood pressure. Even though tea does contain caffeine, research shows that L-theanine neutralizes the speedy, jagged, bad effects of caffeine without reducing its mind-energizing, fat-burning features. In fact most of the people that start drinking green tea in my clinic tell me that they don’t notice that it keeps them awake at night. In fact, I would say most people report an improved quality of sleep with frequent green tea drinking. That being said, one of the participants in the last Matcha class that I had came back and said she was wired from all of the tea we sampled in class. Oh well, I guess not everyone has the same experience.
L-theanine’s effect on the brain, when shown on an EEG actually will reveal the waves will smooth out, but not flattened out altogether. With L-theanine the body remains relaxed, the mind is calmed, but no drowsiness occurs. This is the same kind of pre-sleep relaxation that sleep therapists hope to achieve in their patients.
L-theanine is one of few supplements that can cross the blood-brain barrier and positively affect brain chemistry, its mood-modulating effects have led to L-theanine being patented as a mood enhancer.
Researchers in Japan did a study in which 200 mg of L-theanine was given daily to patients and their sleep patterns were recorded.The L-theanine didn’t cause the subjects to sleep any longer, but it did cause them to sleep deeper which made them report that felt like they slept longer than they actually did.
Theanine has also been shown to significantly lowers blood levels of alcohol. Enough that researchers in Japan have done studies with mice showing the protective effects that it has on the liver.
A Chinese study of 14,000 people found that drinking tea slashes the risk of stroke by 40%. If enough theanine is present in the blood stream at the time a stroke occurs, the damaged area will be significantly reduced.
I have witnessed first hand the mood enhancing effects of green tea. In myself, my family, and in my patients. In Finnish research the subjects that drink 5 or more cups of tea rarely if ever report depression whereas those who drank none reported significantly more depression.