L-Theanine is an amino acid found in some mushrooms and green tea. It’s responsible for some of the flavor characteristics you enjoy as a Matcha drinker, but more so it provides a handful of desired health benefits.
Here are 5 of the biggest health benefits of L-Theanine.
1. Promotes Better Sleep
L-Theanine is a safe relaxant, and we all know when we’re relaxed, we sleep better. So you would assume if this amino acid helps you relax, then it can also improve your quality of sleep—and for once your assumptions would be right.
A study of boys who were formally diagnosed with ADHD found that safe dosages of L-Theanine (400 mg per day was used in this study) demonstrated a safe and effective way to promote better sleep. The boys showed less activity while sleeping, and it even reduced the time needed for them to fall asleep.
2. Helps Relieve Anxiety Symptoms
If you get on Google, one of the first searches to pop up when you type in L-Theanine is “L-Theanine for anxiety”. Why? Because those who have used and studied L-Theanine have found it relaxes people without making them feel groggy or sedated and it also has anti-stress effects.
In one study, several patients who had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder took 400 mg of L-Theanine during an eight-week period. During this time, the L-Theanine lightened these patients’ anxiety levels, while also lessening other schizophrenic symptoms.
3. Lowers Blood Pressure
High caffeine levels, like those found in Matcha, can have negative physical effects, one being increasing blood pressure. But L-Theanine has proven to lower people’s blood pressure levels, especially people prone to stressing out or that find themselves in high-stress situations.
It also improves the function of blood vessels, so all around, this amino acid is great for a healthy heart.
4. Protects Brain Cells
When a person’s oxygen levels are low, L-Theanine steps in like a superhero and protects the brain cells. It blocks the brain cells from becoming overstimulated and prevents them from being impaired while they are receiving less oxygen.
Studies have found that L-Theanine can reduce the death of brain cells and reduce oxidation levels in the brain. Oxidation damages cell membranes and other internal structures, so L-Theanine is one of the good health fighters you want having your back (or your brain in this case).
5. Reduces Stroke Impact
People have strokes when suddenly there’s a blockage preventing blood from getting to their brain. But when you consume L-Theanine, like drinking a cup of Matcha a day, you consume an amino acid that will help lower the impact a stroke can have on you, while also lowering your risk of stroke all together if you’re living a healthy lifestyle.
Lab studies have shown that L-Theanine improves nitric oxide production in endothelial cells. Nitric oxide signals good communication between these cells and blood flow, as well as pressure to your artery walls. It also restricts tumor necrosis factor alpha, which lowers your risk of having an artery-blocking clot, and safeguards your body from the blood refilling that happens right after a stroke that causes unwanted damage.
If you want to start reaping the health benefits of L-Theanine, one way is to drink more matcha green tea.