Anxiety is the UK’s most common form of mental illness, it’s estimated that it affects 4% of the population, with females being twice as likely to suffer than males.
A quick scroll through Google will show you that there are hundreds of ways to fight anxiety; medical, herbal, lifestyle changes you name it and somebody out there has tried it. One particular method has gained a lot of attention in recent years despite the fact that it has been used for centuries and is consumed by billions worldwide every single day. Its name is L-Theanine, you may not have heard it by this name and probably think you’ve never touched the stuff, well actually it’s just the fancy pants name for the amino acid found in tea leaves.
L-Theanine is the reason drinking green tea calms and relaxes you. Because it has access to the central nervous system, psychoactive substances such as L-theanine are believed to have the ability to affect mental abilities and states including your perception of the outer world, the speed at which you think, and the mood you are in. It works by affecting your alpha brain waves, which trigger focus, concentration and relaxation. Increasing dopamine, serotonin, and GABA in your brain which are all responsible for controlling your mood, sleep, etc. If you are a person who experiences anxiety that interferes with your functionality on a regular basis, the above can all help to put you in a better frame of mind.
So if all of this is available in tea then why is there any need to take L-theanine any other way? The reason is simple, a typical 200ml cup of black tea contains roughly 24.2 mg of L-Theanine, whereas a single capsule can contain up to 400mg, so unless you want to drink 16.5 cups of black tea every day to get a dosage strong enough to fight your anxiety it’s fairly simple to understand why people are choosing to go with the capsules.
L-Theanine is a great natural remedy but should not be solely relied on. We must take our mental health into our own hands and make positive lifestyle changes to improve our mentality and outlook on the world. We can all use a little helping hand and shouldn’t shy away from using it but in the end, we must fight for ourselves and teach ourselves how to manage and defeat our anxieties using the strength we have within.