L-Theanine Benefits & Experiences – From Shy To Confident?

I always thought, that one of the most effective ways to get rid of social anxiety was to drink alcohol. But I was wrong. For this problem you can find a natural supplement and this substance can be found in small extent also in green tea. My experiences on theanine supplements.

From shy to confident with L-Theanine – really?

Nowadays it’s very common to have fear of social situations, or social anxiety – and it will undoubtedly affect negatively on the enjoyment of life. Maybe you do not dare to approach women or men, and due to this problem you may have trouble getting girlfriend or boyfriend.

Going to a nightclub might be scary, you have to drink at least 6 beer or cider before you even dare to go sit in the corner of a nightclub – and what do you get by sitting in the corner of a nightclub? Not a damn thing.

That evening went down to the tube and you only wasted time and money, while the others were having fun on the dance floor in a relaxed way. Why others are naturally laid back and social, but you do not? You might think about this…

I sometimes wondered the same thing. One day, I found the solution.

A natural solution. Not unhealthy alcohol or drugs to get rid of social anxiety.

The solution was as simple thing as green tea. Specifically, L-theanine which is substance in green tea. Theanine in large amounts, acts as a natural relaxant, without drowsiness.

two-happy-asian-girls-smiling
Can L-theanine make you more happier and confident?

Theanine and its unexpected side effect: makes you confident

I bought theanine for brain supplement, for its proven nootropic benefits. When I started using theanine, however, I found an unexpected side effect.

What happened when I took a theanine capsule? I felt like Neo in the Matrix. The fog disappeared from my brain, I saw everything. I was relaxed & calm inside, I was able to keep a good eye contact with anyone. Flirting with women began to feel natural, even sober in broad daylight.

Immediately theanine seemed to be a magic pill, real working solution for all shy people who want to become more self-confident.

I began to search the Internet for more information about theanine, would the others have found similar benefits? Yes, I found many articles stating the same thing, some even praised theanine as their secret to confidence with women.

Unbelievable – theanine is generally known as a brilliant “magic pill” for fear of social situations.

Theanine removes you effectively from “inside of your head” (ie. being a prisoner of your own thoughts) in exactly the same way as drinking alcohol does, but without the obscuring effects.

You can reach the state of being where you naturally do as you want – when you see a beautiful woman, you do not fall inside your head into the thoughts, but instead straight to action. L-theanine may become a new phenomenon – in which men and women are at nightclubs sober with theanine’s force, laid back and social.

Theanine works as a mind relaxant. Rampant mind, and its limiting thoughts comes in the way of many, when they are going to approach attractive person from the opposite sex.

As a result, theanine is also a great thing before going to bed, and I mean before going to sleep – well, the excess thoughts do not exactly help you with the other meaning of “going to bed”… So taking a theanine capsule before sex is also a great idea.

In fact, I do it all the time and it definitely makes me significantly more relaxed and “in the now” so to speak, which helps you to immerse into sex and improves everything starting from erections.

Is this the solution to awful state caused by drinking?

Many of us know it when you wake up in the morning after public holiday celebration days, what you experience is a headache and your mouth tastes like a night of drinking.

That rugged feel, you’re swearing “never again, I’m done with drinking”. Another day spent in a gruesome state, and you know you lost some results which you had gained at the gym. At that moment it is good to know that there are options such as L-theanine, or other anti-hangover strategies.

With the aid of theanine you can enjoy the evenings being confident & self-assured, and wake up in the morning in a great state. No wasted days, not losing gym gain results or the loss and waste of money to unhealthy alcohol.

Theanine is worth a try especially if you have self-confidence problems when sober. Theanine allows you to go into social situations sober, and maybe then take one or two drinks and leave the consumption of alcohol at that.

In the future, you will find that when others complain about hangover… You wake up in the clear state of being after good evening’s partying, while you created new social relations and maybe your phone has an interesting woman’s / man’s number.

After the night of partying with theanine, you can go to play sports, you can eat normally, you can work – you get to do something productive and you do not waste your time again for yet another boring day lying in the bed hungover.

Theanine – what it is and where it comes from?

Theanine is a natural amino acid which is found in large quantities mainly in the tea plant leaves. Theanine can be obtained from drinking green tea and from each tea made ​​from leaves of tea plant (Camellia sinensis).1

Pharmacist Sherry Torkos goes over the many benefits of L-Theanine

In addition to green tea, you can get theanine also from white and black teas, because all of these teas come from the same leaves of Camellia sinensis. The difference in these teas comes from production (picking time, fermentation, etc.).

Some argue that you may also get theanine from yerba mate tea, but no you do not. Theanine is found exclusively in the tea plant Camellia sinensis leaves and Boletus badius mushroom.2Bay bolete, is an edible, pored mushroom found in Eurasia and North America. – Wikipedia The third source is one rare Amazonian rain forest tree called Ilex guayusa.3Ilex guayusa is a species of tree of the holly genus, native to the Amazon Rainforest.- Wikipedia

From these, the best source of L-theanine is green tea and pure theanine supplements. Oxidation of black tea might destroys some of the amino acid theanine in the final product. Black tea has other problems too, such as a formation of mycotoxins (mold toxins) during the fermentation. Portuguese research revealed how 88% of the samples of black tea contained a carcinogenic mycotoxin called fumonisin.4Martins ML, Martins HM, Bernardo F. Fumonisins B1 and B2 in black tea and medicinal plants. J Food Prot. 2001 Aug;64(8):1268-70. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-64.8.1268. PMID: 11510675.

Therefore, green tea is a better choice, even though both are from the same plant. This example shows how treatment and production can make a big difference in the end product.

relaxed women enjoy life
L-Theanine is a natural relaxant.

Theanine benefits

One of the biggest reasons for the nutritional benefits of theanine is its ability to bypass the blood-brain barrier, which allows it to reach the brain, making theanine able to provide psychoactive benefits.

Theanine is able to reduce stress and increase relaxation, as well as to increase the cognition (brain function), especially when you take it with caffeine.

Study: L-theanine and caffeine in combination are beneficial for improving performance on cognitively demanding tasks.5Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutr Neurosci. 2008 Aug;11(4):193-8. doi: 10.1179/147683008X301513. PMID: 18681988.

Regularly taken theanine is able to increase the levels of brain serotonin, dopamine, and GABA levels, which is why many have tamed depression and anxiety / restlessness with theanine’s help.6Nathan PJ, Lu K, Gray M, Oliver C. The neuropharmacology of L-theanine(N-ethyl-L-glutamine): a possible neuroprotective and cognitive enhancing agent. J Herb Pharmacother. 2006;6(2):21-30. PMID: 17182482.[/mfn]

Serotonin is known as the so-called “happiness hormone”, and dopamine is a hormone that causes a sense of feeling good. Dopamine is released during pleasurable activities such as sex and eating. Increased intake of theanine promotes both of these hormones presence in the body.

Theanine has also been shown to improve the immune system and help your body to fight against diseases.6Bukowski JF, Percival SS. L-theanine intervention enhances human gammadeltaT lymphocyte function. Nutr Rev. 2008 Feb;66(2):96-102. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2007.00013.x. PMID: 18254876.

Supplementation of L-theanine has been shown to decrease and prevent the incidence of cold and flu symptoms.7Rowe CA, Nantz MP, Bukowski JF, Percival SS. Specific formulation of Camellia sinensis prevents cold and flu symptoms and enhances gamma,delta T cell function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Oct;26(5):445-52. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2007.10719634. PMID: 17914132.

This study showed that theanine can reduce neuronal cell death in brain cortex and hippocampus. The Same study found out that L-Theanine also significantly reduced oxidative protein and lipid damage and the elevation of glutathione levels in the brain. Researchers concluded that theanine may be useful in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.8Kim TI, Lee YK, Park SG, Choi IS, Ban JO, Park HK, Nam SY, Yun YW, Han SB, Oh KW, Hong JT. l-Theanine, an amino acid in green tea, attenuates beta-amyloid-induced cognitive dysfunction and neurotoxicity: reduction in oxidative damage and inactivation of ERK/p38 kinase and NF-kappaB pathways. Free Radic Biol Med. 2009 Dec 1;47(11):1601-10. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.09.008. Epub 2009 Sep 16. PMID: 19766184.

Because theanine elevates glutathione levels, it makes it effective anti-hangover supplement and I use it all the time before a drinking night or when I go out sober.

L-theanine helps fight high blood pressure by relaxing the body, and this study showed that L-theanine significantly inhibited the blood-pressure increases.9Yoto A, Motoki M, Murao S, Yokogoshi H. Effects of L-theanine or caffeine intake on changes in blood pressure under physical and psychological stresses. J Physiol Anthropol. 2012 Oct 29;31(1):28. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-31-28. PMID: 23107346. And other study suggests that it may be useful for reducing blood pressure.10Rogers PJ, Smith JE, Heatherley SV, Pleydell-Pearce CW. Time for tea: mood, blood pressure and cognitive performance effects of caffeine and theanine administered alone and together. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Jan;195(4):569-77. doi: 10.1007/s00213-007-0938-1. Epub 2007 Sep 23. PMID: 17891480.

One study shows that theanine inhibits nicotine-induced dependence, making it viable strategy for treatment of tobacco addiction.11Di X, Yan J, Zhao Y, Chang Y, Zhao B. L-theanine inhibits nicotine-induced dependence via regulation of the nicotine acetylcholine receptor-dopamine reward pathway. Sci China Life Sci. 2012 Dec;55(12):1064-74. doi: 10.1007/s11427-012-4401-0. Epub 2012 Dec 12. PMID: 23233221. (Another good supplement for eliminating tobacco addiction is mucuna pruriens.)

Physician, doctor and research cited theanine benefits:

L-theanine reduces stress, improves the quality of sleep, diminishes the symptoms of PMS, heightens mental acuity, and reduces the negative side effects of caffeine. At typical dosages, e.g., 100–200 mg, L-theanine does not act as a sedative, but it does significantly improve sleep quality.Dr. Murray

Some research has suggested that L-theanine has calming effects. In one study…those who received the highest dose (200 mg) produced more alpha waves, an indication of increased relaxation, about 40 minutes after getting the L-theanine. – Dr. Weil

Our study suggests that chronic (8-week) l-theanine administration is safe and has multiple beneficial effects on depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbance and cognitive impairments in patients with MDD.12Hidese S, Ota M, Wakabayashi C, Noda T, Ozawa H, Okubo T, Kunugi H. Effects of chronic l-theanine administration in patients with major depressive disorder: an open-label study. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2017 Apr;29(2):72-79. doi: 10.1017/neu.2016.33. Epub 2016 Jul 11. PMID: 27396868.

How theanine makes you a better date companion

A large amount of theanine (100-300mg) helps improve brain function and reduce both physical and mental stress – which means theanine is just the perfect thing to take before a date.

You’ll get into the relaxed acute state of being where you are inherently smarter, wittier, funnier and more self-confident. No shaking from anxiety and thinking of vain things inside the head, but rather relaxed & in the moment – which is a recipe for success in any date or relationship.

You drink a lot of green tea but you do not notice the mentioned benefits?

Personally, I have never seen these described theanine benefits from drinking green tea. This is due to the fact that in one cup of green tea there is approx. 8 mg theanine, in black tea 25 mg / cup.13Zarse K, Jabin S, Ristow M. L-Theanine extends lifespan of adult Caenorhabditis elegans. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Sep;51(6):765-8. doi: 10.1007/s00394-012-0341-5. Epub 2012 Mar 16. PMID: 22422488; PMCID: PMC3419347. And it means that with less 20 cups of green tea, you may just not see or feel any benefits. In addition, green teas theanine is not very bioavailable, at least according to one study.14Yaning Lu, Jinsong Zhang, Xiaochun Wan, Men Long, Daxiang Li, Pandeng Lei, Zhengzhu Zhang, Intestinal transport of pure theanine and theanine in green tea extract: Green tea components inhibit theanine absorption and promote theanine excretion, Food Chemistry, Volume 125, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 277-281, ISSN 0308-8146, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.09.027.

Huge consumption of green tea also has its own problems, one of which is mentioned below in the side effects -section.

Thus, for the intake of theanine, the only sensible route is a dietary supplement. I emphasize, however, that green tea is still very healthy, but animal studies do not support consumption of large amounts.

Theanine side effects and safety – safe for pregnant?

Theanine is highly safe and has almost zero side effects.

According to many MD’s, there is no drug or supplements that interfere with theanine. According to doctors, even people who take Warfarin (a blood thinner) can safely drink green tea or use theanine supplements.

Is L-Theanine safe for pregnant women?
Theanine has not officially been found to cause any side effects on pregnant women and children. Theanine and green tea are generally considered to be safe for all people. General recommendation is still that pregnant women should avoid L-theanine, because there is not enough studies about the subject.

A higher intake of theanine does not cause any harm to the body, only at high doses (2,000 mg +) it might be possible to cause drowsiness. The normal dose of 100-300 mg is generally best because it causes relaxation without drowsiness – which corresponds to the alcohols positive benefits – just those benefits which why many drink alcohol before going to the club.

All of theanine benefits might not work for everybody just as good. But for many, the relaxation (mind and body), brain activity enhancement, renewed attention span does not really have nothing to do with placebo, but they are rather research validated benefits.

Dosing: One capsule (100-300mg) in the morning with coffee/tea and/or in the evening before bedtime. Or at any time when you are anxious and in need of something relaxing. Or before a date, before the act of performing on stage, before having sex, etc (the effect comes approx. 30 min after ingesting the capsule). You can also try higher doses if you do not notice a lot of benefits with a single capsule.

L-Theanine products

l-theanine supplements
Different L-theanine supplements

Here are L-theanine products that I have actually tried and bought from online stores and experienced them to be very functional.

Best value for money is in Doctor’s Best Suntheanine product (iHerb.com). Try that first and then experience with other products also. Suntheanine is patented theanine producing brand which is the only one who offers 100% L-theanine.

From iHerb:
Doctor’s Best, Suntheanine L-Theanine, 150 mg, 90 Veggie Caps

California Gold Nutrition AlphaWave (extreme high quality L-Theanine standardized to 98% L-Theanine )

Now Foods, L-Theanine, 100 mg, 90 Veggie Caps / Double Strength, 200 mg, 60 Vcaps

Yogi Tea, Perfect Energy, Vanilla Spice (1 teabag has 15 mg L-Theanine Suntheanine, includes caffeine)

Doctor’s Best Suntheanine product reviews & experiences (from iHerb):

“Better than drugs. A family member who used to be on prescription meds takes this product twice a day and no longer needs anxiety meds.”

“Great for social anxiety and irritability. Theanine helps me to cope with the anxiety I experience whenever I am faced with a social situation. It makes me calm, happy and more sociable.”

“helped my husband to get rid of sleeping pills. Also my sleep problems solved with this product last fall. 3 capsules in empty stomach and we got peaceful sleep.”

If you have not yet ordered from iHerb.com you can use my discount code: KLJ962 to get 10% off from your first order. Also everyone gets 5% off from all orders. While you’ll benefit from this, I also benefit by getting “iHerb credits” that I can use towards my next orders. Thank you for this!

iHerb.com which ships to over 150 different countries. You can get almost all health-related stuff about 200% cheaper from iHerb than local stores in Europe.

Conclusions

Theanine is a safe amino acid which is obtained from tea plant leaves. It relaxes and soothes without tiring effect. Theanine has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety and stress. In addition, it offers brain function and mood elevating properties. Theanine may also slightly improve the quality of sleep and help you fall asleep.

I recommend theanine to all who have problems with social anxiety, problems with social skills while being sober, problems in creating a confident eye contact and a general lack of self-confidence. For them who go to the introverted mode during the work days, where you turn inward and sink inside your head and feel no longer as open & social… They can benefit a lot from theanine and they’ll see the greatest benefits.

Theanine is also excellent for so-called smart drug nootropic use. I don’t know many things which help better than coffee + theanine capsule in the morning when I want to get into the “flow” state. All unnecessary thoughts step aside and I will be able to concentrate to the fullest – when you see this benefit, I believe it becomes a daily habit for you too.

One thought on “L-Theanine Benefits & Experiences – From Shy To Confident?

  1. Dont know about matrix and Neo, but for me the effect is similar as drinking half bottle of wine. Relaxation and mild raise in social behavior.

    If taken with coffee theanine works even better. I take 300-450mg doses of suntheanine.

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