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What does L-theanine do for you? It is used to help prevent and treat conditions, including:

• Anxiety, depression and other mood-related disorders
• Insomnia and trouble sleeping
• Cognitive loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Poor attention span
• Substance dependence
• It may help improve the effects of drugs used to treat cancer drugs

 L-theanine (also called theanine or sometimes r-glutamylethylamide) is an amino acid that impacts nerve impulses in the brain and the release of neurotransmitters, including GABA.

It is known as natural anxiolytic because it can have a calming, sedative effect on the body and mind without making you feel drowsy — which is why it’s often used to reduce anxiety, hyperactivity and sleep-related problems.

L-theanine is considered a nondietary, nonessential amino acid because even though it has certain benefits, we don’t require it from our diets.

L-theanine and the amino acid glutamine are structurally similar but have different effects and benefits. Both can be supportive of overall mental health and energy levels, but theanine is more capable of acting as a natural stress reliever.

Glutamine is one of 20 naturally occurring amino acids in dietary protein and the most abundant amino acid in the bloodstream, making up 30 percent to 35 percent of the amino acid nitrogen in your blood.

Glutamine is needed to produce the neurotransmitter called glutamate. It is considered an excitatory neurotransmitter, but L-theanine binds to the same receptors in the brain as glutamate and therefore has opposite, inhibitory effects.