L-Theanine in Tea: Best Tea for L-Theanine & How Much to Use

L-Theanine, a compound extracted from various types of tea, provides numerous health benefits. However, with a wide variety of teas, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, etc., all containing L-Theanine, many people wonder which source is the most optimal for the body. In this article, we will explore the most abundant, effective, and easily accessible sources of L-Theanine to improve your health.

Food Sources of L-Theanine

L-Theanine is commonly found in tea leaves and some types of mushrooms. This compound is known for its ability to produce neurotransmitters that improve mental health. Some benefits of L-Theanine include:

• Reducing stress: L-theanine regulates the hormone cortisol, which is directly related to stress [1]. This helps alleviate signs of anxiety and tension, essentially promoting relaxation.
• Enhancing focus: L-Theanine stimulates the production of dopamine and serotonin, boosting alpha brain wave activity to enhance alertness and concentration [2].

L-Theanine is primarily found in green and black tea, though some suggest it is also present in certain mushrooms. However, a detailed study on L-Theanine confirms that tea remains this compound's primary and most reliable source to date [3]. Let’s dive deeper into the fascinating facts about L-Theanine!

L-Theanine Effects in Tea on Health

In addition to its primary benefits for mental health, L-Theanine is believed to offer several synergistic health advantages:

• Improving blood pressure: A study on the effects of L-Theanine on blood pressure showed that L-Theanine significantly inhibited increases in blood pressure among high-reactive participants, including those whose blood pressure spiked above average after mental tasks when given a placebo [4].
• Enhancing sleep quality: Another study involving L-Theanine’s effects on sleep concluded:
• "We observed a trend toward increased NREM sleep duration with prolonged administration of GABA and L-Theanine orally, possibly due to L-Theanine" [5].

Additionally, tea is a primary source of L-theanine and offers other complementary benefits:

• Mental relaxation through tea-drinking habits: While synergizing with the stress-reducing benefits of L-Theanine, drinking tea also cultivates calmness and patience. Pairing tea with activities like reading, meditation, or relaxing tea breaks can foster a sense of peace in daily life, promoting a healthier and more joyful lifestyle.
• Tea as an art and culture: Beyond its health benefits, tea drinking is an art and a cultural practice, adding enjoyment and positivity to life.

Things Affect L-Theanine Content in Tea

Several factors influence the L-Theanine concentration in tea. A study focusing on L-theanine levels identified the following elements:

• Fermentation level: The degree of fermentation is a determining factor, with non-fermented teas (e.g., green tea) containing more theanine than fermented teas (e.g., black tea) [6].
• Brewing techniques: Consumer brewing methods, such as crushing tea leaves, extraction time, water temperature, brewing ratios, and stirring, may affect L-Theanine levels, though these factors remain less thoroughly studied [7].
• Added ingredients: Additives like milk significantly reduce the retained L-Theanine content. While the study did not explain this in detail, it suggests that tea-milk combinations are not ideal for preserving maximum L-Theanine [8].

Which Tea is the Best Source of L-Theanine?

Also, in the study of L-Theanine content, it was shown that A small trial prepared tea for analysis similar to the method used in the present investigation (brewed for a certain period in 200 mL of water) found that a standard cup of black tea (200 mL) contains 24.2 mg of L-theanine, white tea contains 11.5 mg, while a cup of green tea contains the least theanine at 7.9 mg L-Theanine [9].

Thus, based on this study, black tea is the richest source of L-Theanine, followed by white tea and finally, green tea. However, this study also mentioned that this number may be influenced by the specific type of tea chosen.

How Much L-Theanine Should You Take?

According to the above study, a 200 mL cup of tea usually contains about 8-25 mg of L-theanine [10]. At the same time, the FDA recommends that an adult should not consume more than 1200 mL of tea per day, which means that one should not drink more than 6 cups of tea because this will harm the body.

On the other hand, this means that for a maximum of 6 cups of tea, you will get a minimum of 48 mg of L-Theanine and a maximum of 150 mg of L-Theanine. This mainly depends on the type of tea you use, the way it is prepared, and the ingredients added, which affect the L-Theanine content in the tea. However, drinking too much tea can cause insomnia and diuresis, so be very careful about the dosage before using it!

Effective Way to Get L-Theanine

As seen, Tea is the main and extremely abundant source of supplements for L-theanine tolerance. However, if you are not a big fan of tea or cannot even drink tea, there are still many other ways to supplement L-theanine.

• One of those ways is to supplement L-theanine with functional foods. Through supplementing L-theanine in this way, some of the optimal benefits they can bring compared to drinking tea include:
• Convenient, can be taken anywhere, with appropriately adjusted formula content
• Diverse prices meet many different needs.
• Don't waste time preparing ingredients and mixing like drinking tea.

However, their disadvantage is that they do not bring a particularly interesting taste to tea. Therefore, depending on your preferences and habits, you can choose the most suitable way to supplement L-Theanine!

Conclusion

Thus, through the above article, we have had the opportunity to learn about the most effective sources of L-theanine supplements to improve mental health and resistance. Besides teas, you can supplement L-Theanine in other ways, such as dietary supplements. However, pay attention to the dosage and side effects they may bring to ensure your health.