L-Theanine for Social Anxiety Reduction
L-theanine takes the edge off situational arousal without sedation, but does not treat the disorder.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- 200mg as needed, up to 400mg daily
- Expected timeframe
- 30-60 minutes acutely
Protocol
- form
- Not applicable
- duration
- Not applicable
- co factor
- Evidence is insufficient. The general anxiety data are real but do not transfer automatically: randomised trials show 200-400 mg of theanine reduces subjective stress and anxiety, blunts cortisol and heart rate responses to laboratory stressors, and increases EEG alpha activity, and a small trial in patients with schizophrenia found reduced anxiety as a secondary outcome. No trial has studied social anxiety disorder, performance anxiety or public speaking with theanine. This matters because social anxiety involves specific cognitive features - fear of negative evaluation, post-event rumination, safety behaviours - that a mild anxiolytic does not address, and because the effect size in general anxiety trials is modest, whereas social anxiety disorder is often severe and impairing.
- titration
- Not applicable
- starting dose
- Not applicable as an established treatment for social anxiety disorder
Evidence
What the studies say
The Effects of Green Tea Amino Acid L-Theanine Consumption on the Ability to Manage Stress and Anxiety Levels: a Systematic Review
Williams JL, Everett JM, D'Cunha NM +7 more
L-theanine at 200-400 mg/day reduced stress and anxiety in people exposed to stressful conditions.
L-theanine and acute stress and anxiety responses: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Williams JL, Everett JM, D'Cunha NM +3 more
L-theanine reduced acute stress and anxiety in stress-inducing settings
Safety
Caveats
No effect on avoidance patterns. Does not substitute for exposure therapy.
Less likely to help if
Medical Disclaimer
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Individual results may vary. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.