The Complete Guide To Suntheanine®

You may have heard of Suntheanine® and you may be asking yourself, what is it? Well you’ve come to the right place! Suntheanine® is a branded ingredient made up of an amino acid called L-Theanine.

It is usually used in natural sleep aid supplements.

L-Theanine, also simply called “Theanine”, is almost solely found in green tea leaves. It is known for inducing calming, tranquilizing effects while simultaneously improving mental alertness.

Suntheanine® is a 100% pure form of L-Theanine, and is viewed as being the leading brand for L-Theanine supplementation. It is also the most researched form of L-Theanine, with multiple human clinical trials backing it.

Below, we dig into the data behind this ingredient and whether you should consider taking it.

What Is Suntheanine Made From?

Suntheanine®, which is produced by Taiyo (a pioneer in green tea research), is manufactured via a enzymatic process that mimics the natural process in green tea leaves resulting in a 100% pure L-isomer-theanine. It’s not an extract of green tea, but rather is a patented enzymatic process that produces pure L-theanine.

This in-depth manufacturing process creates a highly purified L-Theanine ingredient that is more concentrated than what is found in nature. This allows you to take concentrated amounts of L-Theanine without having to drink copious amounts of green tea every day.

What Are The Benefits of Suntheanine®?

Suntheanine stimulates activity in the brain known as Alpha Waves, which are associated with a relaxed, but alert, mental state. Along with increasing Alpha Brain Wave activity, it also helps to reduce Beta Brain Wave activity, which is usually associated with excited/restless mindset (see chart below).

This makes theanine the perfect supplement for those looking to have more of a positive mood mindset along with focused energy. It can be especially helpful as a natural sleep aid, particularly for those who have a hard time "winding down" at night.

 Suntheanine Benefits:

How Does Suntheanine® Work?

Since Suntheanine helps to relax and calm the brain, it is a great substance to take at night to help improve sleep quality.

In a sense, it helps to wind down your brain and prepare you for sleep. With over 1/3 of the US population noting that they don’t get enough sleep at night, l-theanine supplementation looks like a beneficial solution.

The amino acid L-theanine has also been shown to act as an antagonist to caffeine, addressing the “negative” effects such as dizziness, nausea, heart racing, jitters, etc., without negatively impacting the stimulant effect of the caffeine. 

L-theanine has been shown to improve focus and concentration of foods and beverages that contain caffeine, hence giving you a focused energy (source).

Additional human clinical research suggests that L-theanine may have application diminishing normal symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), improving learning performance, heightening mental acuity, promoting concentration, and supporting the immune system (source).

Please note that these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Is Suntheanine Safe?

Suntheanine has GRAS Affirmation (Generally Recognized As Safe) and letter of no objection from the FDA (with no limits on number of dosages by the FDA). It has been used in foods, beverages and supplements around the world since 1994 with no known adverse effect.

It has a track record of safety. Therefore it is a safe ingredient to supplement with.

What Makes Suntheanine Different From Other Forms of L-Theanine?

•Suntheanine has a number of patents. Other generic forms of L-Theanine don’t have similar patents or clinical research on them.

•Most, if not all, of the research on L-theanine was conducted using Suntheanine® brand. As such, it is looked at as the optimal, most well researched form of L-theanine. It is the gold standard for L-Theanine.

•Suntheanine has GRAS Affirmation and FDA letter of No Objection (based on safety and toxicity studies). Other brands use the Suntheanine safety and toxicity data to substantiate their safety (regardless of how their product is made).

•Suntheanine is Non-GMO Project Verified.

If you are interested in trying a Suntheanine product specifically formulated for sleep support, consider our natural sleep aids. Our sleep products are made with branded, premium ingredients like Suntheanine®. They can help to promote a good night's rest.

Use this link to save 50% off your first bottle of our award winning Stay Asleep formula!

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Daniel Powers is a health and fitness enthusiast with a background in the supplement industry. Outside of work, Daniel enjoys Crossfit, reading large books, and drinking coffee.