L-Theanine
Aliases: Theanine, N5-ethyl-l-glutamine, Gamma-glutamylethylamide, L-gamma-glutamylethylamide
Summary
L-Theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid found primarily in tea leaves. It promotes relaxation without sedation at common doses but may become sedating at strong doses (300+ mg). Often combined with caffeine to reduce anxiety and improve focus while maintaining alertness.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 75-175mg | 175-300mg | 300-500mg | 500mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 30-90 min | 1-3 hrs | 2-3 hrs | 3.5-7.5 hrs |
Effect Profile
12 reportsScores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Stimulant
5.9
Strong
6/10
Strong focus with mild euphoria, low stimulation and anxiety/jitters
Stimulation / Energy
×3
3
stimulation
Euphoria / Mood Lift
×2
5
physical euphoria
motivation enhancement
Focus / Productivity
×2
10
focus enhancement
analysis enhancement
cognitive enhancement
memory enhancement
motivation enhancement
Anxiety / Jitters
×1
2
increased heart rate
Based on reports from:
Tolerance
Build-up
develops rapidly after a single use (serotonergic psychedelic)
Reset
7–14 days for baseline
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
1h
Half tolerance
10d
Baseline
~14d
Effects
Aggregated from 12 Erowid experience reports
Positive Effects 5
Stimulation
66.7%
70%
Focus Enhancement
50.0%
70%
Euphoria
41.7%
70%
Music Enhancement
25.0%
70%
Tactile Enhancement
25.0%
70%
Adverse Effects 1
Anxiety
83.3%
70%
L-Theanine's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
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