L-theanine is a powerful amino acid with great mood-lifting and calming effects. People often consider L-Theanine as one of the best active amino acids for promoting a calm, relaxed, and focus state of mind. For more information about other active amino acids, take a read through here.
In this article, we’ll explore the question of L-Theanine vs other amino acids. People often want to compare the effects of common amino acid supplements, and in this article, we answer the top questions comparing L-Theanine to other amino acids. If you’re considering L-Theanine vs any other supplement, this is a great start.

1. L-Theanine vs L-Tryptophan
L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine are two of the best active amino acids for promoting good health. People tend to associate L-Tryptophan more with a mood-lift and L-Theanine more with calming effects. The reason for this is that your brain converts L-Tryptophan into 5-HTP and serotonin in your brain, causing a noticeable increase in your mood.[1]
When people consider the argument of L-Theanine vs L-Tryptophan, they often note that these two amino acids both have their own unique benefits. If you are looking for a subtle but noticeable mood-lift, L-Tryptophan is probably better. L-Theanine would be better as a calming, relaxing amino acid supplement with focusing effects.
2. L-Theanine vs L-Tyrosine
L-Theanine vs L-Tyrosine is a great question! These two remarkable dietary supplements have contrasting effects, so it’s hard for them to compete.
On the one hand, L-Theanine is a calming, relaxing amino acid.[2] On the other hand, L-Tyrosine is a stimulatory amino acid – it produces an increase in energy, alertness, and wakefulness.[3] It’s interesting that two very similar molecules can have such differing effects. However, one thing to keep in mind is that this could potentially be a really good supplement stack.
Taking L-Theanine with L-Tyrosine gives you the best benefits of both substances. You’ll get the increased energy and wakefulness of L-Tyrosine combined with the calming, relaxing effects of L-Theanine.
3. L-Theanine vs L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is an important amino acid, especially for supporting a healthy immune system and helping with building strong muscles. L-Glutamine has great effects on your muscles, your overall health, and your immune system, but it does not seem to have much of an effect on your mood or cognition.[4]
This is why the competition of L-Theanine vs L-Glutamine is pretty one-sided. If you’re looking for an active amino acid with effects on your mood, L-Theanine is definitely the winner. However, L-Glutamine is a great dietary supplement for supporting a healthy immune system and strong muscles. It is best taken in a protein supplement stack.
4. L-Theanine vs 5-HTP
5-HTP is a wonderful supplement for boosting your mood! Your body converts 5-HTP immediately into serotonin in your brain – serotonin is known as the ‘happy’ neurotransmitter, directly improving your mood.[5] Read about the benefits of 5-HTP in our recent article.
When you consider L-Theanine vs 5-HTP, you need to think about the effects that you’d like to experience. If you’re looking for a powerful mood-boost and energy increase, 5-HTP is definitely the best option. However, if you’d prefer more of a subtle yet effective relaxing effect, rather go for L-Theanine. These two supplements would also make a good stack when used together.
5. L-Theanine vs GABA
GABA is your body’s primary depressant neurotransmitter, responsible for calming the sensations from your Central Nervous System. GABA is an extremely important hormone, neurotransmitter, and amino acid.[6] In fact, it is so important that many modern antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications target GABA receptors in your brain. The only problem with GABA as a supplement is that it struggles to cross the blood-brain barrier to deliver effective benefits.
When you consider L-Theanine vs GABA, the thing to remember is that L-Theanine is much more effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier and delivering its effects than GABA is. L-Theanine has similar effects to GABA – it is calming and relaxing and may help to improve focus and mood. We’d recommend L-Theanine over GABA. If you’d like to use a dietary supplement for stress that targets GABA receptors, we’d recommend trying our Phenibut.
Conclusion
In conclusion, L-Theanine vs other amino acids is a great question to ask. A number of top dietary supplements are comprised of active amino acids. L-Theanine is an effective amino acid for promoting a calm, relaxed state, improving focus and mood, and promoting overall health. It goes well with other supplements that help with calming and focus.
The best supplements to compare are L-Theanine vs L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine vs L-Tyrosine. You can definitely use these together as a powerful amino acid stack! L-Theanine also goes really well with caffeine!
References:
[1] Influence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain Axis, TA Jenkins et al., Nutrients. 2016 Jan; 8(1): 56, Published online 2016 Jan 20.
[2] L-theanine, a natural constituent in tea, and its effect on mental state, AC Nobre et al., Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:167-8.
[3] L-tyrosine, Examine.com, retrieved on November 1, 2016
[4] Nonnutritive effects of glutamine, E Roth, J Nutr. 2008 Oct;138(10):2025S-2031S
[5] 5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor, TC Birdsall, Altern Med Rev. 1998 Aug;3(4):271-80.
[6] Neurotransmitters as food supplements: the effects of GABA on brain and behavior, E Boonstra et al., Front Psychol. 2015; 6: 1520, Published online 2015 Oct 6
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