5-HTP

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan or 5-Hydroxy-l-tryptophan) is an amino acid that converts in the brain into a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is an important brain chemical involved in mood, behaviour, appetite, and sleep. Serotonin is known as 5-HT, or 5-hydroxytryptamine, and is found in many places in the body particularly the brain, gastrointestinal system, and blood cells.
In numerous studies around the world, 5-HTP was shown to: Suppress appetite, enhance sleep, relieve anxiety, relieve symptoms of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), provide relief from and prevention of migraine headaches, help reduce the rate of heart disease as a result of lower anxiety and depression.
5-HTP is found in its natural form in the grains of the African plant Griffonia simplicifolia. 5-HTP effectively raises the level of serotonin in the brain, but without the side effects of the class of medication known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) such as PROZAC, to which it offers a real natural alternative. Research has shown that some people who take 5-HTP noticed an improvement in their mood, reduction in anxiety, decrease in appetite, and felt they were able to sleep better.
5-HTP can help curb appetite and lead to weight loss. Numerous people have experienced a decrease in appetite from using 5-HTP. 5-HTP helped overweight individuals adhere to dietary recommendations . A twelve week study was divided into two six-week periods. For the first six weeks, there were no dietary recommendations; for the second six weeks the women were placed on a 1,200-calorie diet. As shown in Table 1, the women who took the placebo lost 2.28 pounds, while the women who took the 5-HTP lost 10.34 pounds. 5-HTP appeared to promote weight loss by promoting satiety-the feeling of satisfaction-leading to fewer calories being consumed at meals. Every woman who took the 5-HTP reported early satiety.
Research has been done on how 5-HTP affects people with depression. It is documented that it can be a very effective antidepressant agent. One study that is very impressive involved 99 patients that suffered from depression. These patients did not respond to normal antidepressant drugs. They were given an average of 200mg of 5-HTP a day. 43 of the 99 reported a complete recovery and 8 others reported a significant improvement.
5-HTP may also be helpful in some individuals with migraine headaches. Headache sufferers have low levels of serotonin in their tissues. Some researchers refer to this as a low serotonin syndrome. Several studies, for both migraine and tension headaches, have been conducted using 5-HTP as a prevention for headaches. The results of these studies were outstanding! It can offer considerable advantages over drug therapy due to the fact that 5-HTP has no side effects.
5-HTP is useful for anyone who seeks to improve their mood, behaviour, appetite, or sleep. Symptoms of low levels of serotonin include depression, obesity, carbohydrate craving, bulimia, insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnoea, migraine headaches, tension headaches, chronic daily headaches, premenstrual syndrome, and fibromyalgia.