Green Tea Extract + L-Theanine for Cognitive Boost

If you’re familiar with L-Theanine, you’ll know that L-theanine is an amino acid that is found in tea leaves (green, black, and white), so it might be counterintuitive to think of taking L-theanine as a supplement with Green Tea Extract—isn’t there L-theanine in Green Tea Extract?

Green Tea Extract, or EGCG, is a specific catetchin extracted from the leaves of green tea.  As such, it does not contain the other constituents of the green tea leaf, so it does not contain any L-Theanine.

Green tea has been consumed for thousands of years for its health benefits:  it has anti-inflammatory properties, acts as an antioxidant, may assist in fat and may boost cognitive performance. 

Newer studies have also found that combining the Green Tea Extract (EGCG) with L-Theanine can also boost cognition without the caffeine.   This combination was studied in animals and found to be effective, and the first study conducted with humans was randomized, double-blind, and placebo controlled.  The test study subjects were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, and they underwent neuropsychological tests to study the effect of EGCG + L-Theanine on their memory and attention.

The combination improved memory and selective attention, and the scientists also discovered that EGCG + L-Theanine increased theta waves in the brain significantly after a single dose was administered up to 3 hours later.  The theta waves were observed in the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal regions of the brain.  Theta waves are an indicator of cognitive alertness.

The benefits of L-Theanine can be gained even through using the supplement by itself, or it can be taken with caffeine for a cognitive boost to help you focus on cognitively demanding tasks.  Now, L-Theanine can be paired with Green Tea Extract to boost memory and alertness, but without the caffeine.

Many people may wish to avoid caffeine, and since green tea contains caffeine, it’s likely that green tea is being overlooked by those people.  Likewise, many people may have heard about the stack of caffeine and L-Theanine but may have avoided it because of the caffeine.  Taking EGCG (which contains no caffeine) with L-Theanine may be a viable solution for those people who are looking for something to help boost their cognitive faculties without using a stimulant.