L-theanine And Ashwagandha

Are you familiar with the benefits of L-theanine and Ashwagandha? This ancient duo has stood the test of time as new evidence shows just how big of an impact they can have on your health and well-being. But what can they do for you? And can you take them together? Read on to find out. 

What Are L-theanine And Ashwagandha?

First things first, let’s look at exactly what each of these substances are before we move on to discuss their benefits.

L-theanine

L-theanine is actually an amino acid. You normally think of amino acids as providing the constituent parts of proteins, but in this case – this specific amino acid has its own unique benefits too.

Whilst L-theanine has recently experienced a rise in popularity, it actually has been used for centuries. In particular meditating monks were found to drink lots of green tea (rich in L-theanine) for its mind-soothing benefits.

Nowadays you can find L-theanine in a range of supplements, either individually, or combined with other ingredients such as Magnesium or Rhodiola.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a type of plant growing mainly within Asia and Africa. In particular, it has a long history of use within Ayurveda – traditional Indian medicine.

Ashwagandha is usually classed as an adaptogen – meaning it helps the body to find a state of homeostasis or balance.

It is commonly used to treat a wide range of conditions including L-theanine for anxiety, stress, poor immunity, and inflammation. It’s even been added to supplements focused on increasing cognitive function too.

What Are The Benefits Of L-theanine And Ashwagandha?

Whilst L-theanine and Ashwagandha both tackle symptoms of stress and anxiety, they each work in different ways and therefore have their own unique benefits.

Below are some of the main benefits of L-theanine and Ashwagandha.

1. Reduced Anxiety

L-theanine in particular is very good at reducing symptoms of anxiety. One of the ways it does this is by regulating levels of GABA in the brain.

GABA is a kind of neurotransmitter that is responsible for relaxation pathways in the body. GABA is able to slow down the overactivation of nerves during anxiety states, therefore promoting a relaxing effect on the body.

Studies have shown that after just four weeks of L-theanine supplementation, participants reported lower scores of both anxiety and stress. (Source)

Ashwagandha has also shown promise in the area of anxiety reduction. A review of multiple studies concluded that this ancient adaptogen can reduce perceived stress scores when compared to a placebo.

2. Better Sleep

We know that poor sleep is closely associated with increased stress and anxiety, so any way of improving sleep quality is recommended. Of course, it’s important to pay attention to your circadian clock, your caffeine intake, and your screen use, but studies have also shown a role for taking L-theanine and Ashwagandha.

In particular, studies have demonstrated that L-theanine can improve both the duration and the quality of your sleep. This is thought to be linked to L-theanine ability to upregulate both GABA and Serotonin production. (Source)

And similarly, Ashwagandha has shown the capacity to significantly improve participant sleep scores when compared to a placebo – potentially due to its role in cortisol reduction. (Source)

3. Reduced Inflammation

You may be mostly interested in L-theanine and Ashwaghanda’s stress-reducing skills – but did you know that Ashwagandha is also able to lower levels of harmful chronic inflammation in your body?

As inflammation is considered to be the root cause of multiple causes of chronic disease – it’s essential that we find ways to manage it over the longer term.

There is evidence to suggest that this ayurvedic remedy has the ability to reduce the type of inflammation that is linked to cancer development, so it has become a really important tool in future-proofing our health. (Source)

4. Improved Immunity

You might not tend to associate Ashwagandha with immunity, but as part of its role in bringing the body back into balance, it appears to be able to enhance your immune defenses too.

Studies have shown it may have powerful immune-stimulating properties, which means your immune system will be better prepared to fight off any invaders during the upcoming cold and flu season. (Source)

And remember that long-term stress is also detrimental to your immunity, so by taking a combination of L-theanine and Ashwagandha (and therefore reducing your chronic stress levels) you can also support your immune function too.

5. Improved Cognitive Function

Many of us are concerned about our cognition as we get older. Either because we have a family member who has experienced the devastating effects of cognitive decline, or because we simply want to be at our best for as long as we can.

But, many of us also live very stressful lives, with insufficient sleep and movement. So it can help to consider which supplements may be able to act as an insurance policy against future cognitive decline.

Well, it appears that both L-theanine and Ashwagandha can support your cognition going forward.

A study looking at L-theanine supplementation in Japanese men found that this amino acid increased their attention scores, improved their working memory, and reduced the error rate when participants were conducting cognitive tasks. (Source)

Similarly, just 14 days of Ashwagandha supplementation led to improved cognitive performance in participants – demonstrating the relatively short period of time needed for such benefits to occur. (Source)

How To Consume L-theanine And Ashwagandha

You can find L-theanine in green tea and certain mushrooms. But it would be very hard to consume sufficient L-theanine to produce an anti-anxiety effect this way.

Firstly the amount of green tea you’d need to drink would be completely unrealistic, but also the caffeine in green tea would unfortunately counteract the calming benefits of L-theanine.

However, L-theanine and Ashwagandha are often best consumed in combination with other nutrients.

For example, studies have shown that when this adaptogen is combined with Vitamin B6, people’s stress scores are lower than if they’d just taken the ashwagandha alone. (Source)

And similarly, Ashwagandha is often combined with things such as Rhodiola and beetroot because they can provide complementary but unique benefits.

For example, Rhodiola is another adaptogenic agent associated with better sleep and reduced anxiety, whilst Beetroot is a potent antioxidant often added to brain-boosting blends.

What Is The Difference Between L-theanine And Ashwagandha?

L-theanine is an amino acid that helps to increase Serotonin and GABA production. The result of this is less stress and anxiety. Ashwagandha is a traditional plant that has been used in Indian medicine for many years.

Whilst Ashwagandha is also able to lower anxiety, this plant also offers additional benefits in the realm of immune function and inflammation.

L-theanine is able to have a big effect on your anxiety levels, and Ashwagandha is able to support a wide range of processes in the body so this is why you often find them added together in good quality supplement blends.

Taken together you can enhance your ability to manage daily stressors whilst boosting your general health and sleep quality too. 

Can You Take L-theanine And Ashwagandha Together?

You absolutely can. In fact, because they target different mechanisms that can contribute to anxiety and stress, it’s a good idea to combine the two in order to tackle the multiple root causes of these common conditions.

There are no harmful interactions between these two popular ingredients which is why they are often added together into a number of mental wellbeing blends.

But, that being said, it’s always important to stick to the upper recommended limits of any supplement you take and to always check with a doctor if you have specific concerns about your health.

What Is The Easiest Way To Take L-theanine And Ashwagandha Together?

You could choose to buy separate supplements of both L-theanine and Ashwagandha. But in reality, this can be expensive, and it means you have to remember to take two supplements instead of one.

Another way to approach this is to take a product that combines both L-theanine and Ashwagandha together. And ideally, you would also find a product that offers you additional benefits as well.

Enter – Supergreen Tonik. Helpfully, this carefully curated super greens powder contains the optimal dose of both L-theanine and Ashwagandha. However, it doesn’t stop there.

Supergreen Tonik also contains 16 evidence-based ingredients to help you tackle your health concerns holistically.

For example, in Supergreen Tonik you can find a blend of brain health, immune support, and energy. That’s not to mention its array of antioxidants and vitamins which support your general health from the inside out too.

So why not improve your health as a whole, whilst calming your mind with L-theanine and Ashwagandha in Super Green Tonik?