Tea News: GABA Tea

What is GABA?

GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is a neurotransmitter, that naturally occurs in the brain. GABA functions to decrease neuron activity assisting in preventing anxiety and stress.

GABA and tea?

Tea manufacturers have started creating GABA tea. This process began in Japan in the 1980s. Dr. Tsushida Tojiro discovered that anaerobic conditions encourage the conversion of glutamate to GABA. GABA occurs naturally in tea, but typically only contains 6 mg per 100 grams of tea. However, GABA tea contains at least 150 mg of GABA per 100 grams of tea. It is interesting to note that the L-theanine that is also present in tea can impact the brain, encouraging the production of more GABA.

What does the research say about GABA?

GABA has been shown to promote sleep, reduce stress, and anxiety.

GABA as a tool to support better sleep has been well documented by researchers. Data about the work of GABA receptors to help with rest have been used to develop a range of sleep-supporting drugs.

Studies have shown where GABA was introduced to humans to examine how it impacts relaxation. One examined the effect of GABA on brain waves and the other put the GABA recipients in stressful situations and monitored their immunoglobulin A levels. Together the studies showed that GABA can have a positive impact on reducing anxiety and encouraging relaxation.

Does “GABA tea” have these effects?

It is not entirely known how much GABA in tea is able to cross the blood brain barrier. However, GABA blood brain permeability has yet to be studied in humans. It is known that in mice GABA is removed 17 times faster than it entered, resulting in conflicting studies of blood brain permeability. Unfortunately, more research is needed.