5-HTP

What is 5-HTP? It is a plant extract from a bean of an African plant (Griffonia simplicifolia).

Completely natural.

What does it do? It simply encourages your body to raise the serotonin (a hormone) in your brain.

The following excerpt is taken from www.5htp.com

"5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acid that is the intermediate step between tryptophan and the important brain chemical serotonin. There is a massive amount of evidence that suggests that low serotonin levels are a common consequence of modern living. The lifestyle and dietary practices of many people living in this stress-filled era results in lowered levels of serotonin within the brain. As a result, many people are overweight, crave sugar and other carbohydrates, experience bouts of depression, get frequent headaches, and have vague muscle aches and pain. All of these maladies are correctable by raising brain serotonin levels. The primary therapeutic applications for 5-HTP are low serotonin states as listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Conditions associated with low serotonin levels helped by 5-HTP

Depression
Obesity
Carbohydrate craving
Bulimia
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Sleep apnea
Migraine headaches
Tension headaches
Chronic daily headaches
Premenstrual syndrome
Fibromyalgia

Although 5-HTP may be relatively new to the United States health food industry, it has been available through pharmacies for several years and has been intensely researched for the past three decades. It has been available in several European countries as a medicine since the 1970s."

When Joshua was 8 months old I had insomnia, even though I was exhausted. I just couldn't sleep. A trusted friend suggested 5-HTP to me and I started taking it. Within 3 days I was sleeping much better. I started taking 5-HTP again about a week ago because I was having feelings of depression and was craving sugar, chocolate and carbs. I still don't feel 'up to par' yet but I'm not crying every day anymore. I also have more energy and am starting to feel like myself again.

They are not paying me for this post by the way. I just want to share this info with you because it really is a great herb that actually works.

It has one side effect- mild nausea. But it was very rare in the studies taken and the people experiencing it did not complain about it. It cleared up six weeks after first taking the "drug".

It's non-addictive. You take it for awhile (about 3 months) and then you can just stop whenever you need to.

It's somewhat affordable. It's over the counter and it's completely safe, yes even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

If you are experiencing any unexplained headaches, migraines, insomnia, aches and pains, depression, cravings for carbs...try taking 5-HTP for awhile. Give yourself two weeks and see if it works. I highly recommend it.

Ok that's all. :)