5HTP is not a treatment for tiredness, but it is a newly accepted treatment for many conditions, of which lack of energy is a troublesome symptom or side effect.

This article explains what 5HTP is and how it affects the body.

5HTP: What Is It?

5HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the human body. 5HTP is converted by the body into serotonin. Serotonin is an extremely important brain chemical which has profound effects on mood, sleep, appetite, headaches, PMS and many other ailments.

When a person takes anti-depressant medications such as Prozac and Zoloft, their serotonin level is what gets boosted and this provides the relief they were seeking. 5HTP is a reliable and natural way to boost your serotonin level, so 5HTP is considered a good substitute for these artificial pharmaceuticals.

5HTP has been touted as a miracle supplement. Although the word "miracle" might be a stretch, there's lots of good scientific evidence gathered over the course of forty years to indicate that 5HTP can be extremely helpful for some people. 5HTP has been shown to provide relief for the following disorders:

Depression
Anxiety
Stress
Obesity
Carbohydrate cravings
Eating Disorders
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Sleep Apnea
Migraines
Tension Headaches
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Impulse Control
Pre Menstrual Syndrome

5HTP has also been shown to improve memory and enhance other cognitive functions. Interestingly, 5HTP has been postulated to reduce the risk of heart disease. Heart disease kills more Americans than anything else. Since depression, stress, obesity, anxiety and sleep disorders are all important risk factors for heart disease and 5HTP is a good treatment for all those risk factors, perhaps 5HTP can ward off heart disease entirely. This however, this is just a theory and has not been proven like many of the other benefits of 5HTP.

5HTP has been researched by scientists for the past forty years and proven safe for most people. 5HTP has some side effects, but most people tolerate it well. Everything has some side effects and 5HTP is no different. The most commonly side effects are nausea, and loose stools or constipation. Sometimes people will experience headaches or nightmares. These side effects seem to be common among many serotonin-enhancing substances and are often reported by people taking pharmaceutical anti-depressants too.

If you experience these side effects when taking 5HTP yet enjoy its benefits, a lower dose might be the answer. Another strategy is to take a break from taking 5HTP daily. Skip a few days and then resume 5HTP at a lower dose.

If you can not find pills in a low enough dose, it is permissible to break open the capsule and consume just a portion of the powder.

Bear in mind that a small group of people simply can not tolerate 5HTP and for them, the only answer is to stop taking it completely. Fortunately, this is rare, and only occurs in about 2-3% of people.

Although it's relatively new to the American market, 5HTP has been available in Europe since the 1970's. (5HTP has only been available over-the-counter in America since 1994.) This is mostly because American pharmaceutical companies have a stranglehold on the market not experienced in other countries. Since 5HTP is a naturally occurring substance, you can't patent it and sell it for outrageous prices like you can with drugs like Prozac. For you, the customer, this makes 5HTP a bargain as well as a health aid.

5-HTP is an abbreviation for 5-Hydroxytryptophan. The last part of that word, tryptophan, is the name of an essential amino acid you may have heard of. It's usually referred to as L-tryptophan and is often promoted as a natural way to increase serotonin and induce sleep or a sense of well-being. If you've ever been advised to eat turkey to fall asleep, it's because turkey contains large quantities of tryptophan. But eating turkey is a much more convoluted and inexact way to increase serotonin levels than simply taking 5HTP supplments.

Several years ago, L-tryptophan supplements became quite popular as a natural treatment option to increase serotonin levels. However, L-tryptophan was taken off the market after a batch became contaminated during manufacturing in Japan. Many doctors felt yanking L-tryptophan off the market because of this one event was an overreaction, but nonetheless, the ban became law. In the United States and L-tryptophan has been unavailable since 1989.

With 5HTP, you don't have to worry about any contamination because the manufacturing process is completely different. 5HTP is derived from seeds from the griffonia simplicifolia, a west African Medicinal Herb. The contamination which forced L-tryptophan off the market can not happen with 5HTP.

All in all, 5HTP is a good option for people who feel like they would benefit from higher levels of serotonin. It's natural, relatively safe, and easily available at prices far less than pharmaceutical options for treating the same disorders.

By: Lorraine Grula - Lorraine Grula is a seasoned medical journalist with over twelve years and hundreds of health reports to her credit. Lorraine writes consumer-oriented wellness news from a natural health perspective. A rebel against the corrosive effects of big pharma and corporate media on the integrity of most health care news, Lorraine vows to provide objective, scientifically accurate, easy-to-understand practical information so consumers can form their own conclusions. Visit her website www.FeelingGood4ever.com