Ask the majority of people about 5-Hydroxtryptophan or 5-HTP and they won’t have a clue what you are on about. Explain to them the technical terms and their confusion seems to grow – 5-HTP is also known as oxitriptan which is an amino acid that naturally occurs in the human body and is a chemical precursor and a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis is the neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin. Get all that? Probably not.

It can sound very complicated but in reality the purpose of 5htp is quite straight forward. It is a building block of serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’. It is often thought that serotonin is responsible for mood swings and depression, as well over eating! 5-HTP works on a similar principal to many anti-depressants but it differs in one main way, while anti depressants aim to keep the serotonin the body produces from not being used in the brain, 5-HTP helps your body to produce more serotonin and keep them free through the sheer quantity produced. Higher serotonin levels mean a lift in your mood and can lessen depression considerably.

5-HTP can be bought over the counter in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. It is often bought as a form of anti-depressant, an appetite suppressant or even as a sleeping pill or aid. On top of these main medical reasons for buying 5-HTP studies have also shown it can help in other conditions. These include primary fibromyalgia syndrome, Friedreich’s ataxia, anxiety and binge eating associated with obesity; there is also evidence 5-HTP can help those suffering with insomnia. Many believe that 5-HTP can help with migraines and headaches, while there is no statistical proof from the studies performed that support this there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence from suffers to help support this claim.