“L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which must be consumed from food since the body cannot make it using other amino acids. It is present in virtually all plant and animal proteins. Once the body absorbs L-tryptophan, it converts {some of} it into 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and then into the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is primarily the serotonin that does all the wonderful things attributed to L-tryptophan—inducing sleep, reducing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, promoting weight loss and addressing depression.” [1]. Additionally, L-tryptophan is necessary for the production of various protein structures in the body.

“A typical diet provides only 1,000 to 1,500 mg/day of tryptophan, yet there is much competition in the body for this scarce tryptophan” [2].

“In any normal diet, animal protein-based or vegetarian, tryptophan is the least plentiful of all 20 food amino acids. Thus, tryptophan is typically outnumbered as much as 9:1 in its competition to secure its transport through the blood-brain barrier into the brain. Eating a high-protein diet in an attempt to increase dietary tryptophan (a typical diet provides only 1-1.5 grams/day) only increases its competition even more” [3].

Although there are animal source of tryptophan, Vegetarian Tryptophan™  is from plants and is 100% vegan.