A double-strength, plant-derived amino acid formula designed to support a balanced mood, positive emotional well-being, and deeper nighttime sleep.
Double Strength Potency Delivers 200 mg of pure 5-HTP per capsule—twice the standard 100 mg strength.5-HTP (short for 5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a natural chemical messenger that your body produces from tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in everyday foods. Once formed, 5-HTP acts as the direct stepping stone your brain uses to synthesize serotonin—often referred to as your "feel-good" hormone.
Think of serotonin production as an assembly line:
Dietary Tryptophan → 5-HTP → Serotonin (Mood Balance) → Melatonin (Sleep Cycles)When you eat dietary proteins like turkey, eggs, or cheese, your body must jump through several biochemical hurdles to turn that tryptophan into brain serotonin. That conversion step is often slow and easily interrupted by stress, inflammation, and competition from other amino acids at the blood-brain barrier.
Because NOW Foods 5-HTP provides the intermediate nutrient directly extracted from the African shrub Griffonia simplicifolia, it readily crosses the blood-brain barrier without fighting for uptake. Once inside, it converts straight into active serotonin with the help of Vitamin B-6, allowing your central nervous system to restore healthy neurotransmitter reserves naturally.
Serotonin acts as the brain's internal mood regulator, supporting emotional stability, social confidence, and a sense of calm resilience. When serotonin levels drop, people often report irritability, tension, and mild melancholy. Clinical reviews suggest that supplementing with pure 5-HTP provides a direct precursor to reinforce baseline serotonin production, helping to sustain everyday emotional equilibrium.
Scientific Reference: Birdsall TC. Altern Med Rev. 1998;3(4):271-280 (PMID: 9727088).As the sun sets, your brain transforms serotonin into melatonin, the sleep-wake hormone responsible for signaling bedtime to your biological clock. By replenishing serotonin reserves, 5-HTP supports faster sleep onset and helps maintain deep, restorative REM sleep cycles throughout the night without the heavy morning grogginess commonly linked to synthetic sedatives.
Scientific Reference: Shell W, et al. Am J Ther. 2010;17(2):133-139 (PMID: 19897992).When serotonin runs low, the brain often signals a strong craving for fast-burning carbohydrates and sugars to force an insulin spike (which temporarily aids tryptophan uptake). Clinical trials demonstrate that elevating serotonin through 5-HTP supports natural satiety signals, helping individuals make deliberate nutritional choices and manage evening snacking triggers.
Scientific Reference: Cangiano C, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;56(5):863-867 (PMID: 1384305).Unlike generic single-ingredient capsules, NOW Foods 5-HTP 200 mg includes free-form Glycine, Taurine, and Inositol. Glycine and Taurine function as gentle inhibitory amino acids that calm nerve signals, while Inositol supports cell-to-cell neurotransmitter sensitivity.
Every batch of NOW Foods 5-HTP 200 mg is tested for purity, microbial safety, and peak potency in an ISO-accredited laboratory. Below is the full label transparency report:
Serving Size: 1 Veg Capsule | Servings Per Container: 120
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|
| Niacin (as Niacinamide) (Vitamin B-3) | 20 mg (125%) |
| Vitamin B-6 (from Pyridoxine HCl) | 2 mg (118%) |
| 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) (from Griffonia simplicifolia Extract) (Seed) |
200 mg † |
| Glycine (Free-Form) | 100 mg † |
| Taurine (Free-Form) | 100 mg † |
| Inositol | 100 mg † |
† Daily Value (DV) not established.
Other Ingredients: Hypromellose (cellulose capsule), Ascorbyl Palmitate, and Silicon Dioxide.
Allergen Free Guarantee: Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut, or sesame ingredients. Produced in a certified Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility.
✓ Non-GMO ✓ Vegetarian & Vegan ✓ Kosher Certified ✓ Gluten-Free ✓ Dairy & Soy FreeDaily Suggested Use: Take 1 capsule daily, preferably on an empty stomach right before bedtime, or as recommended by your healthcare practitioner.
Why take 5-HTP on an empty stomach at night?Taking 5-HTP without protein-heavy food eliminates competition with other amino acids for transportation into the brain. Taking it 30 to 45 minutes before sleep aligns directly with your body's natural nocturnal cycle of converting serotonin into melatonin.
Complementary Supplements to Consider:
Because 5-HTP directly influences your central nervous system's serotonin pathways, safe and responsible use requires mindful attention to pharmaceutical interactions:
*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your personal physician before introducing any dietary supplement into your routine.
Our commitment to biomedical transparency means all statements are anchored in peer-reviewed clinical research and pharmacological literature:
For sleep support, most individuals notice calming effects and faster sleep onset on the first night or within 2 to 3 days of consistent bedtime use. For general mood balance, emotional stability, and appetite control, benefits typically build progressively over 1 to 3 weeks of daily supplementation as brain serotonin levels stabilize.
L-Tryptophan is the dietary amino acid your body must first convert into 5-HTP using the rate-limiting enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase. It also competes with other dietary amino acids to enter the brain and can be diverted away toward producing niacin or proteins. In contrast, 5-HTP has already passed that bottleneck, bypasses transport competition, and is committed specifically to serotonin synthesis.
Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) acts as an essential enzymatic cofactor for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase—the exact biochemical enzyme that transforms 5-HTP into active serotonin. Without sufficient Vitamin B-6 in the body, the conversion process slows down significantly.
While bedtime is recommended because 5-HTP easily converts to sleep-promoting melatonin, some individuals taking 5-HTP specifically for daytime mood or appetite management prefer taking it earlier in the day. However, because 5-HTP can induce mild drowsiness in sensitive individuals, bedtime use remains the safest and most effective initial protocol.
No. 5-HTP is a naturally occurring intermediate amino acid metabolite, not a pharmaceutical sedative or narcotic. It does not cause physiological dependence or addictive cravings.
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