5-HTP versus Tryptophan

When your brain wants to send a message from one neuron to the next, it uses chemical substances called neurotransmitters. One of the major neurotransmitters in the brain is called serotonin. Studies in animals and humans have revealed that serotonin is responsible for feelings of well being, calmness, relaxation, confidence and concentration.

So, what happens if you don't have enough serotonin? Fear, aggression, anxiety. But serotonin deficiency is often simply due to dietary imbalances. Easy to fix.

This is how serotonin is made in the body:Tryptophan (an amino acid) is converted into 5-HTP (another amino acid) which in turn, is converted into serotonin (a neurotransmitter).

When we first started making herbal products, we formulated Calm mix using tryptophan. But we encountered a problem - the product seemed to become less effective with time.
A bit of research showed us where we were going wrong:
1. Tryptophan doesn't pass easily from the blood into the brain.
2. It is also used to make proteins - hence some of it is used elsewhere.
3. The liver breaks it down to a mildly toxic substance.
4. It feeds back on itself, and inhibits its own conversion to serotonin.

Because of these problems, we switched to using 5-HTP. 5-Hydroxy Tryptophan (5-HTP) is also a completely natural substance, derived from the seed pods of Griffonia, a West African plant. Side effects are very rare and 5-HTP has been shown to be VERY effective.

As far as I have seen, our Calm mix is the only product for horses which uses 5-HTP instead of tryptophan. This makes it a safer, more effective alternative.

It means that if you have a spooky, flighty horse or an overly aggressive dog, supplementation with Calm mix (for horses) or Serenity Formula (for dogs) might just help. Why don't you give it a try?

Thiamine - a Contradiction in Terms

Thiamine, otherwise known as Vitamin B1, is an interesting vitamin from the standpoint of horses. It is used in the horse world for two main reasons, which may appear at first glance to be contradictory: providing energy and calming.

Energy

During exercise, a compound called pyruvate is formed. Now, pyruvate can end up as lactic acid, which builds up in muscles and causes stiffness and muscle fatigue. Thiamine helps to stop pyruvate becoming lactic acid by converting it to Acetyl Co A. Studies by Topliff et al (1981) suggest that an exercising horse may need twice the thiamine that a non-working horse needs.

Calming

Another important function of thiamine is the transmission of impulses along nerves. So, a thiamine deficient horse will be irritable, nervous, jumpy, easily distracted and difficult to work with. Sometimes, supplementation with thiamine will help correct problems like these. Other times, it could be some other problem – genetic, training or other nutritional problems.

Deficiency

Often the thiamine deficient horse is not an undernourished horse. On the contrary, thiamine deficiency often occurs in horses on high carbohydrate rations with rigid work loads.

Safety

Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin, and so supplementation up to 1000mg per day is very safe. Excess is simply eliminated by the kidneys.