5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia

asked by jrivera on November 6, 2006 6:49 PM

5-HTP is a naturally derived amino acid that has been shown in comprehensive studies to be safer than prescription drugs for the treatment of insomnia and depression, and can also be used for treating obesity, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, and premenstrual syndrome. It may prove to be more popular than St. John's wort for the treatment of depression and other serotonin-related conditions, as it's been shown to produce results in as little as two weeks, while the herb may take a month or longer.

Author Michael Murray, N.D., a leading naturopath and coauthor of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, delves very deeply to explain the hows and whys of depression at the neurotransmitter level, and the illustrations of presynaptic membranes may be a bit much for the lay reader. There are also several sections with intimidating titles along the lines of "Enhancing 5-HTP with Catecholamine Precursors." But the book's comprehensiveness makes up for its occasional denseness. Murray includes enlightening sections on nutrition for peak serotonin synthesis, other complementary herbal supplements, and many online and physical sources for obtaining 5-HTP. --Erica Jorgensen

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Reviews

This is not a review but a critique. The book was advertised as new and I paid the "new" price, but it was used. There were several pages with penciled-in answers. The book itself is Murray's usual fine work.

reviewed by jazzman on November 23, 2006 11:45 PM

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While this book presents some interesting and possibly even helpful information, Murray destroys his credibility by his glaring contradictions. For example, on page 33 he says, "5-HTP...cannot be metabolized by the liver into kynurenine." Then on page 238 he says, "...if vitamin B6 levels are low, then more 5-HTP will get converted in the liver into another substance, kynurenine."

Another troubling oversight is that Murray's mention of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome is very brief, and is in reference only to the L-tryptophan scare of 1989. He never mentions that 5-HTP has also been linked with EMS. He also states that the manufacturing process of 5-HTP prevents any possible contamination, which simply isn't true.

I read this book hoping to find reassuring information about the safety of 5-HTP, but in light of Murray's poor research, inconsistencies and inaccuracies, it's hard to trust any of the information presented.

reviewed by tacos on November 27, 2006 12:03 PM

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I have suffered from mild depression for years. The therapy described in the book has worked like a miracle.

reviewed by h2o on November 28, 2006 6:03 AM

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Nothing new here. Same old stuff you will find in any other book about 5-HTP. Dissapointed.

reviewed by tubi on November 28, 2006 1:47 PM

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add a new book!