Theacrine

Theacrine

• Theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid) is a naturally occurring chemical that is similar to caffeine. It is found in different types of tea and coffee, as well as in the seeds of the Herrania and Theocrama plant species. It is also found in the tea plant Camellia assamica var kucha, which has been used traditionally to prolong life and cure the common cold. People take theacrine by mouth for aging, the common cold, fatigue, and mental performance. Theacrine is also added to pre-workout supplements promoted for improving athletic performance.

Mechanism of Action:

• Theacrine seems to affect the brain similar to caffeine. Like caffeine, thea-crine stimulates the central nervous system at higher doses and decreases cen-tral nervous system activity at lower doses. But unlike caffeine, theacrine does not seem to affect blood pressure. Theacrine might also lessen liver damage caused by stress and reduce pain and swelling.

Dosage:

• The appropriate dose of theacrine depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. Theacrine has demonstrated clinical safety and non-habituating effects in healthy humans over 8 weeks of daily use at up to 300 mg/day. However, at this time there is not enough sci-entific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for theacrine.

Evidence:

• Evidence shows findings that support clinical safety and non-habituating neuro-energetic effects of Theacrine as seen in the TeaCrine™ study.

Precautions:

• Taken in notably low doses, theacrine could potentially carry a sedative effect on a human body. This is also a notable side effect of caffeine, which has also been suggested to sedate people when consumed in a very small dosage.

Interactions:

• Data from combination studies shows that the coadministration of caffeine and theacrine produces a significant pharmacokinetic interaction, resulting in enhanced theacrine exposure.