100% Natural
Vegetarian formula
Pharma GABA 80

Note: BioSynergy uses only Japanese made Pharma GABA 80 which is a highly concentrated bioactive form of GABA that has been shown to cross the blood brain barrier. Many brands use the synthetic form of GABA that is sometimes referred to as "naturally occurring L-form" which, has not been demonstrated to cross the blood brain barrier even at high doses of 800 mg or more.

Pharma GABA™ is very popular in Japan where it is used as a supplement and functional food & drink additive to reduce stress and promote relaxation.

BioSynergy brand GABA is produced by lactobacillus-fermentation from glutamic acid.

Biologically Active - In addition to increased mental and physical relaxation, research suggests that Pharma GABA may have application in :

Diminishing symptoms of PMS

A significant increase in alpha (good) brain waves

Reducing beta (bad) brain waves

Improving learning performance

Stabilizing mood disorders

Heightening mental activity - neurotransmitter

Improving sleep quality

Promoting attention, concentration and focus

Acting antagonistically against the paralysis induced by caffeine

Increasing immunity to viral infections and bacteria, especially under stressful conditions

Increasing production of the neurotransmitter dopamine for normal central nervous system function

No known downside or negative side effects and no known adverse drug interactions

Suggested Use: Take 1 capsule 1 to 3 times daily or as directed by a health professional. To promote a better night’s sleep, take 1 to 2 capsules up to 30 minutes before bedtime. It is recommended not to exceed 600 mg within a six-hour period and no more than 1200 mg within a 24-hour period. The effects of GABA will last up to 4 to 6 hours.

When taken in it’s vegetarian capsule form, the calming effects should be felt within ½ hour. For even faster effect, twist and pull capsule apart and pour powder into water, juice, or herbal tea and drink.

The effects of BioSynergy’s GABA (Pharma GABA 80™) and L-theanine (Suntheanine™) are virtually identical however, studies indicate that Pharma GABA 80 is about 2.5 times more effective than L-theanine. So, if you have been taking BioSynergy L-theanine and are satisfied with the effects then you should continue. If you feel you need something stronger, you can try BioSynergy GABA. Both can be taken within the same day or even at the same time as there are no counteractive or adverse reactions between these two natural substances. Any feedback or comments if you have tried both would be appreciated by us and our customers.

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. GABA’s calming, anti-epileptic, and neurotransmitter regulating properties are critical for the nervous system’s healthy function. Many disorders such as anxiety, tension, insomnia, and epilepsy are thought to be due to the inability to manufacture sufficient levels of GABA. Drugs taken to increase the effects of GABA like Valium, Neurontin, Valproate, and Baclofen have dangerous addictive and other side effects where natural Pharma GABA and L-theanine have none. GABA also has a physiological role in many systems outside the central nervous system, including regulating cardiovascular functions, inhibiting metastasis of cancer cells, regulating pituitary functions and growth, hormone production, mammalian fertilization, and healthy renal (kidney) function. Also, it is clinically demonstrated that GABA (Pharma GABA 80) and GABA-enhancing compounds, like the amino acid L-theanine (Suntheanine), play an important role in stabilizing mood disorders.

GABA increases the wakeful alpha brain waves producing a relaxed and effortless alertness. GABA decreases stressful beta brain waves that decrease mental concentration and focus. GABA induced higher alpha and lower beta brain waves result in heightened relaxation, arousal, anti-stress, and better concentration.

Anxiety and stress are well-known to reduce the strength of your immune systems. Thus, increasing alpha and reducing beta brain waves results in stronger immune systems. Because stressful conditions reduce GABA levels, it is important to replace GABA through supplementation with Pharma GABA or L-theanine.

Stress and anxiety are debilitating conditions that can shorten life span while lessening performance, well being, and the enjoyment of life. Stress can impair the ability to perform mentally. It may result in reactions to situations that cause enhanced frustration, hostility or even injury. Stress slowly destroys the immune system, lowering resistance to disease and thus allowing degenerative and opportunistic diseases to occur. Stress is a cause of depression. The entire population is subjected to stress. In a 1998 survey, nearly 65 percent of the adult population indicated that they were under great stress. More than 23 million Americans suffer from anxiety illness.

Recent studies indicate that increasing levels of GABA may help decrease the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A shot of a brain chemical called GABA essentially turned back the clocks in the brains of older monkeys, whose brain function briefly operated at levels normally seen in monkeys less than half their age.

The finding may one day help scientists reverse similar age-related deterioration in the brains of people, according to the report published Friday in the journal Science.

GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a messenger chemical that is essential for optimizing how brain cells transmit messages to each other and acts to put a damper on unwanted brain signaling activity, explained the study's lead author Dr. Audie G. Leventhal at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.

Although GABA's age-related decline has not been documented in humans, a host of studies in mammals, including other primates, suggests that a similar process is at work in people, explained Leventhal.

In the current study, Leventhal's team evaluated how a brain region called the visual cortex in old and young monkeys responds to micro-shots of GABA.

Monkeys between the ages of 26 and 32 -- considered very old for monkeys -- that got GABA directly delivered to their neurons responded to visual patterns, such as flashing vertical and horizontal lines, in much the same way as monkeys aged 7 to 9 years old did, according to Leventhal.

Without GABA delivery, the monkeys' aged brains had more difficulty firing neurons that specifically gauge various aspects of depth perception, motion and color, explained Leventhal. Instead, older monkeys have more random firings that make it difficult to observe visual nuances.

In younger monkeys, GABA had no effect since their brains already had optimal GABA functioning.

"The challenge now is to go and look at a variety of GABA-increasing drugs and see how they influence other areas of the brain" and whether or not they improve brain functions known to decline as people age, such as hearing and memory, said Leventhal.

"It may be that already approved GABA (boosting drugs) have a positive effect on mental decline in the brains of older adults, but nobody has ever looked," he told Reuters Health.

Nonetheless, the findings raise some hope that a general decline in GABA may be correctable, explained Leventhal, who noted that people are born and die with the same nerve cells and more research should be conducted in preserving their function.

SOURCE: Science 2003;300:812-815.

Addicts, including those addicted to Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Caffeine, Food, Gambling, Shopping, Sex, even the Internet all have one thing in common; not enough of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA is available to prevent over stimulation.

We feel good when neurons in the reward pathway of the brain release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine provides a jolt of pleasure and normally excess dopamine is checked by GABA before becoming over activated. Studies indicate that people with addictive behavior do not produce enough GABA to suppress over stimulated neurons that are responsible for addictive cravings. Without enough GABA to dampen excitatory messages set off by alcohol, drugs, and other mental stimulants, the brain never appreciates that it’s been satiated.

Vigabatrin, an anti-epilepsy treatment that is marketed in 60 countries (but not in the U.S.), is a GABA booster. In epileptics, vigabatrin suppresses over activated motor neurons that cause muscles to contract and go into spasm. Studies are currently underway to study the effects of vigabatrin with the hope that enhancing GABA in the brains of addicts could help them control their cravings.

Another fundamental target for addiction treatments is the stress network. Animal studies have long shown that stress can increase the desire for drugs. In rats trained to self-administer a substance, stressors such as a new environment, an unfamiliar cage mate or a change in daily routine push the animals to depend on the substance even more. ParmaGABA80 has been shown to reduce stress.