Oct 10 2005
Getting High off Tryptophan
The things I learn from the Internet!
I had a turkey dinner at my mother-in-law’s house tonight. I had two plates full of potatoes, carrots, peas, cabbage, turkey and dressing — with gravy over the whole works. Note: I said two plates. It was good stuff. I was starving myself all day for this meal, but it was worth it. Half an hour later while I’m making Play-Doh animals with my nieces, I start to get sleepy… very sleepy. It’s the tryptophan from the turkey kicking in. I turn to my mother-in-law and tell her, “I think the tryptophan is beginning to kick in.” Those mutli-coloured Play-Doh animals start looking like something out of Yellow Submarine.
Afterwards, my mother-in-law tells me that bananas contain large amounts of tryptophan, too, that I should eat a banana if I ever have trouble sleeping. I didn’t know bananas had tryptophan. So I look it up when I go home, and find the entire Wikipedia entry about tryptophan to be quite enlightening. Check it out:
Clinical research tended to confirm tryptophan’s effectiveness as a natural sleeping pill and for a growing variety of other conditions typically associated with low serotonin levels… In particular, tryptophan showed considerable promise as an antidepressant alone, and as an “augmentor” of antidepressant drugs. Other promising indications included relief of chronic pain and reduction of impulsive, violent, manic, addictive, obsessive, or compulsive behaviours and disorders…
Tryptophan has continued to be used in clinical and experimental studies employing human patients and subjects. Several of these studies suggest tryptophan can effectively treat the fall/winter depression variant of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
In other words, feeling a little blue? Eat a banana! Those long Alaskan nights getting you down? Have some oatmeal for breakfast! Chow down on a bag of peanuts!
That someone can actually feel better from eating something as ridiculous as dried dates all day long — that’s incredible. I find it hard to believe. But I’ll give it a go the next time a cold, grey, rainy day is getting me down. We’ll see what happens…
phil what does your mother in law do that requires/allows her to know the chemical make up of foods…curious..I am lucky to know what it is I just put in my mouth let alone the chemical properties…what are the chemical benifits to kraft dinner…Ohhh I did her a story from a friend recently and was confirmed by his parents cause I thoought he was shitting me…when in high school for about a year and a half this individual would eat primarily kraft dinner…very little else…obviously he began to encounter some health issues….he developed scurvy….it toook the doctors a while to figure it out..since they could not fathom someone who has access to so much foood actually coming down with this…
I think this post was written while under the influence of tryptophan.
Hey! What a coincidence! I just learned the same thing and also from the internet! Except I learned what tryptophan was from your blog entry….
I’m impressed with your mother-in-law. I never even HEARD of tryptophan before.
Phillip: when did you get married?
Over the weekend.
congradulations phil…when does the movie come out…I had to come over to city hall again..the PM is visiting..tommorrow thought I would walk around asking if anyone has found some ammunition I misplaced…