Comparison
L-Tyrosine vs 5-HTP
L-Tyrosine
Amino acid precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Effective for cognitive performance under stress.
5-HTP
Direct serotonin precursor, one step closer than tryptophan. Sourced from Griffonia simplicifolia seeds.
| Field | L-Tyrosine | 5-HTP |
|---|---|---|
| Category | amino-acid | amino-acid |
| Dose range | 500–2000mg | 50–200mg |
| Half-life | 2h | 2h |
| Onset | 60min | — |
| Evidence | EVIDENCEA | EVIDENCEB |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●○○ |
| Legal (US) | USOTC | USOTC |
| PubMed refs | 480 | 460 |
The comparison in plain English
Auto-generated from dataL-Tyrosine and 5-HTP are both in the amino-acid category respectively. L-Tyrosine Amino acid precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. 5-HTP Direct serotonin precursor, one step closer than tryptophan.
Bottom line
L-Tyrosine (evidence A, safety 5/5) has a weaker evidence base than 5-HTP (evidence B, safety 3/5). L-Tyrosine has the slightly cleaner safety profile. For users new to either, the higher-evidence option is the safer first try.
Choose L-Tyrosine if
L-Tyrosine is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (Rate-limiting precursor in the catecholamine synthesis pathway: Tyrosine → L-DOPA → Dopamine → Norepinephrine → Epinephrine) and the dose range (500–2000mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is 2h.
Choose 5-HTP if
5-HTP is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (5-Hydroxytryptophan is one step further along the serotonin pathway than tryptophan — past the rate-limiting tryptophan hydroxylase step) and the dose range (50–200mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is 2h.