TEA & AUTISM - What's the connection?

[@albertfaz2383]

I have autism, (professionally diagnosed- not self diagnosed). Tea, TRUE tea, has changed my life! The GABA rewires my stress levels to a sane level. And the taste, with the whole experience, makes me look forward to the day. It equips me with a high/resilience, that even antidepressants have not provided. (Although if I WASN'T also taking those, maybe tea would not be so powerful. Maybe having this chemistry balanced; means that the introduction of tea is like the icing and candles on the cake.) It is a shame that in social media, people often don't understand that autism is a difference, not a disability. That almost all autistic people would not be neurotypical, even if they had that choice. That autism is a STRENGTH, with weaknesses. ...And that vaccines do NOT cause it- but if they did, I would certainly encourage parents to have autistic children. It is a great thing, not a bad thing. (Although it is stressful, but this stress can be managed.) - Henry Patterson.

[@EleutheraPineapple]

This!!!!!!!!!

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

Hey have you tried herbs and supplements which have Gabaergic effects besides the GABA tea? For example: Magnolia Bark (Magnolia officinalis), Chinese Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), PharmaGaba, or even Picamilon and Phenibut? Speaking about autism, I think it depends about what kind of autism do you have. If it is asperger, like Dave Asprey, it is not weakness or disability at all. It is a strength

[@mckinneymindy]

Autism symptoms can very much be a disability though. In my opinion severe symptoms caused by Autism should get more attention ( the side that's getting more attention is higher functioning like the good doctor...Einstein..people who can FUNCTION). They think ah, Autism..you must be really good at. *blank* but poor in other areas. Well no. My daugher isn't. She is very often hospitalized due to her gut issues..she is force fed bc she hates textures..what textures? Oh..all of them. Hoping for a G tube this year. Cyclical vomiting disorder. No cure. I can go on. So no Autism doesn't equal disability. But we are here and we want help and recognition. Yes we are pro vax and yes she sees all her therapies. Please don't push us aside.

[@mckinneymindy]

And also for your quote. I wouldn't wish these symptoms on ANY parent EVER. This shows you are dissmissing the severe side of the spectrum... Thanks.

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

@@mckinneymindy I guess the spectrum doesn't map 'autism diseases' very well right? I am sorry to know about your daughter. I am no expert at autism spectrum and whatnot but I know the pain very well. I don't know if down syndrome is mapped to the spectrum or not however, I know the parents whose child has one can not expect much from her. So much money spent for doctors, hospital bills, psychologists, pedagogists, and even for witch doctors (in my country, people still asking witch doctors for cure). I hope genetic editing can be applied soon for those poor children.

[@Alexanderstarreveldo]

Wow this is incredible. I have high functioning autism myself and have always felt ‘lifted’ by tea. After recently getting into your Mei leaf wares I was lucky to try some amber gaba and I had one of the best days at work I’ve had in a long time. Thank you so much for this video!

[@MeiLeaf]

That's great Alex! We have had lots of clients with anecdotal feedback that the GABA tea has helped with calming and anti-anxiety and this study shows that GABA supplementation may be even more powerful for people with Autism. I am happy that we could be involved and I am happy that you are drinking the good stuff for taste and effects!

[@Alexanderstarreveldo]

Florian thank you so much! I was diagnosed with Aspergers in 2015 but now officially Aspergers and autism mean the same thing. I’m super clumsy but tea gives me a lot of peace, physically and mentally :-)

[@celestialyolk]

That's so wonderful you've developed such a lovely relationship with tea :) I'm also autistic and excited about this connection. I will say, it's worth considering not using "high functioning" or functioning labels in regards to autism. Being able to mask doesn't make autism easier for you to deal with, it makes it easier for others to deal with. I think it's important to describe autism how it relates to the autistic person, not the non-autistic (allistic) people around us. It's easy for allistics to assume you have no support needs cause you're "fine to them" when in reality you often put up a facade to make your autism more palatable to others which can be incredibly taxing. I use high/low support needs rather than functioning labels. And yes, Aspergers is no longer used because it honors a Nazi (Hans Asperger) who gassed autistic children that couldn't work/didn't have a "superpower" of sorts.

[@GarmanyRachel]

I have HF autism, and have always found tea relaxing, even the caffeinated ones. My mom swears I didn’t sleep more than an hour a night for the first seven years of my life. I still only get about 5 hours. Even a little melatonin makes me hyper, but a half a dose of magnesium glycinate seems to help. I wouldn’t be able to sleep well with a watch on, I wonder if that effected the tests at all?

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

HF autism is so new in my ears. Maybe I got this one too but I am never diagnosed one

[@GarmanyRachel]

Dwika Febrianto It is possible, the “spectrum” is huge, and there are people with even fewer issues than hf autism on one end, so that might be the case too.

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

@@GarmanyRachel when exactly were you diagnosed as one?

[@DarkAngel-cj6sx]

Have you tried ashwaganda?

[@crys041]

Magnesium Glycinate has worked wonders for my ADHD and depression, along with daily tea drinking.

[@FrF]

Great video, Don and Anna! I'd be really interested in a separate video on tea and depression / tea and anxiety.

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

Yeah, and what kind of tea suitable for alleviating those two conditions. But I bet GABA Oolong can help

[@FrF]

Dwika, ripe puerh (especially strongly steeped) has a very soothing effect on me. Curiously, gaba teas don't affect me in the same way but maybe I just haven't tried the right ones...

[@umiteasets]

Oolong is also credited with being the most fragrant of all teas, still redolent with the freshness of a green leaf, but having undergone enough fermentation to carry deeper notes than green can muster.

[@hverdagslykke1897]

I’ve always been a tea lover and your KZbin channel has really taught me to enjoy tea on a much deeper level. I’m waiting for my gaiwan and cup (and tea of course!) from mei leaf 😃 meanwhile I’ve been DIYing gong fu style brewing and smelling the leaves while drinking my tea has really made my neurodivergent brain really happy! 😃

[@Teshia]

I have CPTSD and Agoraphobia. Was diagnosed ADHD as a kid (but who wasn't... besides, hyperactivity is the least of my problems). For the last 5 years I've been researching how the brain processes differently due to these disabilities (as well as alzheimers since it runs in my family). I've been personally experimenting with different combinations of vitamins and supplements to try and improve my cognitive function. I finally found a good mix of vitamins that works well for my brain and thought I would expand to other experimental substances. Trying your Amber tea made almost as much of a difference for me as the other supplements I've been taking combined. It's improved my sleep and I have a regular bedtime now. I am able to focus for several hours in the morning after drinking it and mindfulness meditation comes much easier throughout the day. I have reduced anxiety and fewer panic attacks. I also tried the Amethyst tea, but it had a stronger caffeine affect than I was comfortable with, which unfortunately increased the panic attacks. The flavours are not my favorite when it comes to tea, but the affects are well worth it. Taking your Amber tea with my other vitamins is like a miracle. I've only been using it for a week, so I hope the affects will continue as I try a longer test period. I find that I do better with half of your suggested serving size in a day. I have found that it also helps improve my short term memory. I love the discussion about the autism study and I really appreciate the valuable information. It was what convinced me to purchase from you. I've always enjoyed my other teas from Nantou province and I'm happy to add this one to my list of favourites.

[@NayNay-zm5ln]

Great session. I wonder if this tea would be good for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s....... what are your thoughts?

[@MeiLeaf]

While the causes of dementia are multi factoral and therefore treatments and lifestyle changes complex, it is certainly true that l-theanine has been shown to have a neuro-protective effect and I am pretty sure that there are positive studies on dementia and tea.

[@NayNay-zm5ln]

Thank you. I’ll be in London on Wednesday!!!!! I’m so excited. Mei Leaf here I come!!!!!😍😍😍

[@malokegames]

That's really interesting! A lot of things we see as "food" can be used as medicine to aid many kinds of problems... even better when we can also appreciate them. That's much better than chemicals with lots of side effects...

[@dr.chihab]

Wow, i actually stumbled upon this paper a few days ago, really nice to see research on potential medical uses of tea

[@eshapiro9585]

QUESTION: Other than 4 times a day, at what times of day did the study participants drink the tea? Did they wait a certain amount of time before bedtime? Did the caffeine content of the Oolong seem to have any negative impact on sleep if the tea was consumed close to bedtime?

[@femkelodewijk9086]

This is such an interesting video/subject and may I say way too short :). I would love to hear more! I love it when your videos get extra geeky, keep it comming 💚

[@desertfox432]

Awesome video! There have been studies of both GABA and L-Theanine helping improve some symptoms of schizophrenics.

[@MeiLeaf]

Ooh if you have any links then please share

[@desertfox432]

@@MeiLeaf hvmn.com/research/phys-ritsner.pdf

[@RabbitFoodFitness]

That is amazing!!!!! Thank you so much for making this video.

[@firehandszarb]

This sound like something that would help me greatly! Chronic tea drinker here, I can go a month without alcohol but not one day without tea!

[@gomertube]

Interesting result but is GABA here confounded with caffeine? Seems they’d need a low GABA camellia tea for control. Sorry if I missed the explanation.

[@MeiLeaf]

Yes we do not know how the caffeine affects results and if the study was larger there may be the possibility of cohorts with other variations of tea. The issue is that every tea has its own GABA-caffeine-L-Theanine balance and trying to find strict controls is very challenging.

[@lauraaVd]

How much of this tea was used in the trial per age or body weight a day? Or what would you recommend? I am giving it to my 4 y/o auti but I don’t give him a lot out of fear of giving him too much. I also take it myself and I feel my nervous system has been reset after years and years of not being able to get out of a chronic state of alertness.

[@jesusojeda8679]

How has your son reacted so far ? And how much are you giving him ? I have a 4 year old we are about to start on white pine tea first with suramib and then some of these teas as well

[@Jorge-xf9gs]

That's an awful idea

[@eshapiro9585]

What color of gaba Oolong was used in the study (amber, green, something else)? I understand all Oolong teas are partially fermented. But, it seems some are more fermented than others and some more green and some more amber. Is this correct? What was the specific one used in this study and how would you classify its color relative to other Oolong teas?

[@4elevation42]

A cup of Rooibos tea with two tea bags in the cup and no sugar or milk helps me be more calm . I also have ASD. As far as I know the is no Gabba in rooibos but it has other health benefits. I have to try the Gabba Oolong some time. Thank you for the informative video.

[@imalmax]

Very interesting video! Can you briefly tell us why this study was made with tea instead of using the actual active substances l-theanine and GABA? Aren't the more confounding variables when using tea instead of these pure supplements?

[@MeiLeaf]

Yes I did ask the researchers this question. One reason was that they wanted to test a mode of taking GABA that was not pill based but a lifestyle addition like tea. In our first meeting they hypothesised that the type of GABA in the tea state with the other synergetic compounds in the leaf may have a different effect to single active ingredient supplements in terms of availability (BBB) and function. The trend towards testing multi-compound synergistic therapies vs single active substances makes for messier trials but potentially more interesting results. I certainly think that taking GABA or l-theanine supplements will have effects although working out if these are more or less than whole plant sources would require more studies.

[@imalmax]

@@MeiLeaf Thank you for the insight, that makes sense!

[@maxd9008]

@@MeiLeaf I think they also can test an amber oolong tea from the same cultivar but without GABA enrichment because as they say, they cannot be 100% sure that this is the GABA enrichment that is responsible of the effect or the balance of different molecules in the leaf (as L-theanine results tend to have some variations). I thank you for the presentation of this article because there are not many papers with realistic consumption of tea and despite the small number of patients, the results are interesting (I would like to see more markers of stress because the risk of stress is increased in childhood and adulthood autistic spectrum as physical coordination difficulty is more variable in adulthood).

[@pip5528]

I'm a young adult with high functioning autism.

[@myteaflow1119]

Very interesting Don! Thanks for sharing! Will share it myself with several friends this might be of interesting and help! Thanks again 🍂🍵🙏💫

[@connorduke4619]

Cool, I was waiting for the results of this study to come out!

[@BS38114]

GABA Oolong helps me to sleep better. I am sure, it helps.

[@farooh20]

Where can we buy caffeine free oolong tea?

[@ruthannamarteifio2521]

I always knew tea was magical! :) Thanks, Don and Dr. Joyce, for sharing with us!

[@adamsvetlik6636]

Amazing! I knew tea is magical. :)

[@aeu126]

I've been curious to learn more about autism -- thanks for the educational (and entertaining) video!

[@puerhindulgence3653]

There are a lot of us "auties" out there, and most of us are happy to chat. We all have differing perspectives on being differently wired though, so you'll never hear the same story twice :)

[@yasmeenalshiyokh8675]

Can a 3 yr old drink oolong?

[@Jorge-xf9gs]

No

[@Trickz579]

Hey Don! Very interesting video. I hear Passion Fruit tea leaves helps with seizures like epilepsy. Maybe you can test that as well.

[@achukmvlid.johnson9588]

Love this video.

[@puerhindulgence3653]

As an autistic individual myself, I would just like to point out that we don't "have" autism - we are autistic. I shall remain sceptical, as I've yet to find any research that is actually proven, but this is very interesting.

[@MeiLeaf]

Interesting because I specifically asked other experts and was told that 'people with autism' was the generally preferred terminology but I am sorry if I was misinformed in any way.

[@siegfriedfurtwanglerknappe6188]

@@MeiLeaf I'm a uni student, and in scientific writing class we are taught to say have autism, and not autistic because autism doesn't define them. I guess different people have different preferences.

[@fluffygirl1356]

It's like saying someone "has lefthandedness." It makes it sound like an illness, which implies that you can "cure" autism. But it is not possible to cure autism, similar to how you can't cure lefthandedness. Healing attempts (mostly carried out by parents or medical professionals) are in fact often highly damaging to the children. That's why I think it's better to say that someone _is_ autistic, because it is simply a part of you, that cannot be removed. What can be beneficial is helping autistic people cope with specific problems they are experiencing, for instance by teaching them certain techniques that might help them. The autistic persons just need to give their consent first.

[@EricScott]

See this excellent video for a discussion of this kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXetgKKLn6ynj7c

[@ollymounara605]

I prefer to have autism as it is a condition that can improve. I am a person with autistic trades. And I know I have good and bad days. Lots of people that do not think I am autistic. They just can't feel and see the struggle. But I am convinced that a virus is part of my problems as wel for almost my entire life. Stress has been almost a constant in my life which can cause a virus like Epstein Barr to flare up. I've been fighting being tired practically all of my life. So does my mom. Both are diagnosed late in life.

[@TheClyde1993]

As someone studying to become a psychotherapist, this is highly useful Information. Thank you, Don.

[@TheClyde1993]

@Jacob Galea I'll be sure to do that. Where are you studying?

[@TheClyde1993]

@Jacob Galea wow, that's awesome man. Thanks for sharing

[@P8Dealer]

"Nine children took part" Wtf One patient less and nobody would have published it.

[@MeiLeaf]

As Dr Joyce said, this was a very small feasibility study with very strict inclusion criteria. They are planning a bigger study.

[@P8Dealer]

@@MeiLeaf I am not really sure wether it is a good idea to publish a video about a study with these severe limitations. Nine participants are literally the threshold of statistical power.

[@florian8020]

I am a tealover and work with autistic childen! Looks Like it's worth a try to talk with their parents. I really hope, GABA Oolong will be more accessable in the future! Why don't we all drink more GABA tea? How much and at which times did they drink the tea?

[@MeiLeaf]

They drank 4x 300ml of GABA tea using 3.5g per 300ml brewed for 2minutes in boiling water. I guess that the tea was spaced out during the day and avoiding 2 hours before sleeping. If you are brewing Gong Fu style then it may be more potent in smaller sips but I cannot say for certain.

[@RabbitFoodFitness]

I think that my mom will be able to use this information too! She works with special needs students too, some of whom have autism.

[@MeiLeaf]

@@RabbitFoodFitness Great and if she needs more information then please ask and we can try to answer or ask the study authors.

[@RabbitFoodFitness]

@@MeiLeaf Thank you so much!

[@farooh20]

@@MeiLeaf where can I buy the caffeine free from pls i live in 8n italy

[@simply.skye__3650]

Great video. Would be incredible if you now interviewed parents of the child that regarding autism category went into the normal range

[@spideywebz5089]

All that happened was that the kid was put through ABA, which is similar to giving mental health patients electric shock treatment. The kid was too frightened to be who they really are, so now they are masking for life. That kid is permanently damaged now.

[@dwikafebrianto3016]

I knew it that Jiaogulan is a sham. I read it somewhere that it was arguably stronger than Panax Ginseng but I think it was wrong.

[@nesadcruz7840]

Dwika Febrianto we have found Jiaogulan to be pretty effective. Perhaps it depends on the source you get it from

[@ollymounara605]

It depends on what effect you are looking for. I think I've seen it was against aging. I know someone who drinks this every day and loves it.

[@celestialyolk]

Oh no :( really excited about this connection but please don't use functioning labels. Someone with high support needs isn't "low functioning" and someone with lower support needs isn't "high functioning". That language prioritizes the people who have to "deal" with autistic folks. I have lower support needs but because I mask my autistic traits, none of my support needs are met. Just because someone is able to work doesn't mean that all of their energy goes toward providing for themselves to the point where they have no energy left to cook, clean, have a social life, or have hobbies. When I've worked full time I literally have no energy left to do anything else. I can't feed myself, I can't participate in any hobby. The suicide rate among "high functioning" autistics is astronomical because to the outside world they're fine so they suffer in silence until they can't "function" anymore. If you're going to speak about autism, center autistic people, not those who have to "deal" with them.

[@celestialyolk]

Super love your videos and I really appreciate you educating on such a vast and interesting topic. But phrasing it as "becoming normal" or "normal healthy brain" feels pretty eugenic-y. Autistic folks are wonderful and necessary. This video did feel a bit dehumanizing. That isn't to say shame on you or anything, just that perhaps when talking about autism in the future you can be a bit more intentional with your language. Or even do this study on adults -- people often talk about autism as though its an issue kids have and will grow out of leaving autistic adults (many like myself who were diagnosed in adulthood) pretty unseen. The science behind this is interesting and I'm excited to do more research! But yea, that's just my 2 cents

[@spideywebz5089]

You should take this down. There is no such evidence, it's all supposition. I'm autistic. We don't *need* help; we don't need curing. This is just another way for people to ostracise and "other" us and we're frankly sick of it.

[@ollymounara605]

Please don't talk for everyone with autism. I'd like to decide for myself. I love tea and I have been diagnosed just a few years ago. I am convinced there are things that cause autism and have found improvement drinking tea all of my life, it's practically all I drink. Only the caffeine recently I can't handle anymore. L-theanine is great, it can even stop headaches after injury of the head. I love researching health, this is my hyperfocus.

[@adamarzo559]

There is no evidence God or Jesus ever walked this earth let alone exist, but people still put their faith in it and have the right to do so. If you don't like it, move on.

[@burblingbarbacoa4944]

right o...

[@Lau_rao]

Tea is really impressive 😍👍 I wish it could help me with my eating disorder Haha 😭

[@MrJermson]

Wow. This is interesting.

[@CollectiveMedia]

no, no it cant

[@elsapien503]

My only issue is that us (Aspies and Autistic alike) need something as strong as pharmaceuticals. These herbs (apart from Kava Kava) are nowhere near enough as effective as a GABA agonist.

[@ollymounara605]

There are many things out there. Most make me too sleepy. Passion flower, lemon balm, ashwaghanda and they all have antiviral properties too.

[@Gabriela-fx3tx]

This ain't it, chief

[@xHiiTMalRk3rzx]

Xedemi Somnia yes sir this is indeed “it”. There are people even in the comments saying they are benefiting from tea. What is wrong with that cheif?

[@ollymounara605]

Lots of people with autism are stuck drinking coke, like that is a healthy option. Most are too autistic to even try anything else. Just like eating crappy processed foods with lots of MSG.

[@KyleSSamuelson]

This video is extremely disrespectful to people with autism. You are suggesting autism is a bad thing, and tea can make it not as bad.

[@MeiLeaf]

We were very conscious when making this video to not be disrespectful to autistic people by sticking to the facts (what is ASC and how is GABA potentially involved). This is an interesting study which may be useful to many people out there. I do not think that doing this study was disrespectful and I do not agree that our video was disrespectful but of course there will always be a differences of opinion in these sorts of topics. I hope that the video helps and inspires many many more people than anyone who takes offence and I apologise if anyone does feel offended by the study.

[@JRRLewis]

They suggested nothing of the sort. They suggested that sensory-motor skill difficulties and sleep disturbances are health problems that tea can likely improve. These are legitimate problems whether the person with them is autistic or not, but they afflict people on the spectrum much more frequently. I watched the entire video and saw no judgments about autism in general or autistic people. Severe sleep problems especially are hell and they have terrible effects on overall health; I can guarantee you of that personally.

[@1349-y1r]

Development disorders certainly aren't a good thing

[@hightalk]

​@@JRRLewis I agree. Sleep problems have plagued me since I was 18 months old and it has been the bane of my entire existence. Sensory issues have also made my life hell. I found no issue with the video and I am very supportive of this research. In fact, I just happened to pick up some GABA oolong tea yesterday and my research into it's possible benefits for autistic people brought me here. I think it is important for autistic people to keep in mind that we all experience it differently (hence it being a spectrum) and that there is nothing wrong with acknowledging and seeking treatment for some of the negative aspects of having the condition.

[@thedimarcoguy]

Kyle, I'm more high functioning autistic some days I feel like an alien and other times I feel human. I currently take trazadone to deal with sleep but I want to find natural ways to deal with it because prescriptions while they solve one problem, they lead to other health problems. She's right, melatonin wasn't strong enough to put me to sleep (insomnia occurred instead). This video was not disrespectful, it was informative. If there's a natural way to make me fall asleep without funding pharmaceutical industries, that would be incredible.