Tryptophan is an essential amino acid required by the body to make the neurotransmitter serotonin. The body uses tryptophan to make 5-HTP, and then this gets converted into serotonin. Oftentimes this process is not efficient and does not produce adequate serotonin.Therefore, an increased intake of 5-HTP becomes important. Numerous scientific studies show 5-HTP is of benefit in individuals with mood disorders. 5-HTP has many advantages over L-tryptophan: besides being safer to produce and arguably more potent, it can cross the very selective blood-brain barrier more easily than L-tryptophan. Once 5-HTP passes through the blood brain barrier it is able to help increase levels of serotonin; a neurotransmitter, whose levels are positively associated with mood.