Phenethylamine (PEA)
Also known as beta-phenethylamine or 2-phenethylamine. PEA is a biogenic amine synthesized from the amino acid phenylalanine. Although it’s found in a number of foods, chocolate is the best-known source of dietary PEA. PEA was once thought to be the reason people are “chocoholics (due to its mood-elevating properties); but it’s too rapidly metabolized to be very effective.
Phenethylamine is the “parent” molecule for a number of biologically active “substituted phenethylamines,” including several neurotransmitters (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine), ephedrine, amphetamine/methamphetamine and mescaline.
