Better than Viagra and All Natural

Pine bark extract A.K.A pycnogenol benefits

Erectile dysfunction (ED)
Is often associated with coronary artery disease. In fact, up to two-thirds of all patients with coronary artery disease have ED. So it makes sense that if Pine bark extract supports a healthy cardiovascular system that it would help support the ability to achieve a full erection, which is dependent on healthy blood flow. http://www.smar t-publications. … d-supports-sex/

Circulation problems.
Taking pycnogenol by mouth seems to significantly reduce leg pain and heaviness, as well as fluid retention in people with circulation problems. Some people use horse chestnut seed extract to treat this condition, but pycnogenol alone appears to be more effective.

Sperm
According to a study done by Dr. Scott Roseff, author of the study and Director of the West Essex Center for Advanced Reproductive Endocrinology "Up to 60% of infertile couples have difficulty conceiving due to abnormalities in the male’s sperm. By taking Pycnogenol(r) to increase normally functioning sperm naturally, couples may be able to (or potentially) avoid in-vitro fertilization and either enjoy improved natural fertility or undergo less invasive and less expensive fertility-promoting procedures."

Sugar control
A team of Chinese and German researchers reports that pycnogenol helps lower glucose levels in patients with mild type 2 diabetes. Pycnogenol, a powerful antioxidant, is extracted from the bark of the French maritime pine. Their clinical trial involved 18 men and 12 women between the ages of 28 and 64 years. All patients had fasting glucose levels of between 7 and 10 mmol/L (126-180 mg/dL). Participants received 50, 100, 200 and 300 mg/day of pycnogenol during four separate 3-week periods. Redirecting to another page

L-Citrulline benefits

Sexual health
Citrulline is an amino acid that supports the body in optimizing blood flow throught it’s conversion to L-arginine in the endothelial cells and then nitric oxide. It is considered to be the patented nutrient and a new unique, natural way to improve libido and sexual vitality,which promotes better circulation thus enhancing libido. Support of healthy sexual function is completely safe and without known side effects.

Semen
L-citrulline and L-arginine are the raw materials for NO production, but L-arginine is largely broken down before being absorbed by the body. L-citrulline is an important intracellular source of L-arginine, and what is inside the cell is what counts for NO production. In a well-controlled study of 3 gm of L-arginine plus pycnogenol, a significant increase was noted in all semen parameters. Two grams of L-citrulline will increase L-arginine levels more than 3 grams of L-arginine. Natural sources of L-citrulline are melons, particularly watermelon, but you could not eat enough to influence your levels.

More information
L-citrulline is used for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, fatigue, muscle weakness, sickle cell disease, erectile dysfunction, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It is used for heart disease, body building, increasing energy, and for improving athletic performance.

AAKG benefits

A test tube study found that AAKG induces a significant increase in growth of human fibroblasts–cells with similarities to muscle fiber cells. This effect was dose-dependent, meaning that a more pronounced growth effect was noted with increasing levels of AAKG (but not with increasing levels of Arginine or alpha-ketoglutarate alone).

In one study, the anti-catabolic effects of AAKG were investigated in 14 multiple trauma patients who were highly catabolic and hyper-metabolic. One group of subjects received 20 grams of AAKG per day and showed a significant increase in protein turnover as well as an increase in blood levels of insulin, growth hormone, and free amino acids (glutamine, proline and Arginine) compared to subjects not receiving AAKG supplements. http://en.wikip edia.org/wiki/A … haketoglutarate

Wider blood vessels carry more blood to muscles and tissues, delivering increased amounts of protein, carbohydrate and the various anabolic hormones (such as growth hormone and testosterone) needed for muscle growth. When nitric oxide is present in the muscles, it activates ‘gene-expression’ and turns on the body’s muscle-building mechanism (commonly called protein synthesis). http://www.nutr … .org/article/10

Hope these information helps.

Now consider all these benefits of those supplements with low level of blood sugar in your bloodstream!

How does pink tree bark work, I wonder?

I tend to think it’s more of the coming off of sugar effect than the supplements.

I disagree!

Here are some links of medical studies on the supplements:

L-citrulline
RESULTS: A total of 24 patients, mean age 56.5 ± 9.8 years, were entered and concluded the study without adverse events. The improvement in the erection hardness score from 3 (mild ED) to 4 (normal erectile function) occurred in 2 (8.3%) of the 24 men when taking placebo and 12 (50%) of the 24 men when taking L-citrulline (P < .01). The mean number of intercourses per month increased from 1.37 ± 0.93 at baseline to 1.53 ± 1.00 at the end of the placebo phase (P = .57) and 2.3 ± 1.37 at the end of the treatment phase (P < .01). All patients reporting an erection hardness score improvement from 3 to 4 reported being very satisfied. Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction - PubMed

Pycnogenol a.k.a pine bark extract and l-arginine
Penile erection requires the relaxation of the cavernous smooth muscle, which is triggered by nitric oxide (NO). We investigated the possibility of overcoming erectile dysfunction (ED) by increasing the amounts of endogenous NO. For this purpose, we orally administered Pycnogenol, because it is known to increase production of NO by nitric oxide syntase together with L-arginine as substrate for this enzyme. The study included 40 men, aged 25-45 years, without confirmed organic erectile dysfunction. Throughout the 3-month trial period, patients received 3 ampoules Sargenor a day, a drinkable solution of the dipeptide arginyl aspartate (equivalent to 1.7 g L-arginine per day). During the second month, patients were additionally supplemented with 40 mg Pycnogenol two times per day; during the third month, the daily dosage was increased to three 40-mg Pycnogenol tablets. We obtained a sexual function questionnaire and a sexual activity diary from each patient. After 1 month of treatment with L-arginine, a statistically nonsignificant number of 2 patients (5%) experienced a normal erection. Treatment with a combination of L-arginine and Pycnogenol for the following month increased the number of men with restored sexual ability to 80%. Finally, after the third month of treatment, 92.5% of the men experienced a normal erection. We conclude that oral administration of L-arginine in combination with Pycnogenol causes a significant improvement in sexual function in men with ED without any side effects. Treatment of erectile dysfunction with pycnogenol and L-arginine - PubMed

Abstract

In a randomly allocated, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 50 patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction (ED) were treated for 1 month with placebo or a combination of L-arginine aspartate and Pycnogenol (Prelox). Patients reported sexual function from diaries. Testosterone levels and endothelial NO synthase (e-NOS) were monitored along with routine clinical chemistry. Intake of Pycnogenol for 1 month restored erectile function to normal. Intercourse frequency doubled. E-NOS in spermatozoa and testosterone levels in blood increased significantly. Cholesterol levels and blood pressure were lowered. No unwanted effects were reported. Prelox is a promising alternative to treat mild to moderate ED. Improvement of erectile function with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial - PubMed

Treatment with a combination of L-arginine and Pycnogenol for the following month (after one month) increased the number of men with restored sexual ability to 80%. Treatment of erectile dysfunction with pycnogenol and L-arginine - PubMed

Effect on sperm:
Pine bark extract
The obtained results showed improvement of sperm quality, in the middle-aged men the therapeutic answers was better than in younger. In conclusion the therapy with Prelox improve sperm parameters in men with idiopathic infertility. Pycnogenol (one of the constituents of Prelox) has powerful antioxidative influence ameliorating spermatozoa function. [Sperm parameters in male idiopathic infertility after treatment with prelox] - PubMed

L-arginine
The clinical efficacy and acceptance of L-arginina HCL was tested in 40 infertile men. All of these men had a normal number of spermatozoa (> 20 million/ml), but a decreased motility; this decreased motility was not due to infection or to immunological disorders. The treatment consisted of 80 ml of 10% L-arginine HCL administered daily per os for 6 months. L-arginine HCL showed to be able to improve the motility of spermatozoa without any side-effects. [L-arginine and male infertility] - PubMed

If you wanted to be completely healthy about this, you might want to soak the beans for 12-24 hours. This does two things: one, it gets rid of the phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient found in beans and nuts and two, it will prevent flatulence.

It looks like many of these studies were done with men having health problems. I wonder if these supplements will further improve performance for a man who has no health problems. To make a gross analogy if there is a boulder in the middle of a road the supplement will remove that boulder letting traffic through. Well what if there is no boulder? Will traffic speed up or is the supplement only having effects on the boulder. Furthermore could the traffic move too fast could it be unsafe.

I’ve been taking l arginine and l citrulline for a week 3000 mg l arginine 1000 mg l citrulline split up into four doses daily.

So far I’ve noticed a decrease in morning wood (could be from a more exuberant session of PE the day I started taking it but that was a week ago now and the session really didn’t seem too intense but who knows.)

I cannot use my pump. I do manual exercises lightly hang and I have a Bathmate. Even if I only give it one pump and leave it if for five minutes I find I have small red dots all over. I’m pretty sure this is from the supplement. I used to do four five min sessions fully pumped down back to back with no spots. The spots began to occur shortly after taking the supplement within a day or two.

The only other effect I notice is a warm feeling through my body at times. Like, inside of my body. I feel like that must be the rush of blood I’m getting everywhere. That sorta feels good.

I haven’t noticed any improvement in my workouts (cardiovascular and weight training) or recovery time. During sex my boners don’t feel as strong. I almost want to quit it now but think I should go on for another week and see where I’m at. If I do this for a month and I’m not at a better place than I was before I began taking the supplement I’ll stop.