L-citrulline

Does anyone supplement with this? And should people with herpes avoid it like arginine? Just heard about it and am rather curious…

I’ve tried taking it a couple hours before sex - one teaspoon, which is about 2 grams. It’s supposed to give effects similar to arginine, but longer lasting. It’s hard to tell if it makes much difference.

How long did you take it? Is it something that’s supposed to build up in the body or give immediate effects? Thanks !

I researched this a couple of years ago. Personally L-arginine is the way to go.
The use of Citrulline in an L-arginine formulation causes inherent problems, including depletion of L-arginine.

According to The Arginine Paradox (Folia Pharmacol. Japan Vol. 119 7-14:2002 Department of Pharmacology, Teikyo University School of Medicine) :

L-Arginine has attracted major interest because it has been identified as the natural substrate of nitric oxide synthase and is now recognized as a major player in the regulation of biological function.

The arginine paradox refers to the phenomenon that exogenous L-arginine causes NO-mediated biological effects despite the fact that nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are theoretically saturated with the substrate L-arginine.

There have been several explanations for this phenomenon, although none of them can explain the arginine paradox fully:

1. L-arginine-induced insulin, which has vasodilatory actions.
2. Neither extracellular nor intracellular concentration determines the NOS activity but rather the L-arginine amount transported across the plasma membrane may do so.
3. Endogenous NOS inhibitors reduce the enzyme sensitivity to L-arginine. These inhibitors include, NG, NG-dimethyl-L-arginine, L-citrulline, argininosuccinic acid and agmatine.
4. Intracellular L-citrulline, an NOS product, is a potent inhibitor of NOS so that the cells may need extra L-arginine to compete with L-citrulline inhibition .

Further evidence against the use of L-citrulline is the the 2005 Alternative Medicine Review reported that L-arginine, and not L-citrulline is the appropriate amino acid for oral supplementation:

“The amino acid L-arginine is the preferred substance for oral supplementation to enhance nitric oxide synthesis.”

“The mechanism by which L-arginine works is by providing the substrate for nitric oxide synthesis in vascular endothelial cells, which in turn creates cyclic GMP in the underlying vascular smooth muscle cells.”

“L-arginine overcomes ADMA’s nitric oxide inhibition.”

“Some supplement companies are marketing L-citrulline – a by-product of the arginine-to-nitric oxide pathway – as a substance to increase nitric oxide synthesis in vascular endothelial cells.”

“Citrulline does not directly convert to nitric oxide, but instead is recycled to L-arginine (an ATP-dependent process), which then converts to nitric oxide.”

The Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine 1998 was awarded to doctors Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning “the nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system”.

As reported in the 2005 Alternative Medicine Review , “Ferid Murad, MD, PhD, Nobel-prize winner for his research on nitric oxide, has said the use of L-citrulline to increase nitric oxide is only marginally effective .”

The Alternative Medicine Review conclusion is …toss out the citrulline, and utilize L-arginine. “Change bad medicine to good medicine and ignore the hype.”

Thanks for the response!

Awesome post bamabreeze, great info

Thanks very much, bamabreeze. That explains why it wasn’t effective. :-)

Now, what about using arginine AKG (alphaketoglutarate) instead of arginine base? Supposedly, it absorbs better, and is longer acting, than base. It appears to be twice as expensive per gram, and that’s not even considering that it’s only about 70% arginine. What do you think?

Is it me or does that post contain nothing about l-arginine depletion?

Citruline raises plasma arginine levels more than arginine.

Got a link to a peer-reviewed study by independent researchers confirming that? Bodybuilding site links won’t do.

Enjoy : http://cat.inis t.fr/?aModele=a … cpsidt=19984543

" L-Citrulline dose-dependently increased AUC and Cmax of plasma L-arginine concentration more effectively than L-arginine (P< 0.01)."

L-Citrulline is from water melons and I eat a decent piece and the rind before a work out and the days I eat that my veins are noticeably more visible, it turned too cold to get decent water melons here so I just ordered some L-Citrulline in pure powder form to try out.

I see a few people have studies that say it’s bad but I know that eating it naturally can’t be bad so I am going to stick to a dose that would be about if I ate a small chunk of water melon, maybe those studies are just attempts at supplement companies to get people to keep buying arginine, there is absolutely no money to be made from l-citrulline it is from cheap water melons and Mexico is full of them, and we all have seen the price of l-arginine. lol

I have been using L-citrulline for months because it is said to cure impotence.
So far I still suffer from ED. I have to take Viagra or low-cost Viagra imitation before sex
.
On the days that I take Viagra I don’t take L-citrulline because of the fear that combining the two could make my ED worse.

I would like to know if there are members of this forum who have combined Viagra (or any other brand of penis “hardener”) with L-citrulline
(Taking both at the same time or hours apart).

Was the combination beneficial or harmful?

Thanks.

I am a long time survivor of prostate CA, excised by radical prostatectomy. I am interested in learning whether my experience, using a low 75 mg daily dosage of L-Citrulline, can be verified by any of our knowledgeable membership. Shortly after beginning to take L-Citrulline, penile sensitivity intensely heightened. I had long previously taken, and continue to use, Acetyl L-Carnitine & Acetyl L-Carnitine Arginate at 2,400 mg, Zinc Picolinate 50 mg, and Pine Bark Extract 100 mg. These latter supplements have no effect on sensitivity. I also report regrowth of body hair on legs and arms, but this effect is verifiable elsewhere.

As others replied, according to a commentary on supplementation dosages, “L-Citrulline is turned into L-arginine in the kidneys after supplementation, which means L-citrulline supplementation is a more effective method of increasing L-arginine levels in the body than L-arginine supplementation.” (cf. Examine.com.)

Idk man I have a little jack3d that I use for girth training. Dont know if it makes a hard difference, but I can certainly feel something. It contains citrulline.