amino acid · for high blood pressure
L-Citrulline
Raises the compound that tells blood vessels to relax and widen.
Say that in clinical terms
Activates endothelial NO synthase, increasing NO bioavailability. Promotes arterial vasodilation.
How strong is the research?
Not verified evidence
1 paper read.
Who was studied: Pooled across trials including both people with high blood pressure and people without.
The analysis pools arginine and citrulline together.
How much to take
daily
3–6 g
Effects seen after 1-2 weeks. More pronounced in prehypertensive individuals.
Before you take it
- No NIH/IOM Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) has been established for L-citrulline; long-term safety data at doses above 6 g/day are limited.
- Additive hypotension risk when combined with PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil); this combination is contraindicated without physician supervision.
- Additive blood pressure-lowering effect when combined with antihypertensive medications (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, diuretics); medical supervision required before combining.
- L-citrulline is metabolized to L-arginine in the kidneys; caution is advised in individuals with severe renal impairment or known urea cycle disorders.
- No clinical trials have been conducted in pregnant or breastfeeding populations; use during pregnancy or breastfeeding should be avoided without medical guidance.
What we make of it
The analysis pools arginine and citrulline together.
The detail
The pooled analysis covers both L-arginine and L-citrulline combined, so the result cannot be attributed to citrulline on its own.