Active Ingredient Arginine (l-arginine)

an essential amino acid that is physiologically active in the l-form.

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: arginine (l-arginine)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
acute myocardial infarction	study results of arginine supplementation after myocardial infarction (heart attack) are mixed. further research is needed before a recommendation can be made. a cardiologist and pharmacist should be consulted before arginine supplements are taken.	c
anal fissure	early studies suggest that arginine may help treat chronic anal fissures, which are small tears that develop in the anus. additional studies are needed.	c
asthma	although it has been suggested that arginine may treat asthma, studies in humans have actually found that arginine worsens inflammation in the lungs and contributes to asthma symptoms. therefore, taking arginine by mouth or by inhalation is not recommended in people with asthma.	f
burns	arginine may improve immune function and protein function in burn patients. further research is needed before a conclusion can be drawn.	c
cardiovascular disease unspecified	early evidence from several studies suggests that arginine taken by mouth or by injection may improve exercise tolerance and blood flow in arteries of the heart. benefits have been shown in some patients with coronary artery disease and chest pain (called angina). however, more research is needed to confirm these findings and to develop safe and effective doses.	b
chronic interstitial cystitis	arginine has been proposed as a treatment for interstitial cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. however, most human studies have not found that arginine improves symptoms, such as urinary frequency or urgency.	d
complications of unspecified transplanted organ	dietary supplementation with l-arginine and canola oil has been associated with decreased rejection rates after the first month in kidney transplant patients. because it may reduce the risk of heart problems, long-term benefits for patient survival may be particularly important. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
critical illness myopathy	some studies suggest that arginine may be beneficial for people with critical or life-threatening illnesses when it is added to nutritional supplements. however, it is unclear what the specific role of arginine is in recovery. because of the potential for harm, large doses of arginine should be avoided.	b
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	early studies in humans suggest that arginine supplements may decrease the severity of diabetes. large, well-designed studies are needed to understand this relationship.	c
diabetes with unspecified complication	early studies in humans suggest that arginine supplements may help the body fight some long-term complications of diabetes, including heart disease and nerve damage. well-designed studies are needed.	c
disorders involving the immune mechanism	early study results suggest that arginine supplementation may boost the immune response elicited by the pneumonia vaccine in older people. more studies are needed to confirm these results.	c
disorders of mitochondrial metabolism	early studies have found that long-term supplementation with l-arginine significantly improved endothelial function in patients with melas syndrome (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke). further research is merited in this area.	c
fetal growth retardation unspecified	early studies in pregnant mothers suggest that arginine supplements may improve growth in fetuses that are smaller than average. additional studies are needed.	c
heart failure	studies of arginine in patients with chronic heart failure have shown mixed results. some studies report improved exercise tolerance. additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.	b
impotence of organic origin	early studies have shown that arginine supplements may help treat erectile dysfunction (ed) in men with low nitrate levels in their blood or urine. a combination of l-arginine, glutamate, and yohimbine hydrochloride has been used to treat ed. however, because a combination product was used, and yohimbine hydrochloride is an fda-approved therapy for this condition, the effects of arginine alone are unknown. more research is needed with arginine alone.	c
infections of kidney	study results are mixed as to whether arginine as a therapy by itself directly helps certain kidney diseases or failure. arginine may be a helpful adjunct for kidney disease related conditions such as anemia in the elderly. additional research is needed in this area.	c
male infertility	although there are several studies in this area, it is not clear what effects arginine has on improving the likelihood of getting pregnant. early evidence does not support the use of arginine as a fertility treatment in women who are undergoing in vitro fertilization or in men with abnormal sperm.	d
malignant neoplasm of female breast	it is unclear if arginine can help treat breast cancer patients. results from early human studies are mixed. high-quality studies are needed.	c
migraine	early studies suggest that adding arginine to ibuprofen (e.g., motrin or advil ) therapy may decrease migraine headache pain.	b
other and unspecified effects of high altitude	based on early research, l-arginine supplementation is not an effective therapy to prevent acute mountain sickness (ams).	d
other chest pain	small studies in humans suggest that arginine taken by mouth (not injected) may improve non-cardiac chest pain associated with esophageal motor disorders. large, well-designed studies are needed.	c
other diseases of respiratory system not elsewhere classified	early study suggests that arginine supplements may decrease the risk of respiratory (lung) infections. large, well-controlled studies are needed to clarify this relationship.	c
other peripheral vascular disease	intermittent claudication causes leg pain and tiredness because cholesterol plaques or clots develop in leg arteries and block blood flow. a small number of studies report that arginine therapy may improve walking distance in patients with claudication. further research is needed.	b
peroxisomal disorders	adrenoleukodystrophy (ald) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder that is characterized by the loss of fatty coverings (myelin sheaths) on nerve fibers in the brain and progressive destruction of the adrenal glands. this condition results in dementia and adrenal failure. injections of arginine may help manage this disorder, although most study results are inconclusive. further research is needed to evaluate the use of arginine in ald.	c
posttraumatic wound infection not elsewhere classified	arginine has been suggested to improve the rate of wound healing in the elderly. research has shown that an enteral diet supplemented with arginine and fiber improved wound healing after surgery in patients with head and neck cancer. arginine has also been applied to the skin in order to improve wound healing. further research is necessary in this area before a firm conclusion can be drawn.	c
pre-eclampsia or eclampsia superimposed on pre-existing hypertension	early study suggests that long-term supplementation with l-arginine may decrease blood pressure that is too high in pregnant women. arginine may also improve fetal health and growth during pre-eclampsia . further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
pressure ulcer	studies of arginine for pressure ulcers show mixed results. further research is needed before a conclusion can be drawn.	c
pure hypercholesterolemia	some research suggests that arginine may help treat or prevent high cholesterol. more research is needed.	c
raynaud's syndrome	early study in humans has looked at the effect of arginine on blood vessel activity in reynaud's phenomenon, a condition that causes the blood vessels in the fingers, toes, nose, and ears to narrow in response to cold temperatures or stress. however, the effects of arginine are not clear. large, well-designed trials are needed.	c
senile dementia uncomplicated	there is not enough information available to make a strong recommendation about the use of arginine in senile dementia.	c
unspecified adverse effect of other drug, medicinal and biological substance	early human studies suggest that arginine supplements may be beneficial for patients undergoing chemotherapy. larger, high-quality studies are needed.	c
unspecified circulatory system disorder	early human studies suggest that intravenous arginine may increase blood flow in patients with critical limb ischemia. this condition occurs when blood flow to the arms and/or legs is blocked. large, well-designed trials are needed.	c
unspecified essential hypertension	early study in humans suggests that arginine taken by mouth may help widen the arteries and temporarily reduce blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. larger, high-quality studies are needed before a recommendation can be made.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.