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As a healthcare provider, a senior citizen, and a patient that required three medications to control my high blood pressure, I started taking L-Arginine as a dietary supplement in 2006 and it has lowered my blood pressure and decreased my need for prescription blood pressure medications dramatically.
Prior to initiating L-Arginine supplementation, using three doctor-prescription medications (an ACE inhibitor, Diuretic, and Beta-Blocker), my blood pressure stubbornly stayed at about 140/90mmHg.
After initiating L-Arginine supplementation I was able to reduce my prescription medication dosage by 50% or more, lower and maintain my blood pressure at 120/80mm Hg regularly, and most of the time even lower.
Can L-Arginine lower blood pressure?
L-Arginine supplementation does lower blood pressure in about 95% of people with high blood pressure, especially in people that have failed to control blood pressure adequately with blood pressure medications, or are “salt-sensitive”, or pregnancies experiencing gestational hypertension.
In 1998 Drs. Louis Ignarro, Robert Furchgott, and Ferid Murad won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of Nitric Oxide (NO) as being the controlling factor in regulating the cardiovascular system.
Dr. Louis Ignarro published a book based on that discovery called No More Heart Disease (amazon affiliate link) available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindel.
It is an easy-to-read lay-language book explaining the importance of L-Arginine as the precursor for the production of Nitric Oxide, dubbed the Miricle Molecule after Dr. Ignarro’s Nobel Prize-winning discovery.
According to a research paper at the National Institute of Health (NIH), people with high blood pressure that had been taking both an ACE inhibitor and a diuretic for 3 months but had failed to achieve full blood pressure control, lowered both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure by using an L-Arginine supplement of only 6 grams per day.
The NIH research paper above further states that about 50% of people with high blood pressure are “salt sensitive” and 25% of people that do not have high blood pressure will experience an increase in blood pressure with excessive salt consumption, and using an L-Arginine supplement as a dietary additive may be quite significant in lowering their blood pressure.
Another NIH research paper states “Circulating l-arginine is a substrate for nitric oxide synthesis during pregnancy; preliminary data suggest that supplemental l-arginine in the diet may lower the risk of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy by promoting vasodilatation through increased production of nitric oxide.”
Most researchers recommend 6 to 30 grams per day for blood pressure control. One study done By Dr. Siva Arunasalam at the High Desert Heart Institute put 33 of his terminally ill patients on 40 grams of L-Arginine daily with dramatic results in not only blood pressure but also in several co-morbidities.
The L-Arginine supplement I have been taking daily since 2006 is from Synergy WorldWide and is known as ProArgi9.
The flavor I like best is Mixed-Berry.
Synergy WorldWide offers a 120-day empty package return, no questions asked, full purchase price refund on a new customer’s first purchase, if the customer is dissatisfied for any reason.
For this reason, I would recommend ordering a “Jumbo and Single” as a first-time purchase.
Purchasing the Jumbo will decrease the purchase price by 56% over individual packet purchases for the same 6-month quantity.
Purchasing a “Jumbo and Single” gives you another month’s supply of the single-serve pre-packaged ProArgi-9 discounted by 70%, and they are great to take with you when you travel away from home.
A single daily serving is what I consume, and that works fine for me. Just remember, at this dose, the Jumbo Pack will last for 6 months but the “empty bottle” return policy ends after 4 months (120 days), so if you are dissatisfied for any reason, at the 4-month mark (or before), empty the remaining contents of the Jumbo Pack and call Synergy World Wide for refund instructions.
To order the same exact product I have used since 2006, follow these steps:
- Click on my ProArgi-9 affiliate link above.
- Under the “Shop” tab, select “Choose All Products”.
- Scroll down to ProArgi-9+ (2nd row, middlebox).
- Under “Unit Size” select (Jumbo” or “Jumbo and Single”.
- Under “Variant” select “Mixed Berry”.
- Under “Quantity” select “1”
- Click on “Add To Cart”.
- Click on “Check Out” or “Continue Shopping” if you wish to order more products.
I chose Synergy World Wide’s ProArgi-9 initially after a recommendation of a fellow healthcare provider and continued to use ProArgi-9 after visiting their manufacturing plant, being impressed by the over 300 tests they perform on all their raw ingredients, and their similarity to pharmaceutical companies’ techniques that produce prescription medications.
Here are some of my typical blood pressure readings taken over a six-month period of time.
I use this Omron Blood Pressure Monitor (amazon affiliate link) for both myself and my patients. If you do not have a blood pressure monitor I would recommend purchasing this one.
The only way to determine if ProArgi-9 is working for you, or not, is to take your blood pressure a few selected times per day at the same time and in the same position.
One should be relaxed and comfortable to get a true blood pressure reading.
I personally take my blood pressure first thing in the morning while sitting in a recliner chair with my feet up.
I repeat this process again mid-day and again just before bedtime.
I then log these recordings into an Excel spreadsheet to quickly compare blood pressure readings over time.
My blood pressures are consistently great since 2006 when I started dietary supplementation with ProArgi-9.
How long does L-Arginine take to lower blood pressure?
L-Arginine can lower blood pressure as quickly as 24 hours.
Some individuals may require daily L-Arginine supplementation for up to 3 months before the desired decrease in blood pressure is achieved.
A small percentage of individuals will have no blood pressure decrease.
It takes a minimum of 24 hours for L-Arginine to be absorbed by the body and ready for use.
L-Arginine supplements can come from two sources: meat products or plant products.
It is important that the quality of the L-Arginine be top-grade.
Plant source L-Arginine is the best source but some manufacturers glean their L-Arginine from animal by-products such as dead horses’ hooves.
L-Arginine is a simple amino acid used by the body’s endothelial cells lining the blood vessels, which converts the L-Arginine into a gas, Nitric Oxide, that relaxes and dilated the blood vessel walls, thereby lowering the blood pressure.
This process is done millions of times daily by the human body.
The Nitric Oxide gas only lasts a second and a continual supply of Nitric Oxide gas is required to relax the blood vessels.
Furthermore, L-Arginine is converted by every endothelial cell lining the miles of blood vessels in the body.
The endothelial cells are only one cell in thickness and line all the miles of blood vessels in the human body.
The conversion of L-Arginine is dependent on the enzyme Nitric Oxide Synthases living in the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels.
This enzyme has a “spike” that matches the “receptor docking station” on the L-Arginine amino acid.
Once the L-Arginine amino acid has “Docked” with the Nitric Oxide Synthase enzyme, the enzyme converts the L-Arginine amino acid to the Nitric Oxide gas that causes dilation of the blood vessels.
One factor that may explain the difference in time frames to lower blood pressure in different people (1 to 90 days) may be the molecule Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine (ADMA).
ADMA is the mirror image of L-Arginine and can not be converted by Nitric Oxide Synthases into Nitric Oxide gas that causes the blood vessels to relax and dilate.
The unfortunate fact is that it has the same “docking station” appendage as L-Arginine.
When it “docks” with the enzyme’s limited receptors, it decreases that cell’s individual capacity to generate the all-important Nitric Oxide gas needed to lower blood pressure.
How many of these enzyme’s docking sites are occupied by ADMA may explain the difference in each individual’s time frame varying from 24 hours to 3 months of L-Arginine supplement before the desired lowering of the blood pressure is achieved.
The product I personally use is ProArgi-9, a strictly plant-based source that is tested over 300 times for unwanted contaminates.
It is pharmaceutical grade L-Arginine.
The good news about ProArgi-9 is the parent company, Synergy World Wide, has a 120-day (4-month) empty package return policy that will fully refund your money, no questions asked, and return for any reason.
This offer is only good on a new customer’s first order.
The other good news is ProArgi-9 can be ordered as a Jumbo package, with more than enough L-Arginine to last during the 120-day empty package return policy.
As a new first-time customer, I would recommend ordering the “Jumbo and Single” option.
The “Single” is a 30-day supply of individually sleeved daily servings discounted by 70% when ordered with the “Jumbo”. The single-serve sleeve packets are great for travel away from home and daily routines.
I personally use a ProArgi-9 (affiliate link) single serving size daily of 10.5 grams, and the Jumbo Jar has 180 single servings, so a Jumbo Jar of Mixed Berry flavor lasts me 2 months longer that the 120-day empty bottle return policy.
My blood pressures are consistently great (120/80 or less) since I started dietary supplementation with L-Arginine back in 2006.
To order the same exact product I have used since 2006, follow these steps:
- Click on my ProArgi-9 affiliate link above.
- Under the “Shop” tab, select “Choose All Products”.
- Scroll down to ProArgi-9+ (2nd row, middlebox).
- Under “Unit Size” select (Jumbo” or “Jumbo and Single”.
- Under “Variant” select “Mixed Berry”.
- Under “Quantity” select “1”
- Click on “Add To Cart”.
- Click on “Check Out” or “Continue Shopping” if you wish to order more products.
How much L-Arginine should I take for high blood pressure?
L-Arginine can lower human blood pressure with as little as 5 grams daily.
Some studies have used as much as 40 grams of L-Arginine daily to produce the desired effects in terminal patients that had reached maximal benefits from traditional medical interventions.
Some patients have significant blood pressure decreases with daily supplementation of just 5 grams of L-Arginine.
The product that I have used daily since 2006 is called ProArgi-9 (affiliate link) and is produced by Synergy World Wide.
I chose ProArgi-9 because it is a plant-based source of L-Arginine, superior to animal-based L-Arginine, and the processing is conducted at a pharmaceutical-grade protocol.
I personally use the suggested single serving size daily (one scoop – 10.5gm), so a Jumbo package of Mixed Berry flavor lasts me 2 months longer that the 120-day empty package return policy.
My blood pressure is consistently been 120/80 or lower since I started dietary supplementation with L-Arginine.
To order the same exact product I have used since 2006, follow these steps:
- Click on my ProArgi-9 affiliate link above.
- Under the “Shop” tab, select “Choose All Products”.
- Scroll down to ProArgi-9+ (2nd row, middlebox).
- Under “Unit Size” select (Jumbo” or “Jumbo and Single”.
- Under “Variant” select “Mixed Berry”.
- Under “Quantity” select “1”
- Click on “Add To Cart”.
- Click on “Check Out” or “Continue Shopping” if you wish to order more products.
Before taking ProArgi-9 I took three prescription blood pressure medications (an ACE inhibitor, a diuretic, and a beta blocker) and my blood pressure stubbornly stayed at about 140/90.
Within a couple of days after initiating daily supplementation with ProArgi-9, my blood pressure dropped to 120/80 or below, and within a couple of weeks, I was able to decrease the prescription medications by about 50%.
Today my blood pressure is frequently at my goal of 115/75.
Here are a few days of my recent blood pressure readings over a six-month period of time.
I use an Omron Blood Pressure Monitor (amazon affiliate link) for both me and my patients.
To track the effectiveness of ProArgi-9 one should track the blood pressure multiple times daily for a few months.
One study from Healthline reported significant decreases in blood pressure by ingesting as little as 6 grams daily of L-Arginine dietary supplement.
It further found that erectile dysfunction improved with as little as 1.5 grams of L-Arginine daily.
Still, another study from the High Desert Heart Institute of 33 patients who “had exhausted their maximum pharmacological and medical treatment and therefore there was nothing further they could be offered outside of a heart transplant” were placed on 40 grams of ProArgi-9 daily with dramatic decreases in both blood pressure as well as several comorbidities’ lab results, such as liver and kidney functions.
WebMD states there is no standard dose of L-Arginine but 2-3 grams 3 times daily is a common dosage.
I personally consume one scoop of ProArgi-9 (10.5gm) one time a day.
The reason WebMD recommends smaller doses multiple times daily is that the half-life of most L-Arginine products does not last longer than 12 hours maximum.
However, it takes 5 half-lives of any medication for it to be gone from your system.
The once-daily dose of 10.5gm works fine for me, as verified by multiple blood pressure readings throughout the day on multiple days.
I have experimented with dividing my 10.5gm daily serving into 7gm servings taken twice daily, but I saw no difference in my blood pressure readings, and it is just easier to remember to take the ProArgi-9 once a day at a specific time, for me it is first thing in the morning.
The ProArgi-9 formulation has research data, performed by the researcher that calculates the dosage/frequency data for most pharmaceuticals, showing ProArgi-9 formulation provides biological availability of L-Arginine for longer than other L-Arginine supplements.
How Does L-Arginine Supplementation Lower Blood Pressure?
L-Arginine, an amino acid, attaches to a “docking site” on the enzyme Nitric Oxide Synthase located in the endothelial cells lining all the body’s arteries, veins, and capillaries.
Nitric Oxide Synthase converts the L-Arginine into Nitric Oxide gas which relaxes and dilates the blood vessels’ walls.
The human body’s process of converting L-Arginine to Nitric Oxide gas is the same regardless of the source of the L-Arginine, be it endogenous or exogenous.
As we age, and participate in less-than-healthy lifestyles and habits, our body’s access to the simple amino acid L-Arginine becomes less available and may require supplementation to maintain optimal blood pressure.
Additionally, as we age and precipitate in poor diets, smoking, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices, our bodies start to produce more and more ADMA, the mirror image of L-Arginine that can occupy the docking sites in the vascular endothelial cells thereby blocking the docking of the L-Arginine.
ADMA can not be converted to blood-pressure-reducing Nitric Oxide gas, therefore one needs to change the ratio of L-Arginine to ADMA in the bloodstream through supplementation with L-Arginine.
However, all L-Arginine products are not the same!
L-Arginine can come from two sources:
- Animal-sourced L-Arginine.
- Plant-based L-Arginine.
Animal-sourced L-Arginine is usually produced by manufacturers from left-over animal proteins from slaughterhouses, or even from the hoofs of dead horses.
Plant-based L-Arginine is considered by most to be superior to animal-sourced L-Arginine, however, all plant-based L-Arginine is not the same either.
Most plant-based L-Arginine supplement manufacturers own their own land and raise their crops themselves, be they organic or not, but their crops are subject to the weather and growing conditions of wherever their land is located.
Bad weather or growing conditions affect the quality of these crops and therefore the quality of their L-Arginine as well.
By contrast, ProArgi-9 sources its crops from certified organic growers from around the world and selects crops from the areas of the world that have had great growing conditions that specific year.
Further, when the selected crops from around the world arrive at ProArgi-9’s manufacturing plant the crop is subjected to over 300 tests of quality standards and if that crop does not meet the standards of ProArgi-9 it is rejected.
This is why I chose ProArgi-9 (affiliate link) as my personal L-Arginine supplement.
To order the same exact product I have used since 2006, follow these steps:
- Click on my ProArgi-9 affiliate link above.
- Under the “Shop” tab, select “Choose All Products”.
- Scroll down to ProArgi-9+ (2nd row, middlebox).
- Under “Unit Size” select (Jumbo” or “Jumbo and Single”.
- Under “Variant” select “Mixed Berry”.
- Under “Quantity” select “1”
- Click on “Add To Cart”.
- Click on “Check Out” or “Continue Shopping” if you wish to order more products.
Products Mentioned In This Article (affiliate links)
Other of my blog post that may interest you:
- How To Generate Retirement Income: Cash In On Your Knowledge
- Medicare Maintenance Care: Who Qualifies for What Services?
Wishing you the same success at lowering your blood pressure as the more than 95% of people have had after trying ProArgi-9.
Paying It Forward
Age In Place School is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.
