Ingredient profile
L-Arginine in Memodyne: Two Label Lines, One Set of Cautions
Each Memodyne capsule carries L-arginine (base) 200 mg and L-arginine AKG 2:1 extract 200 mg. Sports studies gave 2 to 20 grams daily, and nitric oxide usually stayed flat. Mayo Clinic's list covers heart and circulation, with nothing on memory, and it rules arginine out for people fresh from a heart attack.
Written by the Memodyne editorial teamUpdated
On the label
How much L-arginine does Memodyne contain?
Two lines of 200 mg each, the heaviest pair on the panel.
The panel lists L-Arginine (base) at 200 mg and L-Arginine AKG 2:1 Extract at 200 mg. That is 400 mg of arginine ingredients, though the AKG partner takes up part of its line, so actual arginine is somewhat lower.
| Label name | L-Arginine (base) |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Amino acid |
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Position in the list | 3 of 7 (every line prints its own amount) |
| Per capsule | 200 mg |
| Amount used in research | Exercise research: 2-20 g a day; Mayo lists no memory use |
| Strength of evidence | No memory evidence |
| Traditional or marketed use | Raw material for nitric oxide |
| Main caution | Skip after a recent heart attack; can drop blood pressure; check heart, blood pressure and ED medicines first. |
Basics
What is L-arginine, and what does AKG add?
An amino acid your body makes and also gets from protein foods.
L-arginine is one of the amino acids that build proteins. Blood vessel walls use it to produce nitric oxide, a gas signal that lets vessels widen. That link to blood flow is why it shows up in heart research and in workout powders.
L-arginine (base)
The free amino acid, 200 mg. "Base" separates it from salts and paired forms.
L-arginine AKG 2:1
Arginine bonded to alpha-ketoglutarate, a compound that also takes part in the body's energy cycle. The label gives 200 mg for the pair, not for arginine alone.
The label does not explain why both forms appear. We have not found a source that does, so we leave the question open.
Medical uses
What does Mayo Clinic say L-arginine is used for?
Conditions of the heart and blood vessels. Nothing on it concerns memory or thinking.
| Condition | What it involves | Memory link? |
|---|---|---|
| Angina | Chest pain from reduced blood flow to the heart | No |
| High blood pressure | Pressure inside the arteries stays too high | No |
| Preeclampsia | High blood pressure during pregnancy | No |
| Erectile dysfunction with a physical cause | Blood flow problems behind ED | No |
| Peripheral artery disease | Narrowed arteries, often in the legs | No |
| Cognition or memory | Not listed | Not listed |
Each of these is a medical condition that needs a doctor's plan. None of them is a reason to start Memodyne on your own.
The memory question
Does L-arginine help memory?
Our sources do not show it. The sales page draws the link, not the research we cite.
Mayo Clinic gives L-arginine no cognitive use, and the NIH exercise fact sheet is silent on memory (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine) (NIH ODS, Exercise supplements). Arginine-and-memory work comes largely from lab animals or early studies.
The idea goes: arginine makes nitric oxide, nitric oxide widens vessels, wider vessels send more blood to the brain. The weak step is the first one. Even grams a day of arginine left athletes' nitric oxide levels mostly flat (NIH ODS, Exercise supplements). The full chain is on how Memodyne is meant to work.
If memory changes worry you, a medical visit comes first. Several causes are treatable.
Dose check
How does 400 mg compare with the arginine doses in research?
One capsule holds roughly a fifth of the smallest daily intake tested.
| Daily intake | Context | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 400 mg | One Memodyne capsule, both lines | Not studied |
| 2-20 g a day | Exercise trials | Performance barely moved; nitric oxide and blood flow usually stayed flat |
| Up to 9 g a day | Several days or weeks | Generally handled well |
| 9-30 g a day | Higher intakes | Diarrhea, nausea, slightly lower blood pressure |
So the low dose works both ways. It makes stomach upset unlikely, and it also makes any measurable effect unlikely. Doubling up is no fix either. The caution line reads "Do not exceed recommended dose."
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Who should avoid L-arginine, and which medicines clash with it?
Anyone with a recent heart attack, plus people on several common heart, blood and sugar medicines.
Mayo Clinic advises people who recently had a heart attack to stay off L-arginine, since deaths may rise in that group (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). Your cardiologist should clear any arginine product first, Memodyne included.
| Medicine type | Possible problem |
|---|---|
| Blood pressure drugs | Blood pressure can dip too far |
| Nitrates for chest pain | Blood pressure can dip too far |
| Sildenafil | Blood pressure can dip too far |
| Isoproterenol | Blood pressure can dip too far |
| Anticoagulants and antiplatelets | Bleeding becomes more likely |
| Diabetes drugs | Blood sugar can sink too far |
| Potassium-sparing diuretics | Potassium levels can climb |
Possible side effects on Mayo's page include bloating, stomach cramps, loose stools, nausea, gout flares, allergy and asthma that gets worse. More on the Memodyne side effects page.
Before you start
What would a pharmacist ask you before you take Memodyne?
Mostly questions about your heart and your pill box. Have the answers ready.
"Any heart attack in the past while?"
If yes, the answer on arginine is usually no until your cardiologist weighs in.
"What do you take for blood pressure or chest pain?"
Pressure pills and nitrates can add to arginine's effect on your vessels.
"Do you use sildenafil or a similar ED pill?"
The same low-pressure concern applies.
"Any blood thinner, aspirin routine or diabetes medicine?"
Bleeding and low blood sugar are the two worries.
"Do you have gout or asthma?"
Both appear on Mayo's side effect list (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine).
Bring the bottle, not a screenshot of a review site. Keep taking your prescribed medicine while you wait for an answer.
Bottom line
Is the L-arginine in Memodyne worth it?
It is printed honestly, but the dose is small and the purpose is unproven for memory.
In its favor
- Both lines print exact milligrams
- Far below the range linked to stomach upset
- Mayo calls oral use generally safe
Against it
- No memory use in Mayo's review
- Gram doses rarely changed nitric oxide
- Real interactions with heart and sugar drugs
The partner amino acid, L-citrulline, is turned into arginine by the body. Compare all lines on the ingredient overview.
FAQ
L-arginine in Memodyne: questions
What does AKG 2:1 mean on the Memodyne label?
It names L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine bonded to a second compound in a two-to-one ratio. The line weighs 200 mg, but part of that weight is the alpha-ketoglutarate, so it delivers less than 200 mg of arginine. The label gives no exact split.
Can I take Memodyne after a heart attack?
Only if your cardiologist clears it. Mayo Clinic steers anyone with a recent heart attack away from L-arginine, as it may raise the death rate (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). Two of Memodyne's seven lines are arginine, so the warning fits.
Is it safe to combine Memodyne with sildenafil?
Ask your prescriber first. Mayo Clinic names sildenafil as one drug that, alongside L-arginine, can push blood pressure under a safe level (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). The same concern covers nitrates and blood pressure tablets, so a pharmacist should review your full list.
Does 400 mg of arginine raise nitric oxide?
There is no good reason to expect it. Exercise trials using 2 to 20 grams daily mostly saw nitric oxide and circulation hold steady (NIH ODS, Exercise supplements). One Memodyne capsule falls far short of even the lowest of those amounts.
Can L-arginine upset your stomach?
At high intakes, yes. The NIH notes diarrhea and nausea at 9 to 30 grams a day (NIH ODS, Exercise supplements), and Mayo Clinic adds bloating and cramps (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). At 400 mg of arginine ingredients, stomach trouble from this line is less likely.
Should I add an arginine powder to Memodyne?
Not on your own. The bottle tells you to stay at one capsule, and stacking products piles on the interaction concerns with heart, blood pressure and diabetes medicines. If you want more arginine for a reason, raise it with your doctor.
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Plain-language pages built from the label, the sales page and linked public health sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a USA authorized retailer that sells Memodyne, not by the maker (the label says distributed by Gex Corporation LLP, Ogden, UT). We earn money when you buy through our order links.
Keep reading
More about Memodyne
L-citrulline
Memodyne's two citrulline lines, how citrulline becomes arginine, what the gram-dose exercise trials showed and who should check first.
Read more
Side effects
Possible reactions to each Memodyne label line, the medicines L-arginine can clash with, and the signs that mean stop or call 911.
Read more
How it works
The nitric oxide and blood flow idea behind Memodyne, set next to what NIH research found and what nobody has tested.
Read moreUSA Authorized Memodyne Retailer
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