Watermelon may be a natural
Viagra, says a researcher. That's because the popular summer fruit is richer than experts believed in an amino acid called citrulline, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels much like Viagra and other
drugs meant to treat
erectile dysfunction (ED)."We have known that watermelon has citrulline," says Bhimu Patil, PHD, director of the Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A&M University, College Station. Until recently, he tells WebMD, scientists thought most of the citrulline was in the watermelon rind. "Watermelon has more citrulline in the edible part than previously believed," he says.
How could watermelon be a natural Viagra? The amino acid citrulline is converted into the amino acid
arginine, Patil says. "This is a precursor for nitric oxide, and the nitric oxide will help in blood vessel dilation."
...He does know that a typical 4-ounce serving of watermelon (about 10 watermelon balls) has about 150 milligrams of citrulline. But he can't say how much citrulline is needed to have Viagra-like effects.