L-arginine

L-arginine is a chemical building block called an amino acid. It is obtained from the diet and is necessary for the body to make proteins. L-arginine is found in red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. It can also be made in a laboratory and used as medicine. L-arginine is converted in the body into a chemical called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide causes blood vessels to open wider for improved blood flow. L-arginine also stimulates the release of growth hormone, insulin, and other substances in the body. L-arginine is used for chest pain (angina), narrowing of blood vessels that causes poor blood flow to the limbs, high blood pressure. It can also be used for erectile dysfunction, a pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and protein in the urine (pre-eclampsia), a serious intestinal disease in premature infants.