September 1, 2022

Is Watermelon the new Viagra?

A sexologist in India has release their latest study, ‘Watermelon - Effective alternative for Viagra’ and oddly enough theories show that Watermelon could be an alternative cure for erectile dysfunction.

During the research period, theorist and sexologist Dr Arun Kumar found a few interesting results explained within his thesis.

“I found that Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline. And although Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis, Citrulline may also deliver the same effect,” he says.

According to a study of 24 men over the course of 2 months, Kumar found just two of the men taking a placebo saw their erections return to normal hardness levels. But half of the men who took citrulline experienced improvements that brought their erections to normal hardness levels.

Backed by WebMD, this theory has been floating around since 2008.

"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."

So, the burning question: How much watermelon does it take?

“That is a good question,” Patil says. Unfortunately, “I don’t have an answer for that.”

Although an interesting proposition, it’s proven that the smaller amounts of citrulline may work on rats, yet for a grown male with a history of ED, you’re better opting for the stronger stuff.