L-Arginine
Of 2,925 on-market l-arginine products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 662 mg, and 54.4% list unspecified/undisclosed form as the primary form.
Form share
Of 2,858 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of L-Arginine on the market today.
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| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| unspecified/undisclosed form | Unrated | 1,554 | 54.4% |
| L-Arginine Hydrochloride | Unrated | 563 | 19.7% |
| Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AAKG) | Unrated | 503 | 17.6% |
| Arginine Silicate Inositol Complex (Nitrosigine-type) | Unrated | 94 | 3.3% |
| Arginine Nitrate | Unrated | 62 | 2.2% |
| L-Arginine Pyroglutamate | Unrated | 52 | 1.8% |
| Arginine Ethyl Ester | Unrated | 17 | 0.6% |
| Di-Arginine Malate | Unrated | 13 | 0.5% |
Forms we recognize but found no primary-form products for in this release: Arginine Ketoisocaproate (AKIC).
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (mg), among 1,591 products with a disclosed amount.
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- 61.9% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (800 mg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 43.1% of products don't disclose an amount because L-Arginine is declared inside a proprietary blend.
Where does your dose rank?
Enter a per-serving dose (mg) to see exactly how it compares to the 1,591 on-market l-arginine products with a disclosed amount. The chart above groups doses into deciles; this looks up the exact percentile for one number.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Search interest over time
How often people search for l-arginine on Google, US only, the last 5 years. This is public interest, not DSLD label data — a spike here doesn't necessarily line up with anything on this page, and Google's own index (100 = that term's peak popularity in the chosen window) is relative, not an absolute search-volume count.
Or see this search directly on trends.google.com.
Forms explained
Label discloses only "Arginine" with no salt or source form.
Elemental fraction: 82.7% (C6H14N4O2 x HCl, 1:1 (arginine 174.20 / 210.66); some labels list the monohydrate)
Largest disclosed salt form; no human head-to-head bioavailability study of arginine HCl vs free arginine or other salts was located. The best-supported finding on arginine delivery is that oral citrulline raises plasma arginine more effectively than oral arginine itself (a separate compound).
Source: Schwedhelm E et al. 2008, Br J Clin Pharmacol 65(1):51-9, PMID 17662090 (citrulline vs arginine, not salt forms)
Elemental fraction: 70.5% (Provisional: 2:1 arginine:alpha-ketoglutarate (2 x 174.20 / 494.50); a 1:1 salt would be 0.544. Labels often print '2:1' in raw_form but the ratio is not parsed; hydration state not stated)
Tested in a controlled trial (4g three times daily x8 weeks improved 1RM bench press and Wingate peak power in 35 trained men) but only a time-release vs non-time-release comparison was run, not AAKG against other arginine forms.
Source: Campbell B et al. 2006, Nutrition 22(9):872-81, PMID 16928472
Elemental fraction: 73.4% (C6H14N4O2 x HNO3, 1:1 (arginine 174.20 / 237.22); ratio assumed)
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
Elemental fraction: 57.4% (C6H14N4O2 x C5H7NO3, 1:1 (arginine 174.20 / 303.32); ratio assumed)
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
Elemental fraction: 72.2% (2 C6H14N4O2 x C4H6O5, 2:1 (2 x 174.20 / 482.49); 'L-Arginine Malate' rows without a ratio are assumed to be the same 2:1 salt)
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
No head-to-head human bioavailability or efficacy comparison of this form was located in PubMed searches.
Branded complex with its own small trials (e.g. acute vasodilation and cognition studies); no comparison against other arginine forms was verified.
Reference values
- RDA (adult): not established — Conditionally essential amino acid; no RDA/AI exists.
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): not established — No UL established. Shao A, Hathcock JN 2008, Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 50(3):376-99, PMID 18325648: Observed Safe Level (not a UL) of 20g/day supplemental arginine for healthy adults. Safety caveat for a specific population: in the VINTAGE MI RCT, L-arginine 3g three times daily after a myocardial infarction did not improve vascular stiffness or ejection fraction and was associated with higher mortality (6 deaths vs 0, p=0.01), and enrollment was stopped (Schulman SP et al. 2006, JAMA 295(1):58-64, PMID 16391217).
- Studied clinical dose range: 4000–24000 mg
- Dong JY et al. 2011, Am Heart J 162(6):959-65, PMID 22137067 -- meta-analysis of 11 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials (387 participants), oral L-arginine 4 to 24g/day; systolic BP -5.39 mmHg and diastolic BP -2.66 mmHg vs placebo, similar in trials of at least 4 weeks. Also: Campbell B et al. 2006, Nutrition 22(9):872-81, PMID 16928472 -- 35 resistance-trained men, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate 4g three times daily (12g/day) x8 weeks improved 1RM bench press and Wingate peak power but not body composition or aerobic capacity.
- Note: Salt names (L-Arginine HCl, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate/AAKG, nitrate, pyroglutamate, di-arginine malate) are forms with an elemental_fraction so the arginine content is computed from the declared salt weight. Branded arginine silicate/inositol complexes (Nitrosigine) are listed as a form with a null fraction because the arginine content is not defined by the name. Citrulline is a separate compound; oral L-citrulline raised plasma arginine more effectively than oral arginine in a randomized crossover (Schwedhelm E et al. 2008, Br J Clin Pharmacol 65(1):51-9, PMID 17662090).