L-Citrulline in Memodyne: Two Salts, Under 200 mg, and No Memory Trials
Quick answer
Memodyne lists L-citrulline HCl 100 mg and L-citrulline malate 100 mg, so each capsule gives less than 200 mg of citrulline. The kidneys turn most citrulline into arginine. Blood pressure trials used 3 to 9 g a day and exercise studies 8 g of citrulline malate. No source shows a memory benefit, and it shares arginine's nitrate and ED drug cautions.
What are the two citrulline lines on the Memodyne label?
They are the same amino acid in two salt forms: L-citrulline HCl at 100 mg and L-citrulline malate at 100 mg. Together they make up the smaller of the two nitric-oxide pairs in Memodyne; arginine is the larger one.
Each weight counts the salt as well as the citrulline. Malate is malic acid and HCl is hydrochloride, so the capsule delivers less than 200 mg of citrulline in total. No page we opened gives the exact share, so we do not guess one. Tap the numbers on the label:
- L-Citrulline HCl, 100 mg. The hydrochloride salt. Two stars mean no Daily Value exists.
- L-Citrulline Malate, 100 mg. Citrulline bound to malic acid. Same amino acid, second salt.
- Arginine lines, 200 mg + 200 mg. Where most of the citrulline ends up: the kidneys turn it into arginine.
- ENERGY. A front-panel word. No study of this capsule measured energy.
- Caution box. Pregnant or nursing mothers, under-18s and anyone with a known condition: physician first.
- Label lines
- L-citrulline HCl 100 mg; L-citrulline malate 100 mg
- Citrulline delivered
- Under 200 mg (part of each weight is the salt)
- What it becomes
- Mostly arginine, made in the kidneys
- Not to be confused with
- Citrus extracts, or agmatine
How does the body turn citrulline into arginine?
Mostly in the kidneys. The NIH says about 80% of the citrulline in the body is converted to arginine there, and that citrulline supplements might raise blood markers of nitric oxide (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance (health professional)).
The brand describes this as a precursor the body "recycles back into arginine, creating a continuous cycle of nitric oxide production." The first half matches the science. The "continuous cycle" part is sales wording; no source we read measured it. Follow the route step by step:
- 1
Capsule
Two citrulline salts, 200 mg by weight, swallowed once a day before a meal.
- 2
Kidneys
About 80% of the body's citrulline is changed into arginine here.
- 3
Arginine
Some arginine becomes nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels.
- 4
Blood markers
At gram doses, citrulline might raise nitric oxide byproducts in the blood. That is a lab marker, not a feeling.
- 5
Brain
No opened source measured brain blood flow, focus or memory after citrulline.
WebMD puts it the same way: the kidneys change L-citrulline into L-arginine and nitric oxide (WebMD, L-citrulline: Uses and Risks). That is why citrulline and arginine share most of their cautions, and why our citrulline vs arginine post treats them as one system.
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How much citrulline did the blood pressure trials give?
Grams, not milligrams. A 2019 meta-analysis pooled 8 small trials that gave 3 to 9 g of L-citrulline a day for 1 to 17 weeks (Avicenna J Phytomed 2019, Barkhidarian et al., L-citrulline and blood pressure meta-analysis).
The diastolic change of 2.08 mm Hg was not significant overall. It only reached significance in trials that used 6 g a day or more, where it was 2.75 mm Hg. The authors wrote that citrulline may reduce systolic pressure, a careful word for a small set of studies.
| Source of the number | Daily citrulline | Memodyne capsule as a share |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure trials, low end | 3 g | under 1/15 |
| Diastolic effect seen | 6 g or more | under 1/30 |
| Blood pressure trials, high end | 9 g | under 1/45 |
| Exercise studies, citrulline malate | 8 g, 1 hour before testing | 100 mg malate is 1/80 |
| Safety study, 6 weeks | 1.35 g | under 1/6 |
| Memodyne label | 100 mg HCl + 100 mg malate | under 200 mg citrulline |
The ratios are our own arithmetic. The gap is too wide to borrow any trial result for one Memodyne capsule; the full panel is on our supplement facts page.
Why is citrulline malate in a focus capsule if it is a gym ingredient?
The pairing comes from the pre-workout aisle. Exercise studies gave 8 g of citrulline malate an hour before testing, or 3 g to 9 g of plain citrulline a day, for 1 to 16 days (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance (health professional)).
Even there the support is thin. The NIH review says the research to date does not provide strong support for taking citrulline to perform better, and WebMD adds that it does not help well-trained athletes (WebMD, L-citrulline: Uses and Risks).
The brand says malate "plays a direct role in energy production within cells." None of our sources tested malate on its own, at 100 mg or at any amount, for energy, alertness or focus. Read the ENERGY word on the Memodyne front as a label claim, not a measured result.
Does L-citrulline do anything for memory or brain fog?
No source we opened shows a memory or focus benefit. The only mention of the brain is a WebMD line saying early human studies "hint" at a role in Parkinson's disease and certain dementias, with no doses, results or trial names given.
A hint without details cannot carry a sales claim. The Global Council on Brain Health says the evidence backs no supplement for preventing or slowing cognitive decline (Global Council on Brain Health (AARP), The Real Deal on Brain Health Supplements).
L-citrulline side effects and the medicines it shares with arginine
Citrulline on its own looks mild. WebMD lists no reported side effects, and the NIH notes that 6 of 41 weightlifters had stomach discomfort in one study (NIH ODS, Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance (health professional)).
The cautions come from what citrulline becomes. Because it turns into arginine, the warnings for both apply to the whole Memodyne capsule. Answer these four questions:
Citrulline medicine check
Do you take nitroglycerin, isosorbide, or an ED drug such as sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil?
Do you take any blood pressure medicine?
Have you recently had a heart attack?
Are you pregnant, nursing, or under 18?
Answer every question to see your result. Nothing is saved or sent.
None of the citrulline cautions in our sources applies to you. The arginine in the same capsule has a few more, listed on the side effects page.
Talk to your doctor before you start. Citrulline and arginine can add to the effect of blood pressure medicine, and in a trial of arginine after a heart attack, 6 people died on arginine and none on placebo.
Do not start without your doctor's go-ahead. WebMD says citrulline with ED drugs may cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure and advises against using it with nitrates or in pregnancy; the label sends under-18s to a physician.
The heart attack trial gave about 9 g of arginine a day (JAMA 2006, Schulman et al., L-arginine after heart attack (VINTAGE MI)); the citrulline warnings come from (WebMD, L-citrulline: Uses and Risks). Diabetes medicines and cold sores are covered on our side effects page.
Should the citrulline decide whether you buy Memodyne?
It should not tip the scale either way. The forms are real and printed in full, but under 200 mg is a small fraction of any studied dose, and nobody has tested citrulline for memory.
Its partner ingredient is on the L-arginine page, and every line of the formula is set side by side on the Memodyne ingredients overview.
L-citrulline in Memodyne: questions people ask
How much L-citrulline is in one Memodyne capsule?
Less than 200 mg. The label prints 100 mg of L-citrulline HCl and 100 mg of L-citrulline malate, and both weights include the salt partner, so the citrulline itself comes in under that total.
What is the difference between citrulline HCl and citrulline malate?
They are two salt forms of one amino acid. The HCl form pairs citrulline with hydrochloride, and the malate form binds it to malic acid. Neither salt is a separate ingredient with its own proven effect.
Is L-citrulline the same thing as citrus extract?
No. The names look alike, but citrulline is an amino acid and has nothing to do with oranges, lemons or citrus flavonoids.
Can 200 mg of citrulline lower blood pressure?
No study we found tested an amount that small. The pooled blood pressure trials gave 3 to 9 g a day, and the diastolic number only moved in trials that used 6 g or more.
Does L-citrulline help memory or brain fog?
No source we opened shows that it does. WebMD mentions only an early hint in Parkinson's disease and some dementias, without details, and no trial looked at a capsule like this one.
Can I take the citrulline in Memodyne with Viagra or Cialis?
Ask your prescriber first. WebMD warns that citrulline plus sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil may cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and it advises against combining citrulline with nitrates.
Will the citrulline in Memodyne keep me awake at night?
None of our sources describes citrulline as a stimulant, and the label lists no caffeine. If your sleep changes after you start any new product, stop it and mention it to your doctor.
Can I take a citrulline malate pre-workout as well?
Nothing we opened tested that pairing. A study-sized 8 g serving would dwarf the capsule, so if you take any of the medicines on this page, ask a pharmacist first.
Is L-citrulline safe in pregnancy or while nursing?
WebMD does not advise it during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and the Memodyne label tells pregnant or nursing mothers and anyone under 18 to see a physician first.
Page check
Written by
Compares each label amount with the doses used in published research, using NIH, FDA and Alzheimer's Association pages.
Reviewed by
Dr. Harald Hampel, MD, PhD, MD, Physician
Medical reviewer. Review date: October 13, 2026.
- Last compared with the label: October 13, 2026
- Facts come from the Supplement Facts panel and the brand pages; health lines come from the sources linked above
- Corrections go to [email protected]; our checking rules are on the standards page