Herbalife Prelox Blue is a combination of two key ingredients that are shown in clinical studies to help men achieve increased ability to have an erection. The two key ingredients in Prelox are L-Arginine and Pycnogenol, and it is a patented combination. Both L-Arginine and pycnogenol have been found to help increase the production of nitric oxide which works to help restore and improve blood flow - leading to improved blood flow to the genital area and enhancing erections in men.
There are extensive studies done on both L-arginine and pycnogenol, demonstrating their various health benefits, including their ability to increase nitric oxide production, leading to better sexual performance. More importantly, there are also several clinical studies published in peer reviewed publications that were performed using Prelox. We'll get into that in a bit.
Prelox Ingredients - L-Arginine & Pycnogenol
As already mentioned, Herbalife Prelox Blue contain two key ingredients, L-Arginine and Pycnogenol. Arginine is a non-essential amino acid found in a variety of foods. It plays a role in several important body functions, including cell division, wound healing, immune function, and the removal of ammonia from the body. Arginine may also be important during growth periods, since experts believe it may stimulate secretion of human growth hormone.
Arginine helps make nitric oxide, which dilates or relaxes arteries, making blood flow more freely and thus lowering blood pressure. Nitric oxide also helps prevent clot formation and plaque buildup on artery walls that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Because of arginine's role in the production of nitric oxide, it has been suggested that the amino acid may be useful as a treatment for a variety of heart conditions. Doses as large as 30 grams of arginine per day have been used to treat congestive heart failure.
Pycnogenol is a natural extract from French maritime pine bark and offers many favorable pharmacological properties. It works as a powerful antioxidant, anti inflammatory, and also helps the production of nitric oxide to dilate blood vessels. Studies have found pycnogenol to protect against oxidative stress by significantly increasing the intracellular synthesis of of anti-oxidative enzymes, and it also acts as a scavenger of free radicals. Picnogenol also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and also relieves premenstrual symptoms such as abdominal pain. It is also found to help improve cognitive function in animal studies with some anecdotal evidence that improvements are reported in patients taking Pycnogenol supplements. [1]
Pycnogenol has a wide range of benefits for physiological functions, and there is a large body of clinical studies demonstrating these benefits:
Pycnogenol is rich in polyphenols that increase plasma antioxidant capacity and also reduces oxidative damage [2] [3]
Pycnogenol leads to improvement in erectile function [4], improves sperm quality and function [5], and is an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction used in combination with L-arginine [6]
Pycnogenol helps to reduce menstrual pain and also treat climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women [7]
Pycnogenol is also to speed up wound healing, reduce scar formation, minimize gingival bleeding and plaque formation, reduce ADHD symptoms in children, and also help in the management of mild to moderate childhood asthma.
The key points to note here of both L-arginine and pycnogenol is their ability to increase nitric oxide production, and their study confirmed beneficial effects for improved erectile functions. Below, we have a few studies conducted directly using Prelox demonstrating its benefits for enhancing sexual performance.
Prelox Benefits, Side Effects, and Clinical Studies
Prelox Study 1: Investigation of a complex plant extract for mild to moderate erectile dysfunction in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm study.
This study was designed to assess the effects of Prelox, a combination of l-arginine and pycnogenol, on erectile dysfunction in men. 124 male subjects aged 30 to 50 years took part in this 6 month study. The International Index Of Erectile Function (IIEF) was used to quantify changes in sexual function.
The results of this study found that participants who supplemented with Prelox had their IIEF scores improve from 15.2 to 25.2 after three months, and 27.1 after six months. Comparatively, the placebo group had their IIEF scores improve from 15.1 to 19.1 after three months, and 19.0 after six months. The improvements were statistically significant for the Prelox group compared to the placebo group. The study also found that total plasma testosterone levels increased significantly more for the Prelox group compared to placebo. The study concluded that Prelox is effective for improving erectile function and that there is evidence that erectile function continues to improve the longer the therapy is used. [8]
Prelox Study 2: Improvement of seminal parameters with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.
50 infertile male subjects were treated for 1 month with a placebo or Prelox in a double-blind, crossover study. Semen samples were examined at 4 week intervals. The study found that treatment with Prelox significantly increased semen volume, concentration of spermatozoa, and motile spermatozoa compared to the placebo group. The study found that supplementing Prelox for 1 month improved the fertility index to normal values, and after stopping the treatment, the fertility index decreased again back to infertile status. No unwanted side effects were reported in this study. [9]
Prelox Study 3: Improvement of erectile function with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 50 male subjects with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction were treated for 1 month with placebo or Prelox. Testosterone levels and endothelial NO synthase were monitored. The study found that intake of Prelox for 1 month restored erectile function to normal and sexual intercourse doubled. The study also found that testosterone levels in blood also increased significantly for the Prelox treated group. Cholesterol levels and blood pressure was also lowered as an added benefit, and no unwanted side effects were reported. [10]
As can be seen clearly from these Prelox studies, the combination of L-Arginine and Pycnogenol is an effective treatment for men with erectile dysfunction, and Prelox also helped to increase fertility. The many studies available for pycnogenol and prelox demonstrates the positive benefits of this supplement in helping men achieve better erections, improve sexual performance, improve fertility, and no unwanted side effects were reported by any of the studies noted above.
1. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Apr;40(4):158-68.
A review of the French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol), a herbal medication with a diverse clinical pharmacology.
Rohdewald P.
2. Phytother Res. 2007 Nov;21(11):1015-9.
Ameliorative effects of pycnogenol on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic oxidative damage in rats.
Ahn TH, Yang YS, Lee JC, Moon CJ, Kim SH, Jun W, Park SC, Kim JC.
3. Lipids. 2002 Oct;37(10):931-4.
Supplementation with a pine bark extract rich in polyphenols increases plasma antioxidant capacity and alters the plasma lipoprotein profile.
Devaraj S, Vega-López S, Kaul N, Schönlau F, Rohdewald P, Jialal I.
4. Int J Impot Res. 2008 Mar-Apr;20(2):173-80. Epub 2007 Aug 16.
Improvement of erectile function with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Stanislavov R, Nikolova V, Rohdewald P.
5. J Reprod Med. 2002 Oct;47(10):821-4.
Improvement in sperm quality and function with French maritime pine tree bark extract.
Roseff SJ.
6. J Sex Marital Ther. 2003 May-Jun;29(3):207-13.
Treatment of erectile dysfunction with pycnogenol and L-arginine.
Stanislavov R, Nikolova V.
7. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2007;86(8):978-85.
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women.
Yang HM, Liao MF, Zhu SY, Liao MN, Rohdewald P.
8. BJU Int. 2010 Feb 22.
Investigation of a complex plant extract for mild to moderate erectile dysfunction in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm study.
Ledda A, Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Dugall M, Schönlau F.
9. Phytother Res. 2009 Mar;23(3):297-302.
Improvement of seminal parameters with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.
Stanislavov R, Nikolova V, Rohdewald P.
10. Int J Impot Res. 2008 Mar-Apr;20(2):173-80. Epub 2007 Aug 16.
Improvement of erectile function with Prelox: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Stanislavov R, Nikolova V, Rohdewald P.
