Watermelon As An Alternative To (VIAGRA) For Treatment Of Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

First What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain or maintain an erection firm enough to involve in a sexual intercourse.  It is also referred as ‘impotence’. 
It is not very common to have occasional erectile dysfunction.  Most men tend to experience it during a high level of stress. The (NIDDK) reports that around 30 million of Americans are affected by erectile dysfunction. With age, ED becomes a lot more common. In older men, the prevalence rate of ED becomes staggeringly high. It affects only about 4% of men in their 50’s, nearly 17% of men in the age of their 60’s and lastly, almost half of all men over the age of 75 tend to suffer from erectile dysfunction. However, since erectile dysfunction is comparatively a treatable condition, it is normally not such a big concern. There are several ways to counter erectile dysfunction, including therapy, medication, diet, lifestyle changes etc. 

So How Can Watermelon Be of Help?

The most healthy and natural treatment for treating ED is maintaining a proper diet, although a change in diet won’t necessarily help everyone suffering from ED – except possibly those who have a particularly minor form of the condition. Focusing specifically on fruits, watermelon has been known to help treat impotence.

It is considered by many to be a ‘natural Viagra’, and researchers, pointing towards certain researches conducted on the topic, assert that Watermelons have Viagra like effects that can effectively help treat erectile dysfunction. So how can such an “unmanly” fruit such as a watermelon possibly have the properties or potential to get a man rock hard?

This popular, water-filled summer fruit has high amounts of amino acid called citrulline. This amino acid prompts the dilation and relaxation of blood vessels in your lower extremities – very much the same function of Viagra and other drugs that help in the treatment of erectile dysfunctional. Dr. Bhimu Patil director of Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Centre in Texas A&M University, reports that scientists have always known that watermelon was rich in citrulline, but it was only recently reported that it has a considerable amount of citrulline in theedible part of the watermelon, as compared to the rind (the green) part.  

He further explains how watermelon can be a natural Viagra, stating that the amino acid citrulline is converted into a form of the amino acid arginine. Arginine, is in turn converted to nitric oxide, an important chemical which helps induce the dilation of blood vessels.

A study was conducted to investigate the erection boosting properties of watermelon by Italian research team at The University of Foggia that observed the effects of oral L-citrulline (a supplement form of the amino acid Citrulline mentioned above) consumption on men who were suffering from mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. The study results strongly favored the hypothesis that citrulline can help treat ED. The results showed that L-Citrulline supplementation increased blood flow to the penis and relaxed the muscles in the area in a similar fashion to the function of Viagra and Viagra-like drugs. Men who were on L-Citrulline had more sex as compared to the men whom were put on a placebo, and displayed much higher satisfaction ratings, all with little to no side-effects. So is it really this simple? Can something as simple as watermelon provide the ultimate cure to Erectile Dysfunction?

 The advantages of using a healthy alternative such as watermelons include the lack of any side effects. Compared to Viagra, which causes nausea, headache, diarrhea and many other side effects, many men opt to use more natural ways to treat their ED, and in this case watermelons can actually be an effective remedy. In other cases, patients suffering from ED cannot opt for Viagra due to health issues such as eye problems, liver disease, kidney disease, heart problem, high or low blood pressure, and for them, a glass of watermelon juice would be absolutely harmless and even rather beneficial.

On the other side of this argument, however, are well-known researchers and scientists who scoff at the idea of watermelons being a legitimate alternative to drugs like Viagra. They claim that the idea of watermelons treating the symptoms of ED is “misleading” and completely exaggerated. They claim that patients would need to drink a lot of watermelon to have any real impact on their Arginine levels, and even then, it is unlikely to have a tangible effect.

 IN CONCLUSION:

 There is still a lot of scientific debate on this topic, but it seems that watermelon can help to a certain extent in alleviating symptoms of ED. This is mostly true for men with minor to moderate erectile dysfunction, where lifestyle changes has a bigger impact on the condition. But for all men, the many health benefits of watermelon warrant a sufficient reason to consume this delicious red fruit, so men, feel free to munch down on those watermelons!