L-Citrulline Malate Explained: What the Name Tells You

A name in two halves

L-Citrulline Malate is easier to read when you split it at the space. The first half, L-Citrulline, is the amino acid. The second half, Malate, describes what it has been paired with.

This kind of two-part name is common on supplement labels, where an amino acid is often combined with another compound to make a single ingredient. Once you know what each half means, the full name becomes simple.

A helpful way to hold this in your head is to see every two-part name as a main word plus a descriptor. The same reading method works on many other ingredient names you will meet on labels.

The first half: L-Citrulline

Citrulline is an amino acid that was first found in watermelon, and the name comes from the Latin word for citron. The L at the start marks the left-handed form of the molecule, the form generally found in living things and in food.

Foods associated with citrulline include watermelon, cucumber, melons, squash and gourds. If you have a separate article on L-Citrulline HCL handy, it covers the same compound written with a different ending.

Think of citrulline as the main character in the name. The second word simply tells you how it is presented.

The second half: what malate means

Malate is the name given to the salt or ester form of malic acid. Malic acid is an organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits. It is especially well known in apples, where it is responsible for the tart, crisp taste, and the word malic actually comes from the Latin word for apple.

When a compound is paired with malic acid in this way, chemists write the second half as malate. The ending ate is a regular convention in chemistry for the form a acid takes when it is part of a salt.

• Malic acid occurs in apples, cherries, grapes and other fruits
• Malate is the form written when malic acid is part of a salt
• The ending ate is common in chemical names, as in citrate or acetate

Salt forms in everyday terms

The word salt can sound strange when it is applied to a supplement ingredient, so here is the everyday version. In chemistry, a salt is simply a compound formed when an acid and another compound join. Table salt is just one example out of a very large family.

Makers often choose a particular salt form because it gives them a stable powder that is practical to put into a capsule. It is a manufacturing and naming choice, and the label tells you which one was used.

So L-Citrulline Malate can be read as citrulline, joined with malic acid, written as one ingredient.

You do not need to memorize any of the chemistry. You only need to recognize that the second word in the name is a form, and that forms are listed on purpose. When two forms of the same amino acid appear on one label, they are being listed separately because each one is its own named ingredient.

Citrulline Malate and the other forms on the label

Memodyne names six ingredients: L-Arginine, L-Arginine AKG 2:1 Extract, L-Citrulline HCL, L-Citrulline Malate, Niacin and Beta-Alanine. Notice the pattern. Arginine appears in two forms and citrulline appears in two forms. In each pair, one is the plain amino acid or a salt, and the other is a different pairing.

If you compare L-Citrulline HCL and L-Citrulline Malate, the only difference in the name is the ending. HCL means hydrochloride, while Malate points to malic acid. The citrulline in the middle stays the same.

This is a useful skill well beyond one product. Once you can spot the ending, you can read many other labels with ease.

If you are comparing bottles at home, try this with Memodyne first. Circle the two citrulline entries, underline the endings and say what each ending means. It takes under a minute.

Memodyne is also backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee, according to the brand, which some people like to know about when they try something new. Orders ship in 24 to 48 hours, with delivery typically 3 to 10 business days.

Using the Supplement Facts panel

The Supplement Facts panel on the bottle lists every named ingredient, and the exact wording of each name is printed there. It is the best reference, because it shows exactly how the brand has written each entry.

According to the brand, Memodyne comes in bottles of 30 vegetable capsules, which is a 30-day supply. The suggested use is one capsule daily with water, preferably in the morning before a meal, or as the label directs. It is also a one-time purchase with no subscription, made in the USA in a GMP-certified, FDA-registered facility.

A handy habit is to hold the bottle, find the panel, and read the names out loud once. Hearing citrulline malate spoken makes it far less mysterious the next time it appears.

A pantry-friendly way to remember it

If you like to learn through food, try this learning trick: watermelon for citrulline, apple for malate. Citrulline got its name from a melon, and malate got its name from an apple. A fruit bowl, in a sense, is hiding inside the name.

A colorful fruit plate in the morning is a pleasant routine in its own right, and it is a gentle way to keep the vocabulary fresh.

It also makes label shopping a little more enjoyable. Instead of skipping past unfamiliar words, you can pick them apart, spot the fruit hiding in the name, and move on knowing exactly what you read.