Condition

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease happens when fatty deposits narrow the arteries that carry blood to the legs, reducing blood flow and causing pain when walking. Omega-3 fatty acids and L-arginine have the most support, each with moderate evidence overall, and in one trial of 39 people, blood flow went up with arginine. That result comes from one small study, so the evidence there is limited.

Sources: PMID 9809945

Updated 30 September 2026
How we grade
1 study cited
Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease protocol

Supplements studied: 2
Graded outcomes: 2
Trials: 2
People studied: 214

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

2 supplements

Arginine

Arginine: outcomes studied for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood Flow Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	1 study	39 people
Studies that measured blood flow Restoring vascular nitric oxide formation by L-arginine improves the symptoms of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive diseaseJ Am Coll Cardiol · PMID 9809945
	Intermittent Claudication Symptoms Mixed effect				39 people
	Nitric Oxide	Improves (the measure goes up)		4 studies	39 people
Studies that measured nitric oxide Beneficial effects of a long-term oral L-arginine treatment added to a hypocaloric diet and exercise training program in obese, insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic patientsAm J Physiol Endocrinol Metab · PMID 16772327 No effect of short-term arginine supplementation on nitric oxide production, metabolism and performance in intermittent exercise in athletesJ Nutr Biochem · PMID 18708287 Effects of 7 days of arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation on blood flow, plasma L-arginine, nitric oxide metabolites, and asymmetric dimethyl arginine after resistance exerciseInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 21813912 and 1 more on the Arginine page

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba: outcomes studied for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Intermittent Claudication Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		5 studies	111 people
Studies that measured intermittent claudication symptoms Study of the antiischemic action of EGb 761 in the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease by TcPo2 determinationAngiology · PMID 8203766 6-Month double-blind randomised clinical trial of Ginkgo biloba extract versus placebo in two parallel groups in patients suffering from peripheral arterial insufficiencyArzneimittelforschung · PMID 6386008 Ginkgo biloba extract for the treatment of intermittent claudication: a meta-analysis of randomized trialsAm J Med · PMID 11014719 and 2 more on the Ginkgo Biloba page

Key findings

Blood FlowArginineImproves (the measure goes up)
Intermittent Claudication SymptomsArginine

The Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Supportive Care protocol

2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements

Omega-3 Fatty Acids2–4 g EPA+DHA daily
L-Arginine6–8 g daily in divided doses

See the full protocol

Shop the evidence-backed picks

Support alongside medical care. These supplements are not a treatment for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease. If you are being treated for it, talk to your clinician before adding one: supplements can interact with medicines.

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Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

Garlic for peripheral arterial occlusive diseaseCochrane Database Syst Rev · PMID 23633303