Pine bark extract has been used in folk medicine all around the world. Pine bark extract has potent antioxidants and compounds that help dilate blood vessels. Pine bark extract is made from the bark of a European coastal pine tree Landes or maritime pine. The scientific name is Pinus maritima. Pine bark extract is a nutritional supplement patented by a French researcher under the name Pycnogenol.

Pycnogenol, 50 mg - Nature's Way

Pycnogenol is a natural product made from the bark of the European coastal pine, Pinus maritima. Pycnogenol is rich in proanthocyanidins, a special class of water-soluble antioxidant flavonoids, which are excellent free radical scavengers. Proanthocyanidins are believed to play an important role in maintaining good health.

Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract


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Pine bark extract for menopause symptoms
Dr. Han-Ming Yang of Ham-Ming Hospital in Taiwan have found an extract of pine-tree bark -- under the brand-name Pycnogenol -- reduced menopause symptoms such as fatigue, headache, and vaginal dryness when given over a period of several months. Pycnogenol is an extract of the bark of the French maritime pine tree (Pinus pinaster), which contains a high concentration of antioxidant compounds that help prevent cell damage. Pine bark extract may improve blood flow by enhancing blood vessel dilation. The dosage of pine bark extract was 100 mg twice a day.
The Pycnogenol capsules were provided by the product manufacturer, Switzerland-based Horphag Research. Blood tests indicated improvement in antioxidant levels. Scandinavian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007.

Pine Bark Extract Research Update
Inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 activity by plasma of human volunteers after ingestion of French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol).
Biomed Pharmacother. 2005 Oct 26;
There is evidence from several studies that supplementation with French maritime pine bark extract ( Pycnogenol ((R)) ) improves inflammatory symptoms in vivo. However, the molecular pharmacological basis for the observed effects has not been fully uncovered yet. Direct inhibitory effects of plant extracts or components upon cyclooxygenase (COX) activity have been repeatedly reported, but the question remained whether sufficiently high in vivo concentrations of bioactive compounds could be achieved in humans. The purpose of the present study was to determine a possible inhibition of the enzymatic activity of COX-1 and COX-2 by serum samples of human volunteers after intake of French maritime pine bark extract. This methodology considered that the serum samples would contain any bioavailable active principle. Therefore, we obtained blood samples before and after 5 days administration of 200 mg pine bark extract to five healthy humans. The plasma moderately inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 activities ex vivo. In a second approach, 10 volunteers received a single dose of 300 mg pine bark extract. Only 30 min after ingestion of the pine bark extract the serum samples induced a statistically significant increase in the inhibition of both COX-1 and COX-2. This suggests a strikingly rapid bioavailability of bioeffective compounds after oral intake of the extract. Thus, we provide evidence that pine bark extract exerts effects by inhibition of eicosanoid generating enzymes which is consistent with reported clinical anti-inflammatory and platelet inhibitory effects in vivo. The next challenge is to identify the active principle(s) that are rapidly bioavailable in human plasma.

Inhibitory effect of pine extract on alpha-glucosidase activity and postprandial hyperglycemia.
Nutrition. 2005 Jun;21(6):756-61.
This study investigated the inhibitory effect of pine bark extract and needle extract on carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes and the hypoglycemic effect in diabetic mice. Pine bark and needle were dried and then placed in ethanol, and the extracts were assayed for the measurement of inhibition mode of pine bark extract against alpha-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) and alpha-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20). We also investigated the effect of long-term treatment with extracts on levels of postprandial blood glucose, body weight, food efficiency ratio, and gene expression of glucose transporter-4 in quadriceps muscle in diabetic mice. The pine bark extract showed competitive inhibition against salivary alpha-amylase and the combination of non-competitive and uncompetitive inhibition against yeast alpha-glucosidase. In animal experiments, pine bark extract effectively suppressed the increase of postprandial blood glucose level by delaying absorption of diet, and body weights of the group that received pine bark extract were significantly lower than that in the group administered 0.5% carboxylmethyl cellulose (control) 21 d after administration. CONCLUSIONS: pine bark extract can be used to suppress postprandial hyperglycemia of diabetic patients. It also can be applied for control of obesity by decreasing the food efficiency ratio, especially carbohydrates.

Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, improves endothelial function of hypertensive patients.
Life Sci. 2004 Jan 2;74(7):855-62.
A placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group study was performed with 58 patients to investigate effects of French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol, on patients with hypertension. Supplementation of the patients with 100 mg pine bark extract over a period of 12 weeks helped to reduce the dose of the calcium antagonist nifedipine in a statistically significant manner. The intake of pine bark extract decreased endothelin-1 concentrations significantly compared to placebo while concentrations of 6-keto prostaglandin F1a in plasma were significantly higher compared to placebo. Values for nitric oxide (NO) in plasma increased in both groups, but the differences were not significant. Angiotensin II concentrations in plasma were lowered in the placebo group to a larger extent than in the pine bark extract group. Heart rate, electrolytes and blood urea nitrogen were not changed during treatment in both groups of patients. Unwanted effects observed in both groups were of mild and transient nature, such as gastrointestinal problems, vertigo, headache and nausea. Differences in rate of side effects were not statistically significant between the two groups. Study results support a supplementation with pine bark extract for mildly hypertensive patients.