Better Health & Living
Pine Power
An age-old Native American remedy extracted from tree bark may help you fight heart disease and a half-dozen other conditions
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Here’s one powerful antioxidant you’re not going to find in the produce section. Pycnogenal—actually, pine-tree bark—is an old Native American remedy that in both lab and clinical studies is showing promise against heart disease, asthma, attention deficit disorder, varicose veins, and some menopause symptoms.
In 1535 when French explorer Jacques Cartier’s ship became icebound near Quebec, he and his crew faced certain death from scurvy (a vitamin C deficiency) until a tribal chieftain named Donacona brewed the sailors a pine-bark and needle tea, which saved their lives. In the 1940s, French researcher Jacques Masquelier discovered that the pine bark in this more than 400-year-old remedy contains an antioxidant that boosts the effectiveness of the vitamin C found in pine needles.
Masquelier also tested French coastal pine trees (Pinus maritima) and found that they were rich in the beneficial flavonols and bioflavonoids he’d studied in Canadian trees. He extracted the compounds with hot water and patented his discovery as pycnogenol.
The super-potent antioxidants that Masquelier extracted from pine bark are now known as oligomeric proanthocyanidins, or OPCs for short. Researchers suspect that OPCs, which are also found in grapes, cocoa, cranberries, and apples, may be why the wine-loving French, whose diets are rich in cholesterol, have less heart disease than Americans.
Once a Day for a Healthier Heart
Pycnogenol is a natural version of the “polypill” doctors lust after—the single tablet that, if it existed, they’d want you to take daily to prevent the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes and to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, says Steven Lamm, MD, clinical assistant professor in the New York University department of medicine. “Pycnogenol doesn’t have the same power as do the meds that lower blood pressure or cholesterol, but it also doesn’t have their side effects,” he says. “I believe pycnogenol promotes wellness by helping prevent high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” he says.
Stanford University School of Medicine researchers are studying a Japanese pine-tree extract called flavangenol for its ability to lower blood pressure, improve blood sugar control, and lower cholesterol. Results are likely to be reported next year.
What the Studies Say
ADHD In a recent study conducted at the University of Müenster, Germany, 41 children with ADHD were given a daily dose of pycnogenol; 16 took a placebo. Researchers measured their levels of stress hormones, and teachers evaluated behavior a month before and a month after the study.
Results: Pycnogenol lowered levels of adrenaline—a chemical in the body that can cause nervousness—by 26 percent and decreased the brain stimulant dopamine by nearly 11 percent. According to their teachers, there was a significant drop in hyperactivity and inattention among the children who took pycnogenol as compared both to their behavior at the start of the study and to the children who took fake pills. A month after the children stopped taking the supplement, the teachers reported that their symptoms returned to pre-study levels.
Asthma Researchers from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California gave either pycnogenol or a placebo to 60 children, ages 6 to 18, who had mild to moderate asthma. The children measured and recorded their airflow every night and noted how much asthma medication they took to control their symptoms. The researchers also monitored urine levels of inflammatory substances called leukotrienes, which are implicated as asthma symptom triggers.
Results: After three months, the children in the pycnogenol group had fewer and less severe asthma symptoms than did children in the placebo group, and they were able to use their rescue inhalers less frequently or even stop using them altogether. Also, leukotriene levels dropped in the pycnogenol group.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency Two Italian studies recently confirmed older studies suggesting that pycnogenol is an effective treatment for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a syndrome that includes leg swelling and varicose veins.
Results: In both studies, after eight weeks of treatment with up to 300 milligrams a day of pycnogenol, leg swelling was reduced and other CVI measurements improved.
Heart Disease In a University of California trial, 25 healthy people took 150 milligrams of pycnogenol daily.
Results: After six weeks, 66 percent had significantly lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and significantly higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
In a Chinese study, 58 people with high blood pressure were given either pycnogenol or a placebo for 12 weeks.
Results: Those who took the pycnogenol were able to take lower doses of their blood pressure-lowering medication.
Menopause In a 2007 study conducted at Taipei Medical University, 155 Taiwanese women ages 45 to 55 took 200 milligrams of pycnogenol or a placebo every day for six months. Before the study, the women reported typical menopause symptoms, including fatigue, anxiety, sleep problems, and vaginal dryness; 25 percent of the women had hot flashes.
Results: After six months, women in the pycnogenol group were significantly less tired and anxious, slept better, and had fewer hot flashes than women who took a fake pill.
Regular contributor Sara Altshul lives and writes in Brooklyn.
What To Buy
Pycnogenol is available from several different makers. Take up to 300 milligrams a day. No side effects or safety concerns are associated with its use.
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