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The French maritime pine bark (Pinus pinaster) extract Pycnogenol® was recently profiled in the November 6 issue of the popular mainstream magazine Newsweek. In the article “Health: It’s All in the Bark,” Newsweek writer Anne Underwood wrote of the ethnobotanical uses of French maritime pine bark, noted the relatively extensive amount of trials supporting the safety and efficacy of Pycnogenol, and identified the extract as a “fast-growing supplement on the U.S. market, with sales up to 25% this year to date.”1 The patented extract Pycnogenol (Horphag Research Ltd., Geneva, Switzerland), which has strong antioxidant capabilities, has been shown to benefit cardiovascular health, skincare, diabetes health, and sports nutrition, among other conditions, in clinical studies.
Natural Health Science (NHS), the exclusive North American supplier and marketer of Pycnogenol, distributed a letter to customers via its electronic mailing service the same day that the article was published, stating that the publicity generated from the article had already led to increased consumer interest in Pycnogenol. Newsweek has a weekly circulation of 3,117,562, as well as an extensive online readership.
Several clinical trials have been published lately concerning the health benefits of Pycnogenol. A trial recently published in the journal Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis, and covered in the September issue of HerbalEGram, found Pycnogenol to be effective in treating severe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI, a condition that occurs when the valves in the legs are unable to pump blood to the heart, leading to swelling in the legs and ankles).2,3 Other recent studies of Pycnogenol, covered in the July issue of ABC’s HerbalEGram, have demonstrated Pycnogenol’s efficacy in treating symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, relieving muscle cramps and pain in athletes and diabetics, and promoting cardiovascular health.4
More info about Pycnogenol is available at the website www.pycnogenol.com. The Newsweek article about Pycnogenol can be accessed at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15463146/site/newsweek/.
-Courtney Cavaliere
References
1. Underwood A. Health: it’s all in the bark. Newsweek. November 6, 2006;Health. Available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15463146/site/newsweek/. Accessed November 8, 2006.
2. Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Rohdewald P, Pellegrini L, Ledda A, Vinciguerra G, Ricci A, Gizzi G, Ippolito E, Fano F, Dugall M, Acerbi G, Cacchio M, Di Renzo A, Hosoi M, Stuard S, Corsi M. Comparison of Pycnogenol and Daflon in treating chronic venous insufficiency: a prospective, controlled study. Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis. 2006;12:205-212.
3. Cavaliere C. Trial shows Pycnogenol pine bark extract effective for reducing CVI. HerbalEGram. September 2006;3(9). Available at: http://www.herbalgram.org/default.asp?c=pycnogenolcvi. Accessed November 14, 2006.
4. Cavaliere C. Clinical trials demonstrate Pycnogenol pine bark extract activity in ADHD, PAOD, cardiovascular health. HerbalEGram. July 2006;3(7). Available at: http://www.herbalgram.org/default.asp?c=pinebarkbene. Accessed November 14, 2006.
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