Pycnogenol (pronounced Pick-nah-geh-nol), is the trade name of a nutrient that is derived from the extract of the bark of a French Maritime pine tree. It is actually a blend of bioflavonoids, including catechins, epicatechin, taxifolin and a host of others. It is a very powerful antioxidant and has been shown to be 20 times more potent than Vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E. It is rapidly absorbed in your bloodstream within about 20 minutes, and once absorbed, its maximum protective effect lasts about seventy two hours. Some experts have hailed it as the most potent, natural antioxidant compound ever discovered by science.



The amount of medical research and science for this phytonutrient is large. For example, in the June 2005 edition of Leukemia Research, researchers investigated the anti-tumor effects of Pycnogenol on various human leukemia cell lines. It was found that Pycnogenol inhibited cell proliferation on all three different leukemia cells lines that it was tested on. Pycnogenol was found to induce differentiation of the cancer cells, leading to apoptosis (cell death). The researchers concluded that Pycnogenol could serve as a potent anti-cancer chemo-preventative or chemo-therapeutic agent for human leukemia cells.

Pycnogenol has also been successfully tested in a variety of medical conditions. In a study published last October in the journal Life Science, 77 patients with Type II diabetes were randomized to receive either 100 mg daily of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks or a placebo. During a three-month study, standard anti-diabetic treatment was continued. It was found in the treated group that glucose levels decreased along with hemoglobin A1C (a marker for diabetes). In addition, those in the Pycnogenol-treated group showed improvement in endothelial function, theoretically leading to decreased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Pycnogenol has also been shown to have benefit in diabetic retinopathy. In a small study involving 30 diabetics, the patients were given either Pycnogenol or placebo. During the two-month clinical trial, those participants receiving Pycnogenol showed no deterioration of retinal function. In fact, a number of patients in the test group actually showed some improvement in visual acuity in comparison to the placebo-treated group that showed progressive worsening.

There have been other studies demonstrating that Pycnogenol could have benefits for memory and men's fertility. There was also a study published last year showing that Pycnogenol, along with other nutrients, appeared to improve skin smoothness and elasticity in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study with 62 women between the ages of 45 to 73. Further, there was a study published in 2004 in the medical journal Asthma with 60 children age 6-18 with asthma, indicating Pycnogenol improved pulmonary function and reduced medication requirements and inflammatory markers.