Active Ingredient Pycnogenolâ® (pinus Pinaster Ssp. Atlantica)

pycnogenol (tradename) is a commercial mixture of bioflavonoids with antioxidative properties; isolated from the bark of the french marine pine pinus pinaster or pinus maritima; term suggested to designate flavan-3-ol derivatives

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: pycnogenolâ® (pinus pinaster ssp. atlantica)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
asthma	pycnogenol may offer clinical benefit to both children and adults with asthma. additional study is needed before a strong recommendation can be made.	b
attention deficit disorder of childhood with hyperactivity	pycnogenol has been used in adult patients with adhd to improve concentration, but does not appear to be more effective than placebo. further research is necessary in this area before a firm conclusion can be reached.	c
background retinopathy unspecified	several studies report benefits of pycnogenol in the treatment and prevention of retinopathy, including slowing the progression of retinopathy in diabetics. better-quality research is needed before a firm conclusion can be reached.	c
chronic venous hypertension without complications	chronic venous insufficiency (cvi) is a syndrome that includes leg swelling, varicose veins, pain, itching, skin changes, and skin ulcers. the term is more commonly used in europe than in the united states. pycnogenol used in people with chronic venous insufficiency is reported to reduce edema and pain. pycnogenol may also be used in the management of other cvi symptoms.	b
cramp of limb	pycnogenol may effectively prevent cramps, muscular pain at rest, and pain after/during exercise in normals, in athletes prone to cramps, in patients with venous disease, in claudicants, and in diabetics with microangiopathy. further high quality trails are needed to make a firm recommendation.	c
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	supplementation of pycnogenol with conventional diabetes treatment may lower glucose levels and improve endothelial function. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
dysmenorrhea	preliminary human data shows that pycnogenol may have a potential analgesic (pain relieving) effect on menstrual pain. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
edema	edema occurs when fluid builds up in body tissues causing swelling. some drugs used to treat high blood pressure may cause edema. early research suggests that pycnogenol may help treat edema linked to calcium antagonist (nifedipine) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. more research is needed in this area.	c
impotence of organic origin	pycnogenol, in combination with l-arginine, may cause an improvement in sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction. it is not known what effect each of the individual compounds may have directly on this condition. further research is needed.	c
male infertility	human studies report that pycnogenol may improve sperm quality and function in sub-fertile men. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
migraine	a combination of pine bark extract containing vitamin c and vitamin e may help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. however, the effects of pine bark extract alone are unknown because other supplements were also used. more research with pycnogenol alone is needed.	c
other dyschromia	melasma (or chloasma) is a common disorder of hyperpigmentation of the skin predominately affecting sun-exposed areas in women. formations of tan or brown patches/spots may occur. pycnogenol has been reported to decrease the darkened area and the pigment intensity of melasma and improve symptoms of fatigue, constipation, body pains, and anxiety. further research is needed before a clear recommendation can be made.	c
peripheral angiopathy in diseases classified elsewhere	supplementation with pycnogenol may improve symptoms associated with diabetic microangiopathy. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
pure hypercholesterolemia	pycnogenol may reduce low-density lipoprotein (ldl/"bad cholesterol") levels and increase high-density lipoprotein (hdl/"good cholesterol") levels. however, some studies have reported decreases in total cholesterol and ldl levels with no change in hdl. due to conflicting data, further studies are necessary.	c
qualitative platelet defects	one human study reports reduced platelet aggregation in smokers. further research is needed before a clear conclusion can be reached.	c
sunburn	pycnogenol, taken by mouth, may reduce erythema (redness of the skin) caused by solar ultraviolet light. further study is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
symptomatic menopausal or female climacteric states	early research suggests that pycnogenol may help reduce menopausal symptoms without causing side effects. additional research is needed to determine if this treatment is safe and effective.	c
systemic lupus erythematosus	pycnogenol may be useful as a second line therapy to reduce inflammatory features of sle. further research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
unspecified essential hypertension	use of pycnogenol may reduce the need for nifedipine and decrease systolic blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
varicose veins of lower extremities with ulcer	pycnogenol may be useful for reduction of leg ulcers. further research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
venous embolism and thrombosis of unspecified deep vessels of lower extremity	preliminary human study suggests that pycnogenol treatment may be effective in decreasing the number of thrombotic events (dvt and svt) in moderate-to-high risk subjects during long-haul flights. edema (swelling) may also be reduced. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.