Maritime pine bark extract is an extract from the bark of ''

Pinus pinaster ''Pinus pinaster'', the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings. Description ''Pinus pinast ...

'' which is used as a

dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...

. It is composed mostly of

proanthocyanidin Proanthocyanidins are a class of polyphenols found in many plants, such as cranberry, blueberry, and grape seeds. Chemically, they are oligomeric flavonoids. Many are oligomers of catechin and epicatechin and their gallic acid esters. More complex ...

s. Pycnogenol is a trademarked name for a standardized preparation that contains 70% procyanidins. Meta analyses of the scientific studies of maritime pine bark extract have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support its use for the treatment of any disease.

History

Jack Masquelier is reported to have read the account of the explorer of

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

's learning of the beneficial effects of a tea made from a tree bark by the Native Americans. And on the basis of this account looked to find the active ingredients. Various sources were looked into by Masquelier and he found a suitable source in, and extracted proanthocyanidins from, the bark of the European maritime pine. In 1979 Masquelier used the term Pycnogenol to refer to his product.

Use

A 2012

Cochrane Review Cochrane is a British international charitable organisation formed to synthesize medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions involving health professionals, patients and policy makers. It includes ...

, updated in 2020, Robertson ''et al.'' reviewed the evidence on the efficacy of pine bark extract for treating a wide range of complaints (including asthma, children with ADHD, blood pressure, pain in CVI, reducing fasting blood glucose, osteoarthritis of the knee, cognitive failure in those with traumatic brain injury) and in all cases failed to find evidence to support the efficacy of the extract.

References

{{Reflist Condensed tannins Dietary supplements