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From the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health

Pycnogenol


What is it?

Pycnogenol is the US registered trademark name for a product derived from the pine bark of a tree known as Pinus pinaster. The active ingredients in pycnogenol can also be extracted from other sources, including peanut skin, grape seed, and witch hazel bark.

Pycnogenol is used for treating circulation problems, allergies, asthma, ringing in the ears, high blood pressure, muscle soreness, pain, osteoarthritis, diabetes, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disease of the female reproductive system called endometriosis, menopausal symptoms, painful menstrual periods, erectile dysfunction (ED), and an eye disease called retinopathy.

It is also used for preventing disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including stroke, heart disease, and varicose veins.

Pycnogenol is used to slow the aging process, maintain healthy skin, improve athletic endurance, and improve male fertility.

Some people use skin creams that contain pycnogenol as “anti-aging” products.

How effective is it?

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.

The effectiveness ratings for PYCNOGENOL are as follows:

Possibly effective for...

  • Allergies. Some research in people with allergies to birch shows that taking pycnogenol starting before allergy season begins might reduce allergy symptoms.
  • Circulation problems. Taking pycnogenol by mouth seems to significantly reduce leg pain and heaviness, as well as fluid retention in people with circulation problems. Some people use horse chestnut seed extract to treat this condition, but pycnogenol alone appears to be more effective.
  • Disease of the retina in the eye. Taking pycnogenol daily for two months seems to slow or prevent further worsening of retinal disease caused by diabetes, atherosclerosis, or other diseases. It also seems to improve eyesight.
  • Improved endurance in athletes. Young people (age 20-35) seem to be able to exercise on a treadmill for a longer time after taking pycnogenol daily for about a month.
  • High blood pressure. Pycnogenol seems to lower systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) but does not significantly lower diastolic blood pressure (the second number).
  • Asthma in children.
  • Varicose veins.

Possibly ineffective for...

  • Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for...

  • Blood clots in the vein (deep vein thrombosis, DVT). There is some evidence that taking a specific combination product (Flite Tabs) might help to prevent DVT during long-haul plane flights. The product combines a blend of 150 mg of pycnogenol plus nattokinase. Two capsules are taken 2 hours before the flight and then again 6 hours later.
  • High cholesterol. Pycnogenol seems to lower “bad cholesterol” (low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol).
  • Pelvic pain in women. There is preliminary evidence that pycnogenol might help reduce pelvic pain in women with endometriosis or severe menstrual cramps.
  • Pain in late pregnancy. Preliminary research suggests that taking 30 mg of pycnogenol daily reduces lower back pain, hip joint pain, pelvic pain, and pain due to varicose veins or calf cramps in the last three months of pregnancy.
  • Erectile dysfunction (ED). Limited research suggests pycnogenol, used alone or in combination with L-arginine, might improve sexual function in men with ED. It seems to take up to three months of treatment for significant improvement.
  • Aging.
  • Heart disease.
  • Stroke prevention.
  • Muscle soreness.
  • Leg cramps.
  • Circulation problems in diabetes.
  • Osteoarthritis.
  • Menopausal symptoms.
  • Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
  • Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate pycnogenol for these uses.

How does it work?

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Pycnogenol contains substances that might improve blood flow. It might also stimulate the immune system and have antioxidant effects.

Are there safety concerns?

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Pycnogenol is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken in doses of 50 mg to 450 mg daily for up to 6 months. Pycnogenol can cause dizziness, gut problems, headache, and mouth ulcers.

Special precautions & warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Preliminary research suggests pycnogenol might be safe in late pregnancy. But until more is known, pycnogenol should be avoided by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

“Auto-immune diseases” such as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or other conditions: Pycnogenol might cause the immune system to become more active, and this could increase the symptoms of auto-immune diseases. If you have one of these conditions, it’s best to avoid using pycnogenol.

Are there interactions with medications?

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Moderate

Be cautious with this combination.

Medications that decrease the immune system (Immunosuppressants)
Pycnogenol seems to increase the immune system. By increasing the immune system, pycnogenol might decrease the effectiveness of medications that decrease the immune system.

Some medications that decrease the immune system include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), corticosteroids (glucocorticoids), and others.

Are there interactions with herbs and supplements?

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There are no known interactions with herbs and supplements.

Are there interactions with foods?

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There are no known interactions with foods.

What dose is used?

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The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:
  • For allergies: 50 mg twice daily.
  • For asthma in children: 1 mg per pound of body weight given in two divided doses.
  • For poor circulation: 45-360 mg daily, or 50-100 mg three times daily.
  • For diseases of the retina, including those related to diabetes: 50 mg three times daily.
  • For mild high blood pressure: 200 mg of pycnogenol daily.
  • For improving exercise capacity in athletes: 200 mg daily.

Other names

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Condensed Tannins, Écorce de Pin, Écorce de Pin Maritime, Extrait d’Écorce de Pin, French Marine Pine Bark Extract, French Maritime Pine Bark Extract, Leucoanthocyanidins, Maritime Bark Extract, Oligomères de Procyanidine, Oligomères Procyanidoliques, Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins, OPC, OPCs, PCO, PCOs, Pine Bark, Pine Bark Extract, Pinus pinaster, Pinus maritima, Proanthocyanidines Oligomériques, Procyanidin Oligomers, Procyanodolic Oligomers, Pycnogénol, Pygenol, Tannins Condensés.

Methodology

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To learn more about how this article was written, please see the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database methodology.methodology (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/methodology.html).

References

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To see all references for the Pycnogenol page, please go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/1019.html.

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  3. Vinciguerra G, Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, et al. Cramps and muscular pain: prevention with Pyconogenol in normal subjects, venous patients, athletes, claudicants and in diabetic microangiopathy. Angiology 2006;57:331-9.
  4. Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Rohdewald P, et al. Improvement of diabetic microangiopathy with Pycnogenol: A prospective, controlled study. Angiology 2006;57:431-6.
  5. Liu X, Wei J, Tan F, et al. Antidiabetic effect of Pycnogenol French maritime pine bark extract in patients with diabetes type II. Life Sci 2004;75:2505-13.
  6. Liu X, Zhou HJ, Rohdewald P. French maritime pine bark extract pycnogenol dose-dependently lowers glucose in type 2 diabetic patients (letter). Diabetes Care 2004;27:839.
  7. Kohama T, Suzuki N, Ohno S, Inoue M. Analgesic efficacy of French maritime pine bark extract in dysmenorrhea: an open clinical trial. J Reprod Med 2004;49:828-32.
  8. Kohama T, Inoue M. Pycnogenol alleviates pain associated with pregnancy. Phytother Res 2006;20:232-4.
  9. Blazso G, Gabor M, Schonlau F, Rohdewald P. Pycnogenol accelerates wound healing and reduces scar formation. Phytother Res 2004;18:579-81.
  10. Yang HM, Liao MF, Zhu SY, et al. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climacteric syndrome in peri-menopausal women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2007;86:978-85.
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  2. Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Nicolaides AN, et al. Prevention of venous thrombosis in long-haul flights with Flite Tabs: The LONFLIT-FLITE randomized, controlled trial. Angiology 2003;54:531-9.
  3. Durackova Z, Trebaticky B, Novotny V, et al. Lipid metabolism and erectile function improvement by Pycnogenol, extract from the bark of Pinus pinaster in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction-a pilot study. Nutr Res 2003;23:1189-98..
  4. Stanislavov R, Nikolova V. Treatment of erectile dysfunction with pycnogenol and L-arginine. J Sex Marital Ther 2003;29:207-13.
  5. Hosseini S, Lee J, Sepulveda RT, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective, 16 week crossover study to determine the role of pycnogenol in modifying blood pressure in mildly hypertensive patients. Nutr Res 2001;21:1251-60.
  6. Bito T, Roy S, Sen CK, Packer L. Pine bark extract pycnogenol downregulates IFN-gamma-induced adhesion of T cells to human keratinocytes by inhibiting inducible ICAM-1 expression. Free Radic Biol Med 2000;28:219-27.
  7. Virgili F, Pagana G, Bourne L, et al. Ferulic acid excretion as a marker of consumption of a French maritime pine (Pinus maritima) bark extract. Free Radic Biol Med 2000;28:1249-56.
  8. Tenenbaum S, Paull JC, Sparrow EP, et al. An experimental comparison of Pycnogenol and methylphenidate in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). J Atten Disord 2002;6:49-60.
  9. Hasegawa N. Inhibition of lipogenesis by pycnogenol. Phytother Res 2000;14:472-3.
  10. Liu F, Lau BHS, Peng Q, Shah V. Pycnogenol protects vascular endothelial cells from beta-amyloid-induced injury. Biol Pharm Bull 2000;23:735-7.
  11. Virgili F, Kim D, Packer L. Procyanidins extracted from pine bark protect alpha-tocopherol in ECV 304 endothelial cells challenged by activated RAW 264.7 macrophages: role of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite. FEBS Letters 1998;431:315-8.
  12. Park YC, Rimbach G, Saliou C, et al. Activity of monomeric, dimeric, and trimeric flavonoids on NO production, TNF-alpha secretion, and NF-KB-dependent gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. FEBS Letters 2000:465;93-7.
  13. Saliou C, Rimbach G, Molni H, McLaughlin L, Hosseini S, Lee J, et al. Solar ultraviolet-induced erythema in human skin and nuclear factor-kappa-b-dependent gene expression in keratinocytes are modulated by a French Maritime pine bark extract. Free Radic Biol Med 2001;30:154-60.
  14. Cheshier JE, Ardestani-Kaboudanian S, Liang B, et al. Immunomodulation by pycnogenol in retrovirus-induced or ethanol-fed mice. Life Sci 1996;58:87-96.
  15. Jialal I, Devaraj S, Hirany S, et al. The effect of pycnogenol supplementation on markers of inflammation. Alternative Therapies 2001;7:S17.
  16. Koch R. Comparative study of venostatin and pycnogenol in chronic venous insufficiency. Phytother Res 2002:16:S1-S5. Phytother Res 2002:16:S1-S5.
  17. Heiman SW. Pycnogenol for ADHD? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1999;38:357-8.
  18. Mensink RP, Katan MB. An epidemiological and an experimental study on the effect of olive oil on total serum and HDL cholesterol in healthy volunteers. Eur J Clin Nutr 1989;43 Suppl 2:43-8.
  19. Putter M, Grotemeyer KH, Wurthwein G, et al. Inhibition of smoking-induced platelet aggregation by aspirin and pycnogenol. Thromb Res 1999;95:155-61.
  20. Dauer A, Metzner P, Schimmer O. Proanthocyanidins from the bark of Hamamelis virginiana exhibit antimutagenic properties against nitroaromatic compounds. Planta Med 1998;64:324-7.
  21. Fitzpatrick DF, Bing, Rohdewald P. Endothelium-dependent vascular effects of Pycnogenol. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1998;32:509-15.
  22. Liu FJ, Zhang YX, Lau BH. Pycnogenol enhances immune and haemopoietic functions in senescence-accelerated mice. Cell Mol Life Sci 1998;54:1168-72.
  23. Tixier JM, et al. Evidence by in vivo and in vitro studies that binding of pycnogenols to elastin affects its rate of degradation by elastases. Biochem Pharmacol 1984;33:3933-9.
  24. Roseff SJ, Gulati R. Improvement of sperm quality by pycnogenol. Eur Bull Drug Res 1999;7:33-6.
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  26. Pavlovic P. Improved endurance by use of antioxidants. Eur Bull Drug Res 1999;7:26-9.
  27. Wang S, Tan D, Zhao Y, et al. The effect of pycnogenol on the microcirculation, platelet function and ischemic myocardium in patients with coronary artery diseases. Eur Bull Drug Res 1999;7:19-25.
  28. Rohdewald P. Reducing the risk for stroke and heart infarction with pycnogenol. Eur Bull Drug Res 1999;7:14-18.
  29. Gulati OP. Pycnogenol in venous disorders: a review. Eur Bull Drug Res 1999;7:8-13.
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  32. Spadea L, Balestrazzi E. Treatment of vascular retinopathies with pycnogenol. Phytother Res 2001;15:219-23.
  33. Schmidtke I, Schoop W. Pycnogenol: stasis oedema and its medical treatment. Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur GanzheitsMedizin 1995;3:114-5.
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Last reviewed - 08/15/2011

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Page last updated: 06 September 2012