Soaring to Great Health with Pycnogenol®

Pycnogenol ® has been hailed as the most potent, natural antioxidant compound ever discovered by science, considered by many health experts to be the nutritional breakthrough of the twentieth century!  Pycnogenol® is the name of the patented extract of the bark of the Maritime Pine tree, Pinus maritima that grows along the Atlantic Coast in the Bordeaux region of France.  Produced by Horphag Research Ltd., Pycnogenol® is exceptionally rich in a class of water-soluble bioflavonoids known as proanthocyanidins.  This natural blend of plant-derived compounds scavenge free-radicals in our food, water and environment.

One of the most valuable and fascinating of the natural “medicines,” Pycnogenol® (pick-nojh-en-ahl), has been tested and used by physicians in Europe for nearly 25 years and more recently in the USA.  MaraPine Pycnogenol® is a super - antioxidant, surpassing other antioxidants in protecting from and repairing free radical damage in living cells.  You can see the effect of oxidation when a cut apple turns brown or windshield wipers get hard and brittle.  Pencil erasers get hard and unusable for erasing, metals rust.  Research has shown that free-radical damage is a major cause of aging and degenerative disease.  Antioxidants are one of the main defenses against this oxidation caused by free radicals.   Vitamins C and E are electron-rich molecules that donate electrons to the free-radical molecules, stabilizing them before they can damage the molecules of body cells and tissues.  

Although the body needs oxygen to live, there must be a control to quench oxidation in the wrong places.  The body normally would be able to provide its own free radical quenchers, the antioxidants, from healthy, whole foods; but it is overwhelmed by the onslaught of so many free-radical sources in our modern, contaminated world.  Pycnogenol® is 50 times more effective as an antioxidant than vitamin E and 20 times more effective than vitamin C in in vitro studies.  Doctors have successfully used Pycnogenol® for attention deficit disorder, allergies, Alzheimer's, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, asthma, autism, cancer, cataracts, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, hemorrhoids, injuries,  jet lag, lupus, macular degeneration, manic depression, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, PMS, prostatitis, phlebitis, sport injuries, strokes, ulcers, varicose veins, and many others.  Even pets can benefit from Pycnogenol®.

In addition, Maritime Pine Plus® offers a wide spectrum of dietary support for the circulatory system, skin, collagen and offers the body nutritional tools to help regulate proper inflammatory response.  Pycnogenol® helps prevent the release of histamines and thus reduces allergies and pain.  

Pycnogenol® crosses the blood-brain barrier to protect and repair free radical damage in brain cells and blood vessels of the brain.  This is of special importance with those with ADD or ADHD, senility, Alzheimer's, and stroke.

Maritime Pine Plus® binds to collagen and helps rebuild the cross-links among the fibers, reversing the damage caused by free radical attack.  Collagen, one of the body's most common proteins, is the primary component of joints and skin. Interlacing collagen fibers give your skin and tissues their elasticity and strength.  Pycnogenol® also increases endurance during exercise by 21%, reduces inflammation by inhibiting enzymes that cause pain in arthritis, sports injuries, and certain headaches, and it restores joint flexibility.

 This is not something you take because you are old and having problems because of one or more degenerative diseases.  This is for all ages.  It improves immune function, heals injuries faster, protects against cancer, reduces frequency and severity of colds, effective for hay fever, asthma, and allergies, and reduces severity of sunburn.  More importantly, it prevents the onset of degenerative diseases that begin slowly and imperceptibly from an early age.  The wrinkling of skin demonstrates the breakdown of other tissues in hidden parts of the body.  Collagen in the tissues is broken down by free radical attack and Pycnogenol® prevents and repairs the collagen.  Wrinkles are not so much a normal part of aging as it is a normal part of free radical degeneration.  Degeneration caused by free radicals comes from synthetic food, radiation and contaminated water and air.

Dr. Robert Youngblood, M.D., a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, states "Because of free radicals, I have a thriving practice in plastic surgery. Not only do free radicals speed up the aging process internally, they also cause the aging process to accelerate externally." Wrinkles on the outside are matched by dysfunctional tissues on the inside. Having wrinkles is NOT a sign of age, but a sign of massive exposure to unquenched free radicals. It signals internal damage that can be corrected before the internal organs malfunction. Pycnogenol® is the natural alternative to plastic surgery and synthetic skin creams, known throughout Europe as the "youth nutrient."  

Dr. F. Feine-Haake tested Pycnogenol therapy for varicose veins. The study involved 100 individuals with a mean age of 65 who were diagnosed as having varicose veins. They received 15 mg. of Pycnogenol daily. Eighty percent of the cases showed clear clinical improvement, and a 90 % success rate was reported for 40 individuals who had experienced nightly calf muscle cramps.

Dr. David Dunn of the University of Nottingham has declared Pycnogenol to be the antidote for atherosclerosis.

Pycnogenol® only SEEMS to work miracles because it addresses the underlying causes of most chronic, degenerative diseases, including aging.  Health is a choice.  You can choose to be well, vital, vigorous, optimally healthy.  Why not?

See excerpts of Pycnogenol® The Super Protector Nutrient by Richard A. Passwater Ph.D. and Chithan Kandaswami Ph.D

May 5th, 2003
PYCNOGENOL® GAINS GRAS APPROVAL

Horphag Research Announces Introduction into the Functional Food Market

GENEVA – May 5, 2003 – HORPHAG RESEARCH, today announced their super antioxidant Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all) is now GRAS (generally recognized as safe) affirmed for applications in various food and beverages. Pycnogenol® brand French maritime pine bark extract, is supplied by HORPHAG RESEARCH and is available in hundreds of dietary supplements, multivitamins and health products worldwide.

“With growing consumer demand for this super antioxidant, HORPHAG has anticipated the launch of the Pycnogenol® brand into the functional food market. Pycnogenol® has matured as a supplement ingredient and consumers globally are embracing the benefits of the product. GRAS status supports the safe use of Pycnogenol® in food and beverages, significantly expanding the product’s reach in the health food and dietary supplement market,” says Victor Ferrari, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Horphag Research, original developers of Pycnogenol®.

Approved applications for Pycnogenol® in functional foods and beverages include baked goods, breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, processed fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, soups, soft candy, chewing gum, margarine, sauces, fats and oils and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

According to Victor Ferrari, Horphag Research conducted several successful discussions with food and beverage manufacturers and technologists on various applications for Pycnogenol®. He reported they are in the process of determining how the ingredient will help enhance a formula or fill a void in company product lines.

A panel of independent toxicology experts reviewed and determined Pycnogenol® to be GRAS status based on scientific procedures in accordance with the Federal Drug Administration. This self-affirmation process allows individual groups to come together to evaluate the safety of food components.

“Pycnogenol® is known worldwide for its powerful health maintaining capabilities as an antioxidant, reducing inflammation its unique ability to scavenge free radicals and strengthening the vascular system. Recently, Pycnogenol’s® overall eye health benefits have been researched through five clinical studies involving over one thousand patients, shedding light on its emerging function and role in eye health,” says Dr. Om Gulati, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Horphag Research.

Over the last thirty years, millions of dollars have been invested in research resulting in more than 100 published studies and peer reviewed articles which support and ensure the safety and efficacy of Pycnogenol®.

Pycnogenol® is a registered trademark of Horphag Research Ltd., Guernsey, and its applications are protected by U.S. patents #4,698,360 / #5,720,956 / #6,372.266 and other international patents. Pycnogenol® benefits from over thirty years of scientific research assuring the safety and efficacy of Pycnogenol® as a dietary supplement.

See also: Pycnogenol® FAQ
Pycnogenol® in the News

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