Compound or practice · Supplement
Pycnogenol (Pine Bark)
A pine-bark polyphenol with broad small-trial signals for circulation, blood pressure, and skin — much of it single-source.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 3
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
3 at grade C — 3 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Venous insufficiencyEvidence grade C
Symptom relief
Smallmixed
- Blood pressureEvidence grade C
Modest
Smallmixed
- Skin elasticity/UVEvidence grade C
Small trials
Smallmixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Venous insufficiency (grade C); Blood pressure (grade C); Skin elasticity/UV (grade C).
- Caution with Blood-pressure medications: Additive blood-pressure lowering.
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
Blood-pressure medicationsCaution
Additive blood-pressure lowering.
The evidence in words
What it is
Pycnogenol is a standardized French maritime pine-bark extract rich in procyanidins.
How it works
Antioxidant and nitric-oxide-supporting actions improving microcirculation and endothelial function.
What the evidence shows
Many small trials suggest benefits for venous insufficiency, blood pressure, erectile function, and skin, but a large share come from the ingredient's maker, warranting caution. Mechanistically reasonable, independently thinner.
How to use it
100–200 mg/day standardized.
Safety & interactions
Generally safe; mild antiplatelet action; additive blood-pressure lowering. antihypertensives — Additive blood-pressure lowering.
Bottom line
Broad but largely single-source evidence for circulation and skin. Plausible and low-risk; weigh the industry-funding caveat.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- 100–200 mg/day standardized.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Pycnogenol (Pine Bark) for Blood pressureEvidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
- Grape Seed ExtractA procyanidin extract with modest blood-pressure and edema data.Evidence grade C
- Grape Seed Extract for Blood pressureEvidence grade C — ModestEvidence grade C
- Pycnogenol (Pine Bark) for Skin elasticity/UVEvidence grade C — Small trialsEvidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.