Future antioxidant star: Coast pine bark extract
Pine trees have been used as a source of traditional medicine for thousands of years. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used pine bark to treat inflammatory diseases by applying a thin membrane of crushed pine bark to inflamed wounds, aches and sores. The famous Chinese medical text "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "pine leaf, called pine hair, warm bitter, non-toxic, into the liver, kidney, lung, spleen meridian, treatment of various viscera swollen poison, wind cold dampness disease. It can cure swelling, promote hair regeneration, strengthen the liver, kidney, heart, spleen and lungs, satisfy hunger and prolong life." ; Relying on the medicinal value of pine, Sun Simiao created natural health methods such as "taking pine nuts, taking pine leaves, taking turpentine".
Modern studies have pointed out that pine bark and pine needle extracts are rich in antioxidants, oligomeric proanthocyanidins. Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC) are small molecular weight proanthocyanidins. The oligomer has small molecular weight, strong cell membrane permeability and outstanding biological activity. It is currently recognized internationally as one of the most effective natural antioxidants for clearing free radicals in the human body, and its antioxidant capacity is 20 times that of vitamin C and 50 times that of vitamin E. It should be noted that pine bark (OPC) is also complex with more than 40 other biologically active ingredients, such as caffeic acid, ferulic acid, vanilla acid, protocatechuic acid, gallic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid, etc., for cardiovascular disease, blurred vision, beauty and antioxidant plays an important role.
It is reported that the coast pine bark extract is a substance extracted from the bark of the pine family Pinus pinaster Aiton. The bark of the coast pine is used as raw material and is made by grinding, extracting, filtering, concentrating, drying and other processes. Its main component is proanthocyanidins, but also contains carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, fat and other nutrients.
As a highly effective anti-free radical product, it has significant functional output in dealing with chronic diseases. In September 2020, Nina Robertson of Stellenbosch University in South Africa published a systematic review from Cochrane assessing data on the efficacy and safety of coast pine extracts. Data from 27 trials eligible for inclusion (22 parallel designs and 5 cross-over designs), involving a total of 1641 participants, evaluated the effect of pine bark extract supplements on 10 different chronic diseases. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, chronic venous insufficiency, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction, osteopenia, osteoarthritis and traumatic brain injury. As stated in the authors' experimental conclusion, although the overall sample is small and the chain of evidence is insufficient, some benefits have been shown in dealing with chronic diseases.
Since Pycnogenol (Coast pine extract) was patented and marketed as a dietary supplement in the United States in 1987, dietary supplements made using pine bark extract have been marketed in many countries such as the European Union, the United States, France, Canada, and Japan. In fact, products containing coastal pine bark extract were approved as health food by the Chinese Ministry of Health as early as 1998, and its health effect is "beauty light melasma". Here are some dietary supplements that contain coast pine extract.
