Pycnogenol

Pycnogenol was said to be used by Hippocrates. In old Europe, pine bark was utilized against

inflammation

and to overcome the symptoms of

scurvy

. Other uses of pycnogenol were suggested by the naturalist

Hieronymus Boch

and included topical application on

skin ulcers

and general use against

skin disorders

. In the New World,

Native Americans

utilized the bark of the pine as a food, a beverage, and a remedy for various conditions, such as inflamed wounds or ulcers, now recognized to have free-radical involvement. Pine bark was used for many conditions that are now known to involve

vitamin C deficiency

, such as

scurvy

, skin disorders, and wound healing. This indicates an interaction between

vitamin C

and flavonoids, which was also suggested by

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

,

who won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of vitamin C. Pycnogenol is exclusively prepared from the bark of the

P. maritima

found in France in a region of the

Bay of Biscay

called

Landes de Gascogne

. The climatic conditions in this region strongly influence the characteristics of this subspecies of

Pinus

. Various efforts to cultivate the same subspecies in other geographic areas, such as the

Iberian Peninsula

and

Korea

, have failed, indicating the uniqueness of the environmental conditions necessary for the growth of the French maritime pine (Packer et al., 1999).