Botanical Index No. 657

Maritime Pine

pinus pinaster

Medicinal Actions

Analgesic, Antiaging, Antiaggregant, Antiallergic, Antiamyloid, Antianaphylactic, Antianemic, Antiasthmatic, Antiatherogenic, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antidermatotic, Antiedemic, Antiexudative, Antihistaminic, Anti-HIV, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiplaque, Antiradicular, Antiseptic, Antisickling, Antithromboxane, Antiviral, Apoptotic, Cancer Preventive, Capillaritonic, Hemopoietic, Hyaluronidase Inhibitor, Lipolytic, Lipoxygenase Inhibitor, NO-Genic, Peroxidase Inhibitor, Retinoprotective, Xanthine-Oxidase Inhibitor

Primary Conditions Treated

ADD Allergy Alzheimer’s Anaphylaxis Anemia Asthma Atherosclerosis Bacteria Cancer Capillary Fragility Cardiopathy CVI Dementia Dermatosis Dysmenorrhea Edema Endometriosis Enterosis Gastrosis HIV Hyperactivity Immunodepression Infection Inflammation Mastosis Obesity Pain Retinosis Senility Sickle Cell Swelling Virus Immunomodulator Sunscreen

General Dosage

Dosages — Pinebark is eaten in survival situations, hence I call it Food Farmacy; 60–100 mg bark extract/day, standardized for 95% pycnogenol; 50 mg pycnogenol 3 ×/day for 2 months.

Safety & Contraindications

Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects — Not covered. Although I have scored maritime pine based mainly on its pycnogenol, and reported activities of pycnogenol, all plants containing similar levels of related OPCs might deserve the same scores. I strongly suspect that all woody plants contain OPCs and possibly even pycnogenol sensu latu if not sensu stricto. “Pycnogenol is a registered trademark of Horphag Research for their patented proprietary extract of French maritime pine bk” I have no strong reason to believe that french maritime pine bark is better or worse than other tree barks as sources of OPCs. I prefer peanuts as food.

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