Pine Bark Extract: Good for Arthritis Pain?

Pine Bark Extract: Good for Arthritis Pain?
By Ray Sahelian, MD

Pycnogenol is an extract derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. Many lab studies have shown that it has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. One study included 100 Slovakian adults with mild knee arthritis who were randomly assigned to take either 150 milligrams of pine bark extract or a placebo every day.

According to Dr. Peter Rohdewald of the University of Münster in Germany, knee arthritis patients who took pycnogenol pine bark extract for three months reported an improvement in their pain, while those given a placebo had no improvement. The pain relief persisted for an additional two weeks after the patients stopped taking pycnogenol. Switzerland-based Horphag Research Ltd., maker of pycnogenol, funded the study.1

Comments: Many people who have arthritis already take natural supplements for joint health support. Would the addition of pycnogenol or another type of pine bark extract provide added benefits? Would the combination lead to unexpected side effects? There are no easy answers at this time. If your doctor approves, you could add pycnogenol to your daily regimen.

The dosage used in this study was 150 mg a day. This may be an appropriate dosage in the beginning, but for long term use you may consider a maintenance dosage of 30 or 60 mg a day. Just keep in mind that we don't know the effects of pycnogenol supplement use if taken for many years, or how this product interacts with other supplements or medications, including NSAIDs such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen.

Reference

Phytotherapy Research, August 2008.