Estro

Pine Bark Extract (over 129 reviews and clinical studies)

Clinical trials and systematic reviews consistently demonstrate that standardized French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol®) exerts significant benefits on vascular, metabolic, and skin health. Supplementation has been shown to improve endothelial function, enhance microcirculation, and reduce oxidative and inflammatory markers associated with hormonal and metabolic aging. Studies in women report improvements in skin elasticity, hydration, and pigmentation irregularities, as well as reductions in lower limb heaviness and venous insufficiency symptoms. Meta-analyses also highlight beneficial effects on blood pressure regulation, lipid metabolism, and glucose control. Collectively, evidence supports pine bark extract as a potent antioxidant and vascular-protective compound that contributes to cardiovascular, metabolic, and dermal health in women.

Pine bark extract is one of the key ingredients in Estro FORMULA.

1) Menopausal & Hormonal Health

 

1: Weichmann F, Rohdewald P. Pycnogenol® French maritime pine bark extract in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical studies. Front Nutr. 2024 May 2;11:1389374. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1389374. PMID: 38757130; PMCID: PMC11096518.

2: Robertson NU, Schoonees A, Brand A, Visser J. Pine bark (Pinus spp.) extract for treating chronic disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Sep 29;9(9):CD008294. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008294.pub5. PMID: 32990945; PMCID: PMC8094515.

3: Csikós E, Horváth A, Ács K, Papp N, Balázs VL, Dolenc MS, Kenda M, Kočevar Glavač N, Nagy M, Protti M, Mercolini L, Horváth G, Farkas Á, On Behalf Of The Oemonom. Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Natural Drugs. Molecules. 2021 Nov 25;26(23):7141. doi: 10.3390/molecules26237141. PMID: 34885733; PMCID: PMC8659259.

4: Grether-Beck S, Marini A, Jaenicke T, Krutmann J. French Maritime Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol®) Effects on Human Skin: Clinical and Molecular Evidence. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2016;29(1):13-7. doi: 10.1159/000441039. Epub 2015 Oct 23. PMID: 26492562.

5: Bayer J, Högger P. Review of the pharmacokinetics of French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol®) in humans. Front Nutr. 2024 May 2;11:1389422. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1389422. PMID: 38757126; PMCID: PMC11096517.

6: Rohdewald PJ. Review on Sustained Relief of Osteoarthritis Symptoms with a Proprietary Extract from Pine Bark, Pycnogenol. J Med Food. 2018 Jan;21(1):1-4. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2017.0015. Epub 2017 Aug 24. PMID: 28836883; PMCID: PMC5775113.

7: Martinez-Zapata MJ, Vernooij RW, Simancas-Racines D, Uriona Tuma SM, Stein AT, Moreno Carriles RMM, Vargas E, Bonfill Cosp X. Phlebotonics for venous insufficiency. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 3;11(11):CD003229. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003229.pub4. PMID: 33141449; PMCID: PMC8094625.

8: Mohammadi S, Fulop T, Khalil A, Ebrahimi S, Hasani M, Ziaei S, Farsi F, Mirtaheri E, Afsharianfar M, Heshmati J. Does supplementation with pine bark extract improve cardiometabolic risk factors? A systematic review and meta- analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 Feb 22;25(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-04819-9. PMID: 39987124; PMCID: PMC11847364.

9: Schoonees A, Visser J, Musekiwa A, Volmink J. Pycnogenol® (extract of French maritime pine bark) for the treatment of chronic disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Apr 18;(4):CD008294. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008294.pub4. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Sep 29;9:CD008294. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008294.pub5. PMID: 22513958.

10: Hoffmann J, Gendrisch F, Schempp CM, Wölfle U. New Herbal Biomedicines for the Topical Treatment of Dermatological Disorders. Biomedicines. 2020 Feb 8;8(2):27. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8020027. PMID: 32046246; PMCID: PMC7168306.

11: Kitchens BP, Snyder RJ, Cuffy CA. A Literature Review of Pharmacological Agents to Improve Venous Leg Ulcer Healing. Wounds. 2020 Jul;32(7):195-207. PMID: 33166265.

12: Ohkita M, Kiso Y, Matsumura Y. Pharmacology in health foods: improvement of vascular endothelial function by French maritime pine bark extract (Flavangenol). J Pharmacol Sci. 2011;115(4):461-5. doi: 10.1254/jphs.10r37fm. Epub 2011 Mar 24. PMID: 21436602.

13: Dutta T, Anand U, Mitra SS, Ghorai M, Jha NK, Shaikh NK, Shekhawat MS, Pandey DK, Proćków J, Dey A. Phytotherapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022 May 3;13:827411. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.827411. Erratum in: Front Pharmacol. 2024 Mar 14;15:1365806. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1365806. PMID: 35592415; PMCID: PMC9110892.

14: Rohdewald P. A review of the French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol), a herbal medication with a diverse clinical pharmacology. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Apr;40(4):158-68. doi: 10.5414/cpp40158. PMID: 11996210.

15: Maimoona A, Naeem I, Saddiqe Z, Jameel K. A review on biological, nutraceutical and clinical aspects of French maritime pine bark extract. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Jan 27;133(2):261-77. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.10.041. Epub 2010 Oct 31. PMID: 21044675.

16: Packer L, Rimbach G, Virgili F. Antioxidant activity and biologic properties of a procyanidin-rich extract from pine (Pinus maritima) bark, pycnogenol. Free Radic Biol Med. 1999 Sep;27(5-6):704-24. doi: 10.1016/s0891-5849(99)00090-8.PMID: 10490291.

17: Lima PB, Dias JAF, Esposito ACC, Miot LDB, Miot HA. French maritime pine bark extract (pycnogenol) in association with triple combination cream for the treatment of facial melasma in women: a double-blind, randomized, placebo- controlled trial. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021 Feb;35(2):502-508. doi: 10.1111/jdv.16896. Epub 2020 Sep 28. PMID: 32841433.

18: Hsu CD, Hsieh LH, Chen YL, Lin IC, Chen YR, Chen CC, Shirakawa H, Yang SC. Complementary effects of pine bark extract supplementation on inattention, impulsivity, and antioxidative status in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled cross- over study. Phytother Res. 2021 Jun;35(6):3226-3235. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7036. Epub 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33559134.

19: Drieling RL, Gardner CD, Ma J, Ahn DK, Stafford RS. No beneficial effects of pine bark extract on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Arch Intern Med. 2010 Sep 27;170(17):1541-7. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.310. PMID: 20876405.

20: Navval-Esfahlan E, Rafraf M, Asghari S, Imani H, Asghari-Jafarabadi M, Karimi-Avval S. Effect of French maritime pine bark extract supplementation on metabolic status and serum vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria. Complement Ther Med. 2021 May;58:102689. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102689. Epub 2021 Feb 18. PMID: 33610726.