NR-027
Ingredient Atlas entry · Plant extract
Pine bark extract
Extracts of pine bark, mostly French maritime pine, Pinus pinaster
An extract of pine tree bark, rich in plant compounds called procyanidins, and studied mostly for circulation, blood pressure, blood sugar and joint pain, with a smaller share on attention and memory. Here is every study in people we could find, sorted from each study's summary.
- Part used: bark
- Most tested: 150 mg a day
- Usually taken for 1 to 3 months
The research map
From every paper to the studies that matter
Most research on pine bark is in the lab or about the trees themselves. Only a small share tests an extract in people, and that is what this page is about.
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1,823 papers mention pine bark.Every record in PubMed, all years
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231 are about people.The rest: 506 lab and animal studies, 116 reviews, 970 on chemistry, farming and more
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162 give pine bark extract on its own.55 more test it inside a blend, often with L-arginine
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53 are randomised against a placebo.Randomised controlled trials In a randomised controlled trial, people are put into groups by chance, one taking the treatment and one a placebo or other comparison. Chance spreads differences such as age and health evenly, so a difference between the groups is more likely to be down to the treatment., the strongest kind of study
Bar lengths use a square-root scale so the small numbers stay visible.
At a glance
How much research there is
- 162 studies giving pine bark extract to people
- 53 of them randomised against a placebo A placebo-controlled trial compares a real treatment with a dummy that looks the same, the placebo. People often feel better when they expect to, so comparing against a placebo shows how much of the change comes from the treatment itself.
- 13,326 people taking part, where studies say
- 46 systematic reviews A systematic review searches for every study on a question in a set, written-down way, judges the quality of each and sums up what they show together. Many include a meta-analysis. The Atlas lists these as pooled reviews. pooling the trials
Studies in people, by year published
Pine bark extract on its own. Most tested one extract from French maritime pine, and many come from one Italian research group.
Randomised, placebo-controlled
Other designs
What was measured
What the studies looked at
Each study can measure several things. Choose a topic to see its studies in the list below.
Studies in people with a diagnosed condition are counted here and listed with their population. We describe what they measured, not what they might treat. Most studies also report safety; see below.
Doses and extracts
What was tested, and how much
Most studies use one branded extract of French maritime pine bark (Pycnogenol), so their milligrams compare. Other extracts, such as those from Monterey pine (Enzogenol) or other maritime pine extracts (Oligopin, Flavangenol), are made in different ways, so the same number of milligrams can mean a different amount of the bark's compounds.
Daily amount, one dot per study
Summary read46 studies don't give a daily amount in their summary and aren't shown.
Studies per extract
Named extracts are the maker's brand. "Not named" means the study didn't say.
Have a label with a %? Work out the procyanidins in your own label
Every study
All studies in people
Filter the list, then open a study on PubMed. Each row comes from the study's published summary and names the extract used.
| Study | Who took part | People | Extract and daily dose | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belcaro 2025Non-randomised controlled | Vasculitis-related inflammatory disease in remission | 124 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Mello Netto 2025RCT, placebo | Women with lipedema | 100 | Pycnogenol | 9 weeks |
| Bayer 2025RCT, placebo | Adults after periodontal therapy | 91 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2025Non-randomised controlled | Adults after sudden loss of vision | 60 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Belcaro 2025Non-randomised controlled | Diabetics with chronic venous insufficiency | 58 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Cesarone 2025Non-randomised controlled | Chronic Lyme disease with persistent symptoms | 40 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Lim 2025Crossover, placebo | Healthy adults | 40 | Not named, 400 mg | – |
| Cesarone 2024Non-randomised controlled | Adults after varicose vein sclerotherapy | 161 | Pycnogenol | 12 weeks |
| Belcaro 2024Non-randomised controlled | Air travellers, healthy and mildly hypertensive | 127 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | – |
| Belcaro 2024Non-randomised controlled | Adults with chronic venous insufficiency | 60 | Pycnogenol | 17 weeks |
| Cesarone 2024Non-randomised controlled | Adults with xerostomia | 50 | Pycnogenol, 60 mgOn the skin | 2 weeks |
| Cesarone 2024Non-randomised controlled | Adults with hand osteoarthritis | 42 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Belcaro 2024Non-randomised controlled | Post-stroke patients | 38 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Belcaro 2024Non-randomised controlled | Patients after hemorrhoidectomy | 38 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Weyns 2024RCT, placebo | Children with ADHD | 37 | Not named | – |
| Cai 2023RCT, placebo | Menopausal women with hair loss | 76 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Cesarone 2023Other | Postmenopausal women | – | Pycnogenol | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2022Non-randomised controlled | Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment | 79 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Ferguson 2022RCT, placebo | Healthy older adults | 62 | Not named, 1,322 mg | 12 weeks |
| Belcaro 2022Non-randomised controlled | Adults recovering from COVID-19 | 60 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2022Non-randomised controlled | Restless legs syndrome | 45 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Ferguson 2022RCT, placebo | Healthy older adults | – | Not named, 1,322 mg | 12 weeks |
| Cesarone 2022Other | Women with chronic venous insufficiency | – | Pycnogenol | – |
| Cox 2021Non-randomised controlled | Adults with recurring benign back pain | 82 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 3 weeks |
| Zhao 2021Crossover, placebo | Outdoor workers exposed to urban pollution | 76 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 12 weeks |
| Malekahmadi 2021RCT, placebo | ICU patients with traumatic brain injury | 67 | Oligopin, 150 mg | 1 weeks |
| Ledda 2021Non-randomised controlled | Adults with recurrent UTI or interstitial cystitis | 64 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Belcaro 2021Non-randomised controlled | Women with idiopathic fibromyalgia | 50 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Cotellese 2021Non-randomised controlled | Adults with recurrent urinary infections | 50 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Navval-Esfahlan 2021RCT, placebo | Adults with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria | 46 | Not named, 100 mg | 8 weeks |
| Lima 2021RCT, placebo | Women with facial melasma | 44 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Majidi 2021RCT, placebo | Postmenopausal women with osteopenia | 43 | Oligopin, 150 mg | 12 weeks |
| Hsu 2021Crossover, placebo | Children with ADHD | 20 | Not named, 50 mg | 4 weeks |
| Donovan 2021Crossover, placebo | Men with Gulf War Illness | 20 | Not named | 4 weeks |
| Hu 2020Non-randomised controlled | Men with asymptomatic coronary calcifications | 90 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 52 weeks |
| Qorbani 2020RCT, placebo | Women with polycystic ovary syndrome | 80 | Oligopin | 13 weeks |
| Cesarone 2020Non-randomised controlled | Adults with episodic migraine | 46 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Cesarone 2020Non-randomised controlled | Parkinson's disease patients on levodopa | 43 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Cesarone 2020Non-randomised controlled | Patients with lupus vasculitis in remission | 26 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Lim 2020Crossover, placebo | Healthy adults | 25 | Enzogenol, 400 mg | – |
| Aldret 2020Crossover, placebo | Healthy young men | 20 | Not named, 800 mg | 2 weeks |
| Liu 2020Pharmacokinetic | Healthy volunteers | 16 | Not named | – |
| Jones 2020Other | Healthy volunteers | – | Not named | – |
| Belcaro 2019Non-randomised controlled | Patients with prior retinal vein thrombosis | 307 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 52 weeks |
| Belcaro 2019Non-randomised controlled | Adults with stented arteries | 160 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 52 weeks |
| Cesarone 2019Non-randomised controlled | Patients with chronic venous insufficiency | 142 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Smetanka 2019RCT, active or other control | Depressed outpatients on escitalopram | 72 | Pycnogenol, 50 mg | 17 weeks |
| Feragalli 2019Non-randomised controlled | Adults with knee osteoarthritis | 67 | Pycnogenol, 220 mgOn the skin | 3 weeks |
| Hu 2019Non-randomised controlled | Women with mild primary Raynaud syndrome | 67 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 4 weeks |
| Belcaro 2019Non-randomised controlled | Women with hypothyroidism starting levothyroxine | 60 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Trebaticky 2019RCT, placebo | Men with erectile dysfunction, with or without diabetes | 53 | Pycnogenol | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2019Non-randomised controlled | Adults with xerostomia, with or without diabetes | 48 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 2 weeks |
| Panahande 2019RCT, placebo | Postmenopausal women with osteopenia | 40 | Oligopin, 250 mg | 12 weeks |
| Kolacek 2019Single-arm or open-label | Children with Crohn's disease and healthy controls | 29 | Pycnogenol | 10 weeks |
| Belcaro 2018Non-randomised controlled | Long-haul flyers at varied thrombosis risk | 450 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Hosoi 2018Non-randomised controlled | Adults with mild cognitive impairment | 87 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Belcaro 2018Non-randomised controlled | Adults with irritable bowel syndrome | 77 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 3 weeks |
| Ledda 2018Non-randomised controlled | Men with initial benign prostatic hypertrophy | 75 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Hu 2018Non-randomised controlled | Behcet syndrome in remission | 34 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Luzzi 2018Non-randomised controlled | Sjogren syndrome in remission | 30 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Watanabe 2018RCT, placebo | Adults with oral malodor | 21 | Pycnogenol, 30 mg | 4 weeks |
| Belcaro 2018Non-randomised controlled | Patients after deep venous thrombosis | – | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 312 weeks |
| Belcaro 2017Non-randomised controlled | Patients with varicose veins or venous insufficiency | 1,051 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Belcaro 2017Non-randomised controlled | Adults with asymptomatic carotid or femoral plaques | 413 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 208 weeks |
| Belcaro 2017Non-randomised controlled | Women with postpartum varicose veins | 133 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 52 weeks |
| Luzzi 2017Non-randomised controlled | Perimenopausal women with borderline cardiovascular risk | 70 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 8 weeks |
| Walter 2017Non-randomised controlled | Student-athletes with chronic concussion | 42 | Enzogenol | 6 weeks |
| Mülek 2017Pharmacokinetic | Patients with severe knee osteoarthritis awaiting surgery | 33 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 3 weeks |
| Jessberger 2017RCT, active or other control | Patients with severe knee osteoarthritis awaiting surgery | 33 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 3 weeks |
| Toledo 2017RCT, active or other control | Adults with venous ulcers | 30 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 13 weeks |
| Valls 2016Crossover, placebo | Adults with stage-1 hypertension | 24 | Oligopin, 150 mg | 5 weeks |
| Ross 2016RCT, active or other control | People with allergic rhinitis | – | Pycnogenol | – |
| Belcaro 2015Non-randomised controlled | Adults with asymptomatic carotid or femoral plaques | 824 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 182 weeks |
| Belcaro 2015Non-randomised controlled | Patients with chronic venous insufficiency | 183 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 8 weeks |
| Hu 2015Non-randomised controlled | Borderline hypertensive, lipid or glucose subjects | 124 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 12 weeks |
| Belcaro 2015Non-randomised controlled | Healthy adults aged 55-70 with high oxidative stress | 44 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 52 weeks |
| Rodriguez 2015Non-randomised controlled | Patients after retinal vein thrombosis | – | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 39 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Adults with non-stenosing arterial plaques | 1,363 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 130 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Otherwise healthy adults with common cold | 146 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | – |
| Luzzi 2014Non-randomised controlled | Patients with Meniere's disease and tinnitus | 120 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Postpartum women with hemorrhoids | 70 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Healthy professionals aged 35-55 | 60 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 12 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Varicose vein patients, ex vivo vein tests | 40 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 13 weeks |
| Maia 2014Non-randomised controlled | Women with dysmenorrhea on oral contraceptives | 24 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 13 weeks |
| Muchová 2014RCT, placebo | Men with diabetic nephropathy | 20 | Pycnogenol, 120 mg | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2014Non-randomised controlled | Adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis | – | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 12 weeks |
| Kohama 2013RCT, placebo | Perimenopausal women | 170 | Pycnogenol, 60 mg | 12 weeks |
| Belcaro 2013RCT, placebo | Healthy smokers | 155 | Pycnogenol, 50 mg | 8 weeks |
| Vinciguerra 2013Non-randomised controlled | Healthy adults and triathlon athletes | 147 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 8 weeks |
| Belcaro 2013Non-randomised controlled | Adults with metabolic syndrome | 130 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 26 weeks |
| Khurana 2013RCT, active or other control | Children with chemotherapy-related oral mucositis | 72 | PycnogenolOn the skin | – |
| Theadom 2013RCT, placebo | Adults with mild TBI and cognitive difficulties | 60 | Enzogenol, 1,000 mg | 6 weeks |
| Koláček 2013Single-arm or open-label | Children with Crohn's disease in remission | 15 | Pycnogenol | 10 weeks |
| Maia 2013Non-randomised controlled | Women with endometriosis on oral contraceptives | – | Pycnogenol | 12 weeks |
| Furumura 2012RCT, active or other control | Women with mild to moderate facial photoaging | 112 | Flavangenol, 100 mg | 12 weeks |
| Enseleit 2012Crossover, placebo | Patients with stable coronary artery disease | 23 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 8 weeks |
| Marini 2012Single-arm or open-label | Healthy postmenopausal women | 20 | Pycnogenol | 12 weeks |
| Errichi 2011Non-randomised controlled | Patients after deep vein thrombosis | 156 | Pycnogenol | 52 weeks |
| Belcaro 2011Non-randomised controlled | Patients with stable allergic asthma | 76 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 26 weeks |
| Errichi 2011Non-randomised controlled | Women in menopausal transition | 70 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 8 weeks |
| Luzzi 2011Non-randomised controlled | Healthy university students | 53 | Pycnogenol | 8 weeks |
| Drieling 2010RCT, placebo | Adults with increased cardiovascular risk | 130 | Toyo-FVG (Flavangenol), 200 mg | 12 weeks |
| Cesarone 2010RCT, active or other control | Patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency | 98 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Belcaro 2010RCT, placebo | Patients with acute hemorrhoidal attacks | 84 | Pycnogenol | 1 weeks |
| Grossi 2010Non-randomised controlled | Patients with mild to moderate tinnitus | 82 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 5 weeks |
| Wilson 2010RCT, placebo | Adults with birch pollen allergic rhinitis | 58 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Stuard 2010Non-randomised controlled | Metabolic syndrome patients with microalbuminuria on ramipril | 58 | Pycnogenol | 26 weeks |
| Cesarone 2010Non-randomised controlled | Hypertensive patients with early renal problems on ramipril | 55 | Pycnogenol | 26 weeks |
| Dvořáková 2010RCT, placebo | Elderly people | – | Pycnogenol | 12 weeks |
| Steigerwalt 2009RCT, placebo | Patients with early diabetic retinopathy | 46 | Pycnogenol | 12 weeks |
| Canali 2009Single-arm or open-label | Healthy volunteers aged 35-50 | – | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 1 weeks |
| Belcaro 2008RCT, placebo | Patients with osteoarthritis | 156 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 13 weeks |
| Suzuki 2008RCT, placebo | Women with and without dysmenorrhea | 116 | Pycnogenol, 60 mg | 8 weeks |
| Belcaro 2008Non-randomised controlled | Cancer patients in chemo- or radiotherapy | 110 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Ryan 2008RCT, placebo | Healthy elderly adults aged 60-85 | 101 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 13 weeks |
| Cisár 2008RCT, placebo | Patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis | 100 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 13 weeks |
| Belcaro 2008RCT, placebo | Knee osteoarthritis patients with raised CRP (subset) | 55 | Pycnogenol | 13 weeks |
| Zibadi 2008RCT, placebo | Adults with type 2 diabetes and mild hypertension | 48 | Pycnogenol, 125 mg | 12 weeks |
| Pipingas 2008RCT, active or other control | Men aged 50-65 with BMI over 25 | 42 | Enzogenol | 5 weeks |
| Belcaro 2008Non-randomised controlled | Healthy flyers and hypertensive patients | – | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 1 weeks |
| Yang 2007RCT, placebo | Perimenopausal women | 200 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | – |
| Kohama 2007Non-randomised controlled | Women with surgically diagnosed endometriosis | 58 | Pycnogenol, 60 mg | 48 weeks |
| Nishioka 2007RCT, placebo | Healthy young men | 16 | Pycnogenol, 180 mg | 2 weeks |
| Dvoráková 2007RCT, placebo | Children with ADHD | – | Pycnogenol | 4 weeks |
| Cesarone 2006RCT, active or other control | Patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency | 86 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Trebatická 2006RCT, placebo | Children with ADHD | 61 | Pycnogenol | 4 weeks |
| Cesarone 2006Non-randomised controlled | Patients with diabetic microangiopathy | 60 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 4 weeks |
| Young 2006RCT, active or other control | Chronic smokers | 44 | Enzogenol, 480 mg | 12 weeks |
| Cesarone 2006Non-randomised controlled | Patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency | 39 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 8 weeks |
| Belcaro 2006Non-randomised controlled | Patients with diabetic leg ulcers | 30 | Pycnogenol | 6 weeks |
| Grimm 2006Pharmacokinetic | Healthy volunteers | 16 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 1 weeks |
| Schäfer 2006Other | Healthy volunteers | 15 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 1 weeks |
| Grimm 2006Single-arm or open-label | Healthy volunteers | 7 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 1 weeks |
| Kohama 2006Non-randomised controlled | Pregnant women in third trimester with pain | – | Pycnogenol, 30 mg | – |
| Vinciguerra 2006Single-arm or open-label | Healthy people, venous patients, athletes with cramps | – | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 4 weeks |
| Dvoráková 2006RCT, placebo | Children with ADHD | – | Pycnogenol | 4 weeks |
| Belcaro 2006Non-randomised controlled | Hypertensive patients on nifedipine or ACE inhibitors | – | Pycnogenol | 8 weeks |
| Chovanová 2006RCT, placebo | Children with ADHD | – | Pycnogenol | 4 weeks |
| Cesarone 2005Non-randomised controlled | Asymptomatic travellers on long-haul flights | 211 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Belcaro 2005Non-randomised controlled | Patients with venous ulcers | 18 | Pycnogenol | 6 weeks |
| Belcaro 2004RCT, placebo | Travellers at moderate to high thrombosis risk on long flights | 211 | Pycnogenol, 400 mg | – |
| Liu 2004RCT, placebo | Patients with type 2 diabetes | 77 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 12 weeks |
| Lau 2004RCT, placebo | Children aged 6-18 with mild to moderate asthma | 60 | Pycnogenol | 13 weeks |
| Liu 2004RCT, placebo | Patients with hypertension | 58 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | 12 weeks |
| Kohama 2004Single-arm or open-label | Women with menstrual pain | 47 | Pycnogenol, 60 mg | – |
| Liu 2004Non-randomised controlled | Patients with type 2 diabetes | – | Pycnogenol | – |
| Silliman 2003Single-arm or open-label | Healthy adults aged 19-42 | 27 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 2 weeks |
| Koch 2002RCT, active or other control | Patients with chronic venous insufficiency | 40 | Pycnogenol, 360 mg | 4 weeks |
| Kimbrough 2002RCT, placebo | Healthy adults, gingival bleeding and plaque | 40 | Pycnogenol | 2 weeks |
| Ni 2002Single-arm or open-label | Women with melasma | 30 | Pycnogenol, 75 mg | 4 weeks |
| Devaraj 2002Single-arm or open-label | Healthy adults | 25 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 6 weeks |
| Tenenbaum 2002Crossover, placebo | Adults with ADHD | 24 | Pycnogenol | 3 weeks |
| Roseff 2002Single-arm or open-label | Subfertile men | 19 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 13 weeks |
| Spadea 2001RCT, placebo | Patients with diabetic and other vascular retinopathy | 40 | Pycnogenol, 150 mg | 9 weeks |
| Hosseini 2001Crossover, placebo | Patients with asthma | 26 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | 4 weeks |
| Saliou 2001Single-arm or open-label | Healthy volunteers | 21 | Pycnogenol | 8 weeks |
| Stefanescu 2001Non-randomised controlled | Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus | 11 | Pycnogenol | – |
| Arcangeli 2000RCT, placebo | Patients with chronic venous insufficiency and varices | 40 | Pycnogenol, 300 mg | 9 weeks |
| Petrassi 2000RCT, placebo | Patients with chronic venous insufficiency | 40 | Pycnogenol | 9 weeks |
| Virgili 2000Pharmacokinetic | Healthy adult volunteers | 11 | Pycnogenol, 200 mg | – |
| Düweler 2000Pharmacokinetic | Healthy human volunteer | 1 | Pycnogenol, 5,280 mg | – |
| Pütter 1999Non-randomised controlled | Heavy smokers | 57 | Pycnogenol, 100 mg | – |
Safety
What's known about safety
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In trials
A review of 27 controlled trials, lasting 4 weeks to 6 months at 50 to 250 mg a day, found mostly mild side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, dizziness and headache. Many trials didn't report side effects, so the reviewers couldn't draw firm conclusions on safety.
Robertson 2020, Cochrane review of 27 trials
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In the UK
Bark of French maritime pine was in use in food supplements before 1997, so it isn't a novel food and can be sold in them. We found no entry for Monterey pine bark.
EU Novel Food Status Catalogue (Pinus pinaster, bark and bud), searched Oct 2026
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Check first
It hasn't been studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and how it mixes with medicines isn't well studied. Some trials left out people taking blood thinners. Speak to a pharmacist or doctor first if any of these applies to you.
Robertson 2020, Cochrane review (trial entry rules); no UK guidance found, Oct 2026
How we built this
Where these studies come from
We list every published study of pine bark extract in people, whichever pine or brand it comes from, and the list shows which extract each study used. Extracts given with other actives, such as L-arginine, count as in a blend. This first version is built from each study's summary; full-paper checks come next.
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We search
PubMed, the world's main library of medical research, for every paper on L-theanine.
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We keep studies in people
Lab and animal work is counted but left out of the list, because it doesn't tell you what happens in people.
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We note the basics
Who took part, how many, how much and for how long, from each study's published summary. A second check corrects what the first read gets wrong.
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We read them in full
Results appear once we've read the whole paper and checked every number. The date at the top shows when this entry was last updated.
Download the study list
Every study in people as a spreadsheet, 162 rows, free to reuse with a link back.
Versions
Each update to the data gets a new version number, so you can tell what changed and when.
See every version
1.0 · 24 Oct 2026. First release. Every published study giving pine bark extract on its own to people is listed from its summary. None is read in full yet.
