{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"pine-bark-extract","kind":"supplement","name":"pine bark extract","aliases":["Pycnogenol","maritime pine","Pinus pinaster"],"brands_sg":["Life Extension","NOW Foods","Swanson Vitamins","Source Naturals","Solgar"],"class":"botanical extract","tags":["heart","skin-hair"],"use_for":"blood-pressure and skin markers — evidence stays limited","use_after":null,"use_duration":null,"take_with":null,"pros":["27-trial meta-analysis: sbp −2.26, dbp −2.62 mmhg","a 2016 review reports less hyperpigmentation on skin","standardised to 70% procyanidin as pycnogenol"],"cons":["cochrane: insufficient evidence for any disorder","small samples and risk of bias limited that review","no rda, ul, fda daily value or hsa daily limit exists"],"dose_note":"the 2012 cochrane review covered 15 trials in 791 people across seven chronic disorders and concluded that current evidence is insufficient to support pycnogenol use for the treatment of any chronic disorder, and that no definitive conclusions on efficacy or safety are possible; a 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 rcts in 1,685 participants reported reductions in systolic blood pressure (−2.26 mmhg) and diastolic blood pressure (−2.62 mmhg) plus body weight, fasting blood sugar, ldl and hba1c, and its authors describe it as an adjunct strategy needing further high-quality trials with larger samples and longer durations; on skin, a 2016 review of pycnogenol reports reduced hyperpigmentation and improved skin barrier function and extracellular-matrix homeostasis, but it is a narrative review, not a systematic one; no rda, ul or hsa singapore daily limit exists for pine bark extract, and no daily figure is given here because none of the sources read states a pooled dose range","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":null,"fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["on blood-pressure or glucose medicines — trials moved those markers; ask your doctor first","cochrane says no definitive conclusion on safety is possible from the trials","not listed in hsa's prohibited or restricted annexes — that is not a safety finding","no ul and no hsa daily limit exist, so there is no ceiling to check a label against"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"schoonees2012","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/22513958","label":"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","quote":"This review includes 15 trials with a total of 791 participants … no definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy or safety of Pycnogenol® are possible … Current evidence is insufficient to support Pycnogenol® use for the treatment of any chronic disorder","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"schoonees2012_std","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/22513958","label":"Schoonees A et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012 — Background","quote":"Pycnogenol(®), a herbal dietary supplement derived from French maritime pine bark extract, is standardised to contain 70% procyanidin which is a powerful antioxidant.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"mohammadi2025","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/39987124","label":"Mohammadi S et al. — Does supplementation with pine bark extract improve cardiometabolic risk factors? A systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Complement Med Ther 2025","quote":"27 RCTs with 1,685 participants … PBE supplementation significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (WMD: −2.26 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (WMD: −2.62 mmHg) … Further high-quality trials with larger sample sizes and longer durations are required","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"gretherbeck2016","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/26492562","label":"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 (narrative review)","quote":"the existing data provide compelling evidence that Pycnogenol® intake does not only provide photoprotection, but may be used to (i) reduce hyperpigmentation of human skin and (ii) improve skin barrier function and extracellular matrix homeostasis","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_prohibited","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (October 2025), Annex A (118 rows) and Annex B (4 rows) — pine bark / Pinus / Pycnogenol not listed in either","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_hs_guidelines","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-hs-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), clause 4.8 with Tables 4–5 (vitamins and minerals only — no botanical rows)","quote":"4.8 HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/pycnogenol","label":"iHerb Singapore — Pycnogenol category page, default listing order","quote":"1 - 29 of 29 results … Life Extension, Pycnogenol®, French Maritime Pine Bark Extract, 100 mg … NOW Foods, Pycnogenol® With Amla … Swanson Vitamins, Pycnogenol®, 100 mg … Source Naturals, Pycnogenol® Supreme … Solgar, Pycnogenol®, 100 mg","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:27.496708+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}