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Pine bark extract

Supplement botanical extract heart & metabolicskin & hair
Aka: Pycnogenol, maritime pine, Pinus pinaster
Brands seen in Singapore: Life Extension, NOW Foods, Swanson Vitamins, Source Naturals, Solgar
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Blood-pressure and skin markers — evidence stays limited
Pros & cons
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
Sources
  1. 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 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  2. Schoonees A et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012 — Background · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Pycnogenol(®), a herbal dietary supplement derived from French maritime pine bark extract, is standardised to contain 70% procyanidin which is a powerful antioxidant.”
  3. 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 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  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 (narrative review) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  5. 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 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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.”
  6. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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.”
  7. iHerb Singapore — Pycnogenol category page, default listing order · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.