Preliminary research suggests that pycnogenol may have a beneficial role in allergy prevention and asthma control, but more research is needed.
Pycnogenol may have a beneficial effect on mild to moderate asthma, with research suggesting that supplementation may improve lung function in both children and adults.[1][2][3] In adults with allergic asthma, those who were supplemented with pycnogenol were more likely to reduce their required dose of inhaled corticosteroids.[3] In childhood asthma, supplementation led to a reduced need for rescue inhalers compared to placebo.[1]
In terms of allergies, one study found that pycnogenol reduced symptoms of allergic rhinitis and the use of allergy medications (antihistamines) compared to placebo when started at least 5 weeks before allergy season. This effect could be due to pycnogenol reducing the release of histamine from mast cells, which has been observed in in vitro and animal studies.[4][5]
References
- ^Lau BH, Riesen SK, Truong KP, Lau EW, Rohdewald P, Barreta RAPycnogenol as an adjunct in the management of childhood asthma.J Asthma.(2004)
- ^Hosseini S, Pishnamazi S, Sadrzadeh SM, Farid F, Farid R, Watson RRPycnogenol((R)) in the Management of AsthmaJ Med Food.(2001 Winter)
- ^G Belcaro, R Luzzi, P Cesinaro Di Rocco, M R Cesarone, M Dugall, B Feragalli, B M Errichi, E Ippolito, M G Grossi, M Hosoi, S Errichi, U Cornelli, A Ledda, G GizziPycnogenol® improvements in asthma managementPanminerva Med.(2011 Sep)
- ^Choi YH, Yan GHPycnogenol inhibits immunoglobulin E-mediated allergic response in mast cells.Phytother Res.(2009-Dec)
- ^Mármol I, Quero J, Jiménez-Moreno N, Rodríguez-Yoldi M, Ancín-Azpilicueta CA systematic review of the potential uses of pine bark in food industry and health careTrends Food Sci Technol.(2019 Jun)