Overview
What is pycnogenol?
What are pycnogenol’s main benefits?
What are pycnogenol’s main drawbacks?
How does pycnogenol work?
Dosage information
Most research on French maritime pine extract has used pycnogenol, as opposed to the other standardized extracts, oligopin and flavangenol. These extracts have slightly different chemical compositions, due to different extraction techniques, and there currently isn’t enough evidence to know whether oligopin and flavangenol work the same as pycnogenol.
Pycnogenol is available as capsules or loose powder and is usually given at a dosage of 100 to 200 mg daily, split into two or three doses (e.g., 100 mg twice daily, 50 mg three times daily). Taking pycnogenol with food may reduce gastrointestinal side effects.[1]
Pycnogenol is also available in topical formulations. For healing ulcers associated with chronic vascular insufficiency or diabetes, combining oral and topical pycnogenol appears to be more effective than oral pycnogenol alone.[2][3]
Frequently asked questions
Does pycnogenol affect cardiometabolic health?
Does pycnogenol impact cognition or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
Does pycnogenol affect skin health?
Does pycnogenol affect erectile dysfunction?
Does pycnogenol affect asthma or allergies?
Update History
Full FAQ and database update