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Pycnogenol - how does it work?
I have come across a new supplement called Pycnogenol but cannot find out much about it. Can you tell me what it is and how it works?
Pycnogenol is one of the plant chemicals known as flavanoids. These have powerful antioxidant properties and since they are water-soluble, better bioavailability than more well-known antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E and C and so are considered even more potent. Clinical tests have shown Pycnogenol, which is the trademark name for pine bark extract, to be 50 times more potent than vitamin E, for example, and 20 times more effective than vitamin C.
Flavanoids can also cross the protective blood-brain barrier to shield both the brain and the spinal nerves from free radical damage. They also work to strengthen and repair connective tissue, boost the immune system and slow down the ageing process, which is why you will increasingly find them in cosmetics.
New to the UK this summer is the Astaxanthin & Pycnogenol Age-defying Protection cream which combines Pycnogenol with another little known but even more powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin (said to be 500 times more potent than vitamin E) which can also cross the blood-brain barrier. Sourced from yeast and microalgae, can also help protect the skin from sun damage.
*Astaxanthin & Pycnogenol Age-defying Protection cream costs £29.95 from Victoria Health (0800-413596). Use at night on your face and do not be put off by the bright orange colour.