The role of your cancer health professional is to create an environment of openness and trust, and to help in making informed decisions about alternative/ complementary therapies. Collaboration will improve the safe integration of all therapies during your experience with cancer. The "Summary" and "Professional Evaluation/ Critique" sections of this Unconventional Therapies manual are cited directly from the medical literature, and are intended to help in the objective evaluation of alternative/ complementary therapies.
Summary
There are no published reports indexed in Medline or Cancerlit stating that Pycnogenol (trade name), as marketed, actually contains proanthocyanidin in the quantity and activity claimed by its proponents, nor that Pycnogenol is actually an effective anti-cancer agent. (Silver)
Description/ Source/ Components
Pycnogenol (trade name) describes "an entire class of bioflavanoids that are composed of polyphenols, or Proanthocyanidin complexes." The bioflavanoids may be extracted from pine bark, lemon tree bark, grape seeds, grape skins, or cranberries. (Hansen)
"To confuse matters more, use of the term 'pycnogenol,' first coined in 1979 by J.A. Masquelier, as a generic term to describe proanthocyanidins has been trademarked by different corporate entities in different countries, leading to confusion. In the American market Pycnogenol is a registered trademark of a pine bark product derived from Pinus pinaster Ait. (usually referred by the obsolete name Pinus maritima Mill.)." (Tyler)
"However, pycnogenol has also been assigned to a group of flavonoids termed the flavan-3-ol derivatives. Numerous plants have been found to be sources for the class of compounds generally termed the flavonoids, and the chemical condensation of flavonoid precursors results in the formation of compounds known as condensed tannins. The broader term, bioflavonoid, has been used to designate those flavonoids with biologic activity." (Anonymous)
"Pycnogenol is absorbed into the bloodstream in about 20 minutes. Once absorbed, the maximum protective effect lasts about 72 hours. The protective effect begins to fall as it is excreted in the urine." (Passwater)
Pycnogenol has a recommended dosage of "20 mg [milligrams] per every 20 pounds of body weight, or approximately 150-200 mg [milligrams] per day." (Hansen)
History
"Pycnogenol was used in 1979 by Jacques Masquelier of the University of Bordeaux." (Hansen)
The extract from grape pips was patented in 1970. (Hansen)
Proponent/ Advocate Claims
"A US patent for this material describes a mixture of proanthocyanidins that are effective in combating the deleterious effects of free radicals. The compound is said... to reduce tumor promotion..." (Anonymous)
"Anthocyanin and other flavonoids extracted from grape seeds are highly effective 'scavengers' of harmful free radicals. The antioxidant components of grape seed extract seem particularly helpful in curbing free-radical damage (from peroxidation) which can alter fats and lipids (low-density lipoproteins) circulating in the bloodstream and embedded in cell membranes." (Diamond)
"Pycnogenol, as an antioxidant, has been shown to be 20 times more powerful than vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than vitamin E." (Pycnogenol/OPC) (Nutrition)
Pycnogenol is claimed to treat 60 free radical-related disorders including Alzheimer's, A105, cancer, hemorrhoids, and senility. (BC Cancer Agency)
"Pycnogenol has the capability to bond collagen fibers" and reverse tissue damage and injury. (Pycnogenol/OPC)
Proponents claim that Pycnogenol causes no adverse effects and can assist vitamin C to enter cells. (Passwater)
Professional Evaluation/ Critique
Although an animal study (Perchellet) has reported that proanthocyanidin complexes are antioxidants with antitumor properties, there are no published reports indexed in Medline or Cancerlit stating that Pycnogenol (trade name), as marketed, actually contains proanthocyanidin in the quantity and activity claimed by its proponents, nor that it is actually an effective anti-cancer agent. (Silver)
Toxicity/ Risks
Proponents believe that Pycnogenol is non-mutagenic, non-carcinogenic and non-toxic. (Pycnogenol/OPC)
References
Anonymous. Pycnogenol. Lawrence Review of Natural Products 1991 Feb.
BC Cancer Agency. BCCA Cancer Information Centre search file 2471.
Diamond WJ, et al. An alternative medicine definitive guide to cancer. Tiburon: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1997:501,822.
Hansen C. Pycnogenol(tm) vs grape seed extract Proanthocyanidin. (Search file 2471)
Nutrition News (Anonymous). New antioxidant defends against free radical damage. Nutrition News. (BCCA Cancer Information Centre search file 2471)
Passwater RA. The new superantioxidant - plus the amazing story of Pycnogenol, free-radical antagonist and vitamin C potentiator. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1992.
Perchellet JP, et al. Inhibition of mouse skin tumor promotion by oligomeric proanthocyanidins from loblolly pine bark (meeting abstract). Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 1994;35:A829.
Pycnogenol/OPC. TREBOR@GETNET.COM (BCCA Cancer Information Centre search file 2471)
Silver HKB (BC Cancer Agency Oncologist). Personal communication. (BCCA Cancer Information Centre search file 2471)
Tyler VE, Foster S. Tyler's honest herbal: a sensible guide to the use of herbs and related remedies 4th Ed. New York: Haworth herbal press, 1999:202.
Revised February 2000