Pine Bark Supplements – Uses, Benefits, and Side Effects

June 26th, 2021 by Team Nature Essentials

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Are you searching to find out the pine bark extract benefits and its uses? Let me tell you; you are landed at the right place to know all about it. After reading the article, you will find a long list of health benefits from a pine bark extract.

Pine bark extract is a famous and well-researched health supplement ever known. Researchers have shown its beneficial impact on the heart, skin, brain, and whole body.

Pine bark supplements are the best option to improve your mental and physical health. Thanks to its potential to fight against inflammation, defective immune system, swelling, and cardiovascular diseases due to its exceptional properties.

What is Pine Bark Extract?

Pine trees are evergreen trees found most commonly in the northern hemisphere and some parts of the southern hemisphere. Almost 100 species of pine trees have been observed. The bark of the pine trees is used for pharmaceutical purposes.

Pine bark extract is a medicinal herb enriched with naturally occurring organic compounds called polyphenols or resveratrol, i.e., procyanidins, phenolic acids, and catechins. The organic chemicals present in pine bark are well known and can help against oxidants, microbes, and inflammation.

How Its Made

  • First of all, to prepare pine bark extract, collect the bark of pine trees and crush them into smaller pieces.
  • Put these pieces in boiling water for some time and then allow them to dry.
  • After drying, separate the solid pieces from the liquid extract.
  • The pine bark extract is ready to use, and it can be further processed to powder form if you want.

Pine Bark Extract Benefits

Do you want to know the benefits of pine bark? Ok, keep reading the article.

Control Obesity

Obesity can lead to the production of plenty of free radicals.  They can cause inflammation in your body parts, causing a disturbance in your DNA. You can cover this damage by using resveratrol supplements.

Minimizes the Risk of Heart Diseases

A heart attack happens when the arteries supplying blood and oxygen get blocked due to blood clot formation in arteries. Studies showed that due to the effects of resveratrol of reducing inflammation, it lowers the chances of blood clot formation.

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Protects the Skin

Researchers have revealed that using resveratrol supplements is beneficial for people facing severe kinds of acne problems. If you work most of the time in hot weather, this can be a valuable support to your skin. 

It can provide a barrier to your skin, lessens hyperpigmentation, and prevent your skin from dangerous UV rays.

Ease Insulin Sensitivity

Certain enzymes are responsible for converting glucose to sorbitol which is a sugar alcohol. When sorbitol is formed in more significant proportions in the body, it may cause oxidative stress causing cell damage. 

The effect of resveratrol supplements to work against oxidants provides support against oxidative stress causing diabetes.

Resveratrol activates AMPK protein that assists the body in consuming glucose. AMPK protein helps in keeping blood sugar levels down.

Reduce Chances of Cancer

People using resveratrol supplements have fewer chances of cancer. It suppresses the growth of several kinds of cancer cells by restricting the replication of cancer cells and altering the gene expression in cancer cells.

Lowering Blood Pressure

Resveratrol supplements can be considered favorable in lowering blood pressure owing to their characteristics of acting against oxidants. Using these supplements produces nitric oxide in the body, calms down the blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.

Joint Pain

Arthritis is a common disorder that causes joint pain and damage to mobility. Joint pain caused by the breakdown of cartilage is one of the main symptoms of arthritis. Resveratrol supplements prevent cartilage from breaking.

Dry Mouth

A dry mouth is a condition where salivary glands in the mouth are unable to produce sufficient saliva. An appropriate amount of resveratrol supplements used with artificial saliva showed significant improvement in mouth dryness.

Asthma

A study was conducted to check the impact of resveratrol supplements on asthma patients. Each patient was given a 100 mg supplement for 6 months daily. They observed remarkable improvement in coughing and sneezing in each patient.

Hay Fever/Rhinitis

Hay fever is a condition in which symptoms like runny nose, irritating eyes, wheezing, and cold appears. Any virus, bacteria, or fungus does not cause hay fever; it’s just a kind of seasonal allergy caused by pollen or dust mites. Utilizing nasal spray containing resveratrol weakens the allergy symptoms.

Brain Protection

Protein fragments known as beta-amyloid are responsible for the formation of the plaques that are an indication of Alzheimer’s disease. Resveratrol supplements reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by coping with protein fragments and preventing plaque formation.

COVID Control

The pandemic has caused an extraordinary burden on health care systems, the world economy, and mobility. Scientists are studying resveratrol supplements as a feasible option for the coronavirus due to their properties to reduce inflammation. 

Side Effects of Pine Bark Extracts

In most people, pine bark extract side effects are not observed. But, it does show some side effects in others.

Bleeding Disorder

If a person prone to some bleeding disorder uses resveratrol supplements, it will cause non-stop bleeding. It would be difficult to control bleeding because these supplements slow down the formation of blood clots.

Surgery

Resveratrol supplements develop the chances of bleeding after the surgery. Minimum 2 weeks before planned surgery, the patient should stop using supplements.

Stomach Problems

Private companies selling resveratrol supplements suggest a 1500 mg dose for 3 months daily. You can use a maximum dosage of up to 2000-3000 mg daily, but increased levels of supplements may cause stomach problems.

Hormone-sensitive Condition

Resveratrol, in some cases, may behave like estrogen. Hormone-sensitive conditions are breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, or uterine fibroids. Avoid taking these supplements if you have any conditions that may cause complications when susceptible to estrogen.

How to Use Pine Bark Supplements

Pine bark supplements are available in solid capsules, powder form, and liquid suspension on commercial scales. Some of the essential pine bark supplements available on the market are pycnogenol, oligopin, and flavangenol.

You must consult with your health care provider regarding the dosage amount to prevent yourself from any inconvenience.

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How Long Does it Take to See Effects of Supplements

You might have wondered how much time the supplements take to show good results? Two days, three weeks, four months, or maybe more than this?

First of all, let me clarify what I mean when talking about a supplement to “work.” By “work,” we make a rough estimation of the time that a supplement may take to thoroughly digest and be absorbed by your body.

It solely depends on what kind of supplement you are taking. If your body is deficient in moderate amounts of minerals and nutrients, it might take several days for supplements to work.

If you face severe dehydration, then any electrolyte supplement will show good results in a few minutes. But if you undergo any severe bone density problem, it will take roughly 6 weeks for supplements to show results.

Following are some critical factors that decide the time for Supplement Absorption:

  • Which factors are responsible for your deficiency?
  • How severe is your nutrient deficiency?
  • What foods can slow down or delay supplement absorption?
  • The quality of every supplement
  • The absorption rate of your body

Generally speaking, a supplement will take around 2 to 4 weeks to begin to work and make you feel the difference. It is suggested that you can find more effective results if you pair your supplements with a nutritious diet.

Where to Buy Supplements

Here is the list of best pine bark extracts:

  • French Maritime Pine Bark Extract 
  • Pycnogenol Pine Bark 
  • Healthy Origins Pycnogenol 
  • French Maritime Pine Bark Extract 300mg

If you buy these magic extracts from “Nature’s Essentials” online, it is well worth your money. They will provide you with high-quality natural pine bark extracts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When should I take pine bark extract?

You can take pine bark supplements twice a day, in the morning and before going to bed. The wellness dosage appears to be 100-200 mg/day in two divided doses.

Does pine bark increase testosterone?

Intake of pine bark extracts for one month helps to ease symptoms of erectile function. It leads to an increase in testosterone levels in the blood.

Does pine bark extract raise blood pressure?

Pine bark extracts are favorable to use for controlling elevated levels of blood pressure. But, there is some evidence that taking more than 2000 mg of it daily might increase blood pressure.

Can I take pycnogenol every day?

Pycnogenol is proved to be safe by researchers. So, doses of 50 mg to 450 mg daily for up to 10-12 months are recommended.

Is pine bark good for the liver?

Yes, it can keep the liver safe from oxidative damage by balancing some antioxidant genes (GSH, CAT, SOD, and GST) and slowing down the process of lipid peroxidation. It can also save the liver from the harmful effects of cirrhosis.

Conclusion

In the end, pine bark extract benefits can go a long way to maintain your brain and body sharp this season. Before making these supplements part of your daily regime, make sure to start with a low dose to check if they cause any side effects. 

Also, don’t forget to talk with your doctor first if you are taking any other medications to ease your health-related issues. 

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