Pycnogenol Relieves Menopause Symptoms, Again

Horphag Research (Hoboken, NJ) reports that its French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) reduced menopause symptoms in a clinical trial on perimenopausal women.

Published in the journal Panminerva Medica, the study called for 70 women to supplement with 100 mg of Pycnogenol or placebo daily (50 mg twice daily) for eight weeks. Researchers questioned the participants on 33 common signs and symptoms of menopausal discomfort and each participant was given a score between zero (symptoms absent) or four (very serious symptoms).

Oxidative stress was also measured.

After eight weeks, women in the Pycnogenol group saw menopausal scores drop from an average 2.64 to an average 1.45. Night sweats, mood swings, irregular periods, and hot flashes were all reported as having decreased in the Pcynogenol group.

Oxidative stress also benefited with Pycnogenol, which was expected due to the ingredient’s previous benefits seen in cardiovascular studies.

On its own, the study supports Pycnogenol as a natural ingredient for menopausal relief and heart health; but Horphag Research was further impressed because menopausal relief was seen with only a 100-mg daily dosage-half of the 200-mg dosage used in a previous study on menopause and Pycnogenol conducted in Taiwan.