AS PLANTS grow they produce substances designed to protect them from damage, from environmental agents like sunshine, wind, and a variety of toxins. Interestingly, these substances are primarily found in the bark, seeds, skin and ligneous parts of plants.
One major group of these plant-protecting chemicals is called oli-gomeric proanthrocyanidins (OPCs). The best known OPCs are called pycnogenols, discoverer in 1979 by Professor Jack Masquelier, a French scientist.
WHAT IS PYCNOGENOL?
Pycnogenol (pronounced pick-nah-geh-nol) is a patented blend of substances found in fruits, vegetables, and other plants. The most popular commercial sources are the bark of the Maritime Pine tree and the seeds and skin of the red grape. These compounds belong to a larger group of plant substances called bio-flavinoids and have been found to have remarkable healing properties. Pycnogenol has been described as a free radical scavenger.
THE WAR WITHIN
Within your body, a battle is continually being fought. The cells are in constant danger of being damaged by particles called free radicals. These are unstable, reactive compounds which damage cells and cell membranes, and are responsible for many diseases and symptoms.
The body protects itself by producing special antioxidant substances that neutralise the free radicals. We also get antioxidants from the diet in the form of vitamins A, C, E and selenium. When we do not have enough antioxidant protection, our cells are damaged and we develop illness and age prematurely.
Millions of free radicals are constantly being produced within the body, and millions more are being introduced into the body from the environment each second of the day. The following conditions as well as the ageing process itself can result from excess free radical damage to the body: cancer; heart and cir-culatory disorders; inflammatory conditions; degenerative diseases like arthritis; allergies; and immune system dysfunction.
Pycnogenol mops up and renders these dangerous substances harmless. As a result, it can be used to prevent and treat many disorders and to alleviate many of the symptoms associated with these conditions.
Pycnogenol not only prevents the destruction of vitamin C, E and beta-carotene in the body, but it also acts as a 'helper' to these substances.
HELPS CIRCULATION
Pycnogenol improves the circulatory system by strengthening the heart, the arteries, veins and capillaries. The bioflavinoids stick to the collagen protein fibres on the walls of the blood vessels and restore resilience and flexibility to them.
A number of medical studies have demonstrated the benefits of pycnogenol in patients with varicose veins and leg oedema (fluid accumulation).
Varicose vein symptoms can include burning, itching, swelling and cramps. Research in Germany demonstrated a 70 per cent to 90 per cent improvement in these symptoms with the use of pycnogenol.
Diabetic retinopathy is a common cause of blindness that causes bleeding from the small blood vessels and capillaries in the eye. Pycnogenol has been a recognised treatment for this condition in France for many years.
Despite eating more fatty foods and smoking more cigarettes, French men and women have 50 per cent less heart disease than Americans. Researchers suspect that this is due to the protective effect of drinking red wines containing high levels of pycnogenols.
THE SKIN
The skin is the largest and most exposed organ of the body, and is most susceptible to the ageing process. The anti-ageing properties of pycnogenol are well known in Europe, where it is considered a cosmetic in a tablet and is referred to as the 'youth nutrient'. It binds to and reactivates damaged collagen and elastin in the skin, as well as prevents the early facial wrinkles that occur due to damage to these proteins. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for the synthesis of collagen and pycnogenol simply makes more vitamin C available.
Email Dr. Tony Vendryes at vendryes@mac.com, visit him at www.anounceofprevention.org or listen to 'An Ounce of Prevention' on Power 106 FM on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
