Pine Bark Extract Shown to Ease Jetlag Symptoms

The study, conducted at the G. D'Annunzio University in Pescara, consisted of 133 passengers who took flights that were seven to nine hours in length. Fifty milligrams of oral Pycnogenol was administered three times daily, for seven days, starting two days prior to the flight.

The two-part study, consisting of a brain CT scan and a scoring system, showed Pycnogenol lowered symptoms of jetlag such as fatigue, headaches, insomnia and brain swelling in both healthy people and hypertensive patients.

Passengers also experienced minimal lower leg swelling, a common condition associated with long flights.

"This study could not have come at a better time for the upcoming holiday travel season," said Dr. Gianni Belcaro, a lead researcher of the study.

Belcaro attributes Pycnogenol's combined activities for better circulation and antioxidant potency to such remarkable results.

"Previous Pycnogenol flight studies have shown a reduction in jetlag; however this was the first study to solely focus on the condition," he said.

The maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, is not considered to be endangered. (Photo credit unknown)

Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract derived from the bark of the maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, that grows along the coast of southwest France, and in Spain and Portugal, western Italy and northern Morocco.

Widely planted for timber harvest, the largest man-made forest in the world, at Les Landes in southwest France, is composed of this species.

The patents for Pycnogenol refer to the tree by a different Latin name, Pinus maritima, an obsolete synonym for Pinus pinaster.

The bark contains a unique combination of procyanidins, bioflavonoids and organic acids, which Belcaro and other scientists say offer extensive natural health benefits.

The extract has been studied for the past 35 years and more than 220 published studies and review articles have given evidence of its safety and efficacy as an ingredient.

Pycnogenol is available over the counter in more than 600 dietary supplements, multi-vitamins and health products worldwide.

Jetlag, formally called desynchronosis, causes a variety of temporary mental and physical impairments as a result of air travel across time zones - common in flights to Asia and Europe, but also observed in travelers between West and East coast.

It is caused due to the body's inability to immediately adjust to the time in a different zone while traveling.

As the body struggles to cope with the new schedule, temporary conditions such as insomnia, fatigue, irritability and an impaired ability to concentrate may set in.

Patients in the first part of the study were evaluated with a rating scale consisting of a scoring system.

Long hours in the air can lead to jetlag. (Photo credit unknown)

Observations were measured and taken within 48 hours after the end of the flights.

Results showed a statistically significant lower score (56 percent) in the Pycnogenol group for all items rated, a significant reduction of all jetlag symptoms.

Symptoms lasted for an average of 18.2 hours in the Pycnogenol group as compared to 39.3 hours in the control group.

In a second group of flight passengers, a brain CT scan was performed after the flight in order to assess brain alterations after flights.

The study consisted of 34 Pycnogenol-treated patients and 31 control patients, who received no Pycnogenol. Jetlag symptoms were evaluated using a rating scale providing scores according to the severity.

The first observation was performed within 28 hours from the end of the flight.

Sleep alterations, short-term memory alterations, disorientation, neurological signs/symptoms of instability, anxiety, minor cardiac alterations (heart rate, blood pressure), lower limb swelling, fatigue and other, a-specific signs/symptoms (cramps, joints/muscular pain, blurred vision, vertigo, mild sickness, increase in body temperature, appetite loss, headache, mild tongue swelling) were all significantly lower by an average 61.5 percent in the Pycnogenol group compared to the untreated control group.

"This is the first study describing diffuse subliminal swellings of the brain after long haul flights, which we found to be reduced to less than half in the Pycnogenol group," said Dr. Belcaro.

"I'm encouraged by the results of the study as Pycnogenol was effective in preventing jetlag related effects without any side-effects," he said. "While more research needs to be conducted on this topic, Pycnogenol is emerging as natural, yet safe option for long distance travelers."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that there is no evidence that Pycnogenol is effective against any disease.

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