Includes:
50 Trufil caps

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PYCNOGENOL

How do you say that, and what is it anyway? The name is pronounced “pick-noh-geh-nol”, and it is a powerful antioxidant complex of bioflavonoids and organic acids which enhances the action of vitamin C.

How was this discovered? Here we need to look back over 450 years, to when Jacques Cartier was exploring the Saint Lawrence Seaway in Canada. In the winter of 1535 his ship became trapped in ice and the crew of 110 had to live on ship’s biscuits and salt pork. Nearly all of them fell victim to scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency disease which causes inflamed gums, loose teeth, tender joints, general weakness and eventual death. Although some died, most were saved by a friendly Native American who gave them a tea made from pine bark and needles. Cartier returned to France and wrote about the discovery of Canada in his book Voyages au Canada, including a description of the tea that saved his crew.

In those days nothing was known of vitamins, but pine bark and needle teas became a widely-used preventative for scurvy on long sea voyages and remained in use even after the introduction of citrus fruits as an antiscorbutic. What we now know is that pine needles contain a small amount of vitamin C, though this by itself might not have saved Cartier and his men. The “magic ingredient” was the inclusion of pine bark, whose constituents helped the effect of the vitamin C.

Scientists have been experimenting to find out what caused that life-saving boost, and have found that the bark of certain pine trees contains the very effective proanthocyanidins. These are bioflavonoids with antioxidant properties that help to prevent free radicals from damaging body tissues. The most potent proanthocyanidins are contained in the bark of the European Maritime Pine, Pinus maritimus. They have been found to be 20 times more effective as antioxidants than vitamin C and 50 times more effective than vitamin E!

The Maritime Pine grows in the sandy soil of the Les Landes pine forest which stretches along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. The trees are grown for their bark on a sustainable basis, with new trees planted each year and harvested 25 years later. 1,000 kilos of bark are needed to make 1 kilo of Pycnogenol. It is soluble in water so is quickly absorbed into the body, and it has been thoroughly tested and shown to have no toxic or carcinogenic effects.

G&G offers Pycnogenol in vegetable capsules, in a base of stone ground brown rice flour. No gluten, wheat, lactose, added sugar, preservative, artificial colouring or yeast are included. Both Pycnogenol and the capsules are hypoallergenic. The recommended intake is 1 to 3 capsules a day, or ideally 1 capsule each day for every 14 kg (30 lbs) of body weight for 7 to 10 days and reduced to 2 capsules a day after that period. 30 mg per capsule.

G&G make no medical claims for the product. If you have an illness please consult your medical practioner.