Pine Bark Extract Helpful in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children

by Sreeraman on  September 13, 2007 at 7:28 PM Child Health News
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Pine Bark Extract Helpful in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children
A new study has revealed that a pine bark extract reduces Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.

The study, by researchers at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Germany’s University of Munster, suggests that Pycnogenol, an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, balances stress hormones, which lowers adrenaline and dopamine, resulting in a decrease of ADHD.

“Pycnogenol’s ability to naturally treat symptoms of ADHD is what makes this extract exceptionally pleasing to parents who may be uneasy about medicating their children with stimulant medications,” said Dr. Peter Rohdewald of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Germany’s University of Munster and one of the authors of the study.

The study sampled 57 outpatients with ADHD with an average age of 9 years, from the Department of Child Psychology at the Children University Hospital in Slovakia.

Forty-one patients received Pycnogenol and 16 received placebo. Patients were not supplemented with any other drugs or with vitamins E or C during the study. Participants in the Pycnogenol group received 1 milligram of Pycnogenol or placebo for every kilogram of body weight, on a daily basis each morning, for one month.

Stress hormones were quantified from urine samples of the children taken before and after supplementation with either Pycnogenol or the placebo for a one-month period. After a one-month discontinuation of treatment, a third urine sample was taken that revealed that ADHD symptoms had recurred. The stress hormone levels had increased again during the period when children had stopped taking Pycnogenol, suggesting the effect of Pycnogenol on stress hormones accounts for the improvement of inattention and hyperactivity of the children.

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