Pycnogenol® PreventsEdema

Pycnogenol® PreventsEdema

HOBOKEN, N.J.French maritimepine bark prevents swelling of the leg and ankle during air travel, according toa new study.

In the double blind, placebo-controlled trial, scientistssupplemented 169 air travelers with Pycnogenol® (from Natural HealthScience) or placebo. At the conclusion of the flight, passengers givenPycnogenol had approximately half the ankle circumference as travelers givenplacebo. The researchers concluded Pycnogenol prevents swelling by strengtheningvenous walls.

Pycnogenol showed effectiveness in improving circulationand helping to prevent leg and ankle swelling, said Peter Rohdewald, Ph.D.,one of the researchers involved in the study. Most people will notice theeffects of in-flight swelling if they take their shoes off during the flight andhave difficulty getting back into them at the end of the flight. Leg and ankleswelling can lead to dangerous conditions such as deep vein thrombosis.

The study appeared in the July 2005 issue of Clinicaland Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis (11, 3:289-94,2005).