ADHD and Pycnogenol

New research had shown that a daily supplement of pycnogenol, found in pine bark extract, helped improve attention, coordination and reduced hyperactivity in children with ADHD. This wonderful supplement is also contained in the Attend formula for ADHD. The stud, published in the Journal of European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was a placebo-controlled, double-blind study that gave 57 children whose average age was nine and a half years, either a daily supplement of pycnogenol pine bark extract or a placebo for one month. Using the Child Attention Problems (CAP) teacher rating scale, the Conner's Teachers Rating Scale(CTRS), the Connor's Parenting Rating Scale (CPRS), and basic psychiatric examinations, the volunteers ere evaluated at the start, end, and one month after the trial was complete. The researchers found that the inattention and hyperactivity scores had decreased by around 20% for those taking pycnogenol, and there were no changes for the placebo group. These results were found using the CAP scores. The pycnogenol group also showed a decrease in inattention and hyperactivity by ten and fifteen percent, according to the CTRS scores. Also, the parental scores on the CPR test reported a decrease of eight percent and sixteen percent for the inattention and hyperactivity, respectively. Researchers believe they've found an alternative to existing drugs for those who fear the adverse effects of these medications. Although the mechanism behind the benefits is still to be identified, researchers believe that the extract might be promoting the synthesis of nitric oxide in the brain, which is a molecule reported to be a neurotransmitter. Studies have reported that pycnogenol stimulates nitric oxide synthesis in the smooth muscle lining blood vessels, but it is not known if it is stimulated in the brain as a result of the pine bark extract. Pycnogenol has also been claimed to be beneficial for other medical conditions such as diabetes and asthma, to help boost male fertility, and improve the memory of mice. Pycnogenol is extracted from the bark of the Maritime pine that is found on the Southern coast of France, and it is currently used in well over four hundred dietary supplements, multi-vitamins, and health products, such as Attend.