Is pine bark the answer to your jetlag?
November 28, 2008 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Hmm, sweet French pine trees… Is that really the answer to the yuck feel of traveling across time zones?
Indeed, pine bark extract was shown to reduce jetlag in passengers by almost 50%.
The study, conducted in Italy at the G. D’Annunzio University and published in the journal of Minerva Cardioangiologica, included 133 passengers taking flights between seven and nine hours long. It used brain CT scans and a scoring system that showed Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all) lowered symptoms like fatigue, headaches, insomnia and brain swelling.
Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract that comes exclusively from the bark of the maritime pine growing along the coast of southwest France in Les Landes de Gascogne.
The ingredient is included in many vitamins and dietary supplements on the market already. You can find a retailer online. If you’re in the US, Whole Foods Market is one place to try. Talk to your doc or pharmacist for guidance on using this natural extract to fight jetlag.
Image via MorgueFile.
I like that the study included CT scans for evidence, not just self-reports.
Hello Brianna. I thought that was a nice aspect of the study too!