A new study published in the European Child Adolescent Psychiatry seems to indicate that pine bark extract is effective for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The extract is called Pycnogenol, which is derived from the bark of the French maritime pine.

“The results of this study show Pycnogenol may serve as a safe, effective treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD,” Dr. Peter Rohdewald, coauthor of the study, says. “French maritime pine bark extract reduced hyperactivity among study participants, while improving attention and visual-motor coordination and concentration of these children.”

The study, which evaluated students whose average age was 9.5 years, went on for 1 month.

According to an article written for Medscape Medical News by Dr. Laurie Barclay and Dr. Penny Murata, an earlier report in Mainichi Shimbun indicated a 70% success rate in treating children with ADHD. However, a September 2002 study in the Journal of Attention Disorders found no significant effect for either pine bark extract or methylphenidate (Ritalin) in treating adults with ADHD. A pilot study in 2004 did show, though, that pine bark extract at a dose of 1mg/kg/day improved ADHD symptoms.

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