Pycnogenol

I grew up with a mother who was a health nut, so vitamin supplementation is pretty second nature for me. 

That doesn't mean that I take every vitamin I come across, but I'm always interested in new health benefits, especially for supplements that I've never heard of. So, when I came across this blurb in the April edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, I thought it was cool enough to pass on.

The supplement in reference is called pycnogenol and it's derived from pine bark. Previously, it had been po

pular for its ability to combat jet lag, but according to GH,

"In an eight-week study,  [Italian student] participants taking 100mg a day [of pycnogenol] fared better on their finals than a control group did and also tested higher on alertness, memory and mood. The gains, say researchers, may be due to pycnogenol's antioxidant potency and its effects on the brain's circulatorysystem..."

*You can check out this article from Nutritional Reviews for more information on the benefits of pycnogenol*