 |
 |
My elderly friend w/PD has been using a product called OPC Grapeseed Extract w/herbal blend. It is a powerful antioxidant (I use it to prevent autoimmune disorders). It's very good for building the immune system and with other ingredients ie. Hawthorn Berry, which helps increase the flow of blood & oxygen, Bilberry, which stimulates circulation & supports the enzyme metabolism of the retina; Gingko Biloba, known to increase the blood flow to the brain, improving memory; Milk Thistle, which enhances overall liver function; Catalase, a potent antioxidant enzyme, and Yucca, which helps reduce inflammation. She is feeling better, I might add, but also takes a supplement of Natural colloidal minerals & Una de Gato, the latter which helps all hormonal function including depression symptoms, etc. These products have also been helping my daughter, who has Fibromyalgia, friends w/Lupus, M.S., and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It's really good to see these people feeling better and having more energy once again. If anyone wants more info, just let me know-you can e-mail me directly, if you wish. Dianne At 11:58 AM 10/11/96 -0400, you wrote: > Pycnogenol=AE is a patented extract from the bark of the French >Maritime Pine Tree. It is touted as being a 100% non-toxic, natural and >powerfully effective nutritional antioxidant which is 20 times more= powerful >than vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than vitamin E as an antioxidant >supplement. > It also has the somewhat unique ability to cross the blood-brain >barrier to directly protect blood vessels and brain cells.=20 > Horphag Research Ltd. of France owns U.S. Patent Number 4,698,360 >and is quick to emphasize that imitators with a mixture of grape seed >extract and pine bark extract have no claim to similar success with their >inferior product. > > Our friend Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD (not to mention Editor-in-Chief >of "Spotlight on Food) is on vacation in Florida with her husband, but she >did respond from memory with a couple of warnings: > 1) studies had been performed "in vitro" but not "in= vivo" >therefore results could not be generalized to humans. It would be better if >there were a substantial number of well-controlled human studies included, >not just a bunch of animal or test-tube studies, and, > 2) a number of the journal studies addressing the product >were performed on antioxidants in general (e.g., vitamins C and E) rather >than performed on the product in question. > > What I could learn otherwise is that the pine bark extract has been >used for over 450 years. Isn't that about the time Columbus returned from >his third voyage with blood on his sword because the Indians couldn't find >any gold on their sandy island? But, I digress. The patented extract= has >been used in Europe for about a decade to help patients with attention >deficit disorder (ADD) and there is a study released last week about its >potential benefit for Multiple Sclerosis and full-scale, double-blind >research studies currently being undertaken for such conditions as >Alzheimer's disease, immune system dysfunctional conditions and others.=20 > > I have no clue as to what a dosage might be for PD benefit. The >seller would have us believe this compound should be viewed as completely >safe. They do mention, in a real general sense, that a recommended daily >dosage of Pycnogenol=AE for a 300-pound patient, and at "double saturation" >level, would only involve 840 milligrams per day and that chronic toxicity >studies reveal no adverse effect in man, from massive daily doses of up to >35,000 milligrams per day for more than six months. > According to researchers at the Pasteur Institute and the= Huntington >Institute, Pycnogenol=AE is virtually nontoxic to humans and mammals. >Water-soluble, it is also a non-allergenic, non-carcinogenic,= non-mutagenic, >non-antigenic and non-habit forming nutritional antioxidant. > > Would any of you alternative medicine brave souls share your >experiences of dosages you have tried and found beneficial? Thanks. > > > >----------------------------------------------------------- > TRW Spacecraft Operations East > 14320 Sullyfield Circle > Chantilly VA 22021 > (703) 802-1863 > >