Pycnogenol® May Ease Meniere’s Disease Symptoms

Meniere’s disease affects the inner ear and symptoms include (tinnitus) ringing in the ears, trouble with balance, vertigo and mild hearing loss. According to a recent study, consuming the French maritime pine tree bark extract Pycnogenol® may improve inner ear blood flow and reduce tinnitus and hearing loss.

Participants in the study included 107 people between the ages of 35 and 55 who were diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. Over the course of six months, half of the group took 150 mg per day of Pycnogenol® while the other half served as a control.

The researchers measured tinnitus, feelings of pressure, and unsteady gait based on observational and reported scales. Inner-ear blood flow was measured using high-resolution linear imaging probe.

At the three-month mark, researchers noted 45.4% of the Pycnogenol® group had no more symptoms compared to 23.07% of the placebo group. At the conclusion of the study, 87.3% of the participants in the Pycnogenol® group were asymptomatic, compared to only 34.6% of the control group.

Researchers from Cheti-Pescara University in Italy conducted the study. It was published in the June 2014 issue of Minerva Medica.

Pycnogenol® has been shown to help with high blood pressure, muscle soreness, osteoarthritis, diabetes, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, endometriosis, menopausal symptoms, ringing in the ears, erectile dysfunction and retinopathy.