Researchers reported the benefits of adding Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, to a standard medical treatment of hypertensive (high blood pressure) patients with deteriorating kidney function. The participants (n=55) were randomly assigned to receive either Pycnogenol plus the blood pressure-lowering drug ramipril (ACE inhibitor) or ramipril (10 mg) alone for 6 months. Urinary albumin was used as a measure of kidney function – albumin is the most abundant protein in people with kidney problems which leaks from the kidney into the urine. The authors found that albumin levels in the urine decreased significantly in the Pycnogenol group (-52 mg/day) compared to ramipril alone (-23 mg/day only). Pycnogenol also improved systolic and diastolic flow by 12% and 8%, respectively. (9)
