Anti-Aging Properties in Tree Bark
Back in the Middle Ages, witches, the original healers, would boil up a piece of bark from the English willow tree and give the resulting liquid to sick people to cure pain and fever. Today we call it aspirin.
And today we have discovered another tree bark with healing properties. On the west coast of France, cleansed by the fresh winds from the Atlantic Ocean, there is a vast plantation of maritime pine trees, grown especially for a special substance in their bark.
This component of the bark of the French maritime pine tree is one of the most studied of all natural supplements and it appears to impact many diseases because of the way it improves the condition of the blood. By increasing the oxygenation of the blood and destroying free radicals, it helps the body to heal itself. Studies have shown a significant impact on autoimmune diseases that are a major function of aging, like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint conditions.
Double blind studies around the world have shown that it impacts most of the known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, blocking the damage to the lining of the arteries caused by a fatty diet, assisting in lowering high blood pressure, lowering LDL cholesterol and raising healthy HDL. It relaxes constricted arteries and improves circulation. It reduces the aggregation of platelets that causes blood clots. It helps to offset the damage of smoking on the cardiovascular system.
It has been shown in the laboratory to have a preventative effect on the progression of malignant ovarian cancer cells and an ability to inhibit the growth of leukemia cells.
The good news is that this is a completely natural substance needing no prescription and has no apparent side effects other than an occasional laxative action. Given its beneficial impact on so many diseases of aging, including many not listed here, it is probably going to achieve just as solid and long-lasting a reputation as aspirin. Its name is Pycnogenol.