title: Treatment of ADHD with French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol.
abstract: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder in children. Pycnogenol, an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine, consisting of phenolic acids, catechin, taxifolin and procyanidins, has shown improvement of ADHD in case reports and in an open study. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Pycnogenol on ADHD symptoms. Sixty-one children were supplemented with 1 mg/kg/day Pycnogenol or placebo over a period of 4 weeks in a randomised, placebo-controlled, doubleblind study. Patients were examined at start of trial, 1 month after treatment and 1 month after end of treatment period by standard questionnaires: CAP (Child Attention Problems) teacher rating scale, Conner's Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS), the Conner's Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) and a modified Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children. Results show that 1-month Pycnogenol administration caused a significant reduction of hyperactivity, improves attention and visual-motoric coordination and concentration of children with ADHD. In the placebo group no positive effects were found. One month after termination of Pycnogenol administration a relapse of symptoms was noted. Our results point to an option to use Pycnogenol as a natural supplement to relieve ADHD symptoms of children.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Child Psychiatry, Child University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Limbová 1, 833 40 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trebatická
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kopasová
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hradecná
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cinovský
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Skodácek
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suba
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muchová
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zitnanová
authors.forename: Iweta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Waczulíková
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rohdewald
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duracková
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D028223:Pinus; D024301:Plant Bark; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C024070:pycnogenols