Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins
( OPCs )

Grape seed extract - Pine-bark extract

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins, better known by the abbreviation OPCs, are classified as flavonols and are usually derived from grape seeds or pine bark. They are also present in red wine, hops, and various flowers, leaves, fruits, berries, nuts, and beans, usually with high concentrations in skins, barks, and seeds. The way in which these versatile healing compounds are distinct from flavonoids is their simple chemical structure, which allows them to be readily absorbed into the bloodstream.

OPCs are very powerful antioxidants. Vitamin E defends against fat-soluble oxidants, and vitamin C neutralizes water-soluble ones, but OPCs are active against both types. They also help stabilize the walls of blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and generally support tissues containing collagen and elastin, proteins found in cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, skin, and muscle.

Of all the herbs and herbal supplements, OPCs are the most useful in supporting vascular health. They maintain the health of capillaries, which are the channels through which the blood delivers nutrients to individual cells and carries away waste products. Capillaries must be permeable enough to allow nutrients and oxygen to seep through them, but strong enough to prevent too much fluid from flowing out and causing edema. The beneficial effects of OPCs on capillary health result in relief of many neurological diseases and can prevent the swelling and inflammation of allergic reactions. OPCs are popular for preventing heart disease, revitalizing aging skin, and reducing a tendency to bruise easily.

Benefits of OPCs for specific health conditions include the following:

• Allergies and asthma. OPCs stop histamine from causing swelling, inflammation, and pain in soft tissues. Their antioxidant action prevents the activation of enzymes known as oygenases, which cause the release of inflammatory chemicals in response to histamine. Many allergy sufferers find that OPCs eliminate all noticeable symptoms of allergy, even in the middle of the allergy season. OPCs do not inhibit the production of antibodies to allergens, and so do not interfere with desensitization treatments (allergy shots).
• Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. OPCs help to prevent blood-vessel changes in the brain that can complicate Parkinson's disease. Cell studies have shown that Pycnogenol, a patented form of pine-bark extract, can inhibit the accumulation of beta-amyloid, a peptide (protein) that accumulates in the form of plaques in the central nervous system and is toxic to nerve cells, causing a breakdown of cell membranes. These plaques are a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease.
• Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Dr. Marion Sigurdson, a psychologist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, reports that OPCs extracted from a mix of grape seeds and pine bark are as effective as methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the treatment of both adult and childhood attention deficit disorder (ADD). The manner in which arcs affect ADD is not precisely understood, but laboratory studies suggest that OPCs help the brain to regulate its use of two excitatory neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. This allows OPCs to act as antidepressants for people with ADD and also those with chronic fatigue syndrome without affecting nerve function in the rest of the body.
  OPCs are also known to be potent antioxidants. If blood circulation to the brain of a person with ADD is impeded by allergy, high blood pressure, or muscular tension, the  brain's oxygen supply is reduced. Once circulation is restored, toxic free radicals released by oxidation can flood brain tissue, destroying the linings of cells. OPCs interrupt the formation of oxygen free radicals and prevent damage to cell membranes. According to recent research, OPCs also help deliver to the brain nutrients that are helpful for people with ADD, such as zinc, manganese, selenium, and copper. OPCs also relieve neurological symptoms by acting as antihistamines. Allergic reactions can cause pain signals in the rest of the body that can overwhelm the brain, interfering with its functions of coordination and control and heightening the symptoms of ADD. By fighting allergies elsewhere, OPCs can reduce the burden on the brain and relieve symptoms of ADD.
• Cancer. Medical studies have demonstrated the antioxidant effects of OPCs. They have the ability to inhibit the initiation, promotion, and progression of cancer. Scientists at the University of Arizona found that Pycnogenol helps build resistance to cancer by as much as 40 to 50 percent by boosting the body's first line of cancer defense, the immune system's natural killer (NK) cells.
  The body's overproduction of nitrous oxide (NO) can result in chronic, damaging inflammation, which is the root cause of one in three cancers. Pycnogenol has been shown to quench NO when it threatens to become a damaging free radical, and it inhibits a gene that might otherwise create enzymes that could lead to the overproduction of NO.
• Diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Professor Denham Harman of the University of Nebraska believes that OPCs may be the ideal medicine for macular degeneration. Proanthocyanidins concentrate in the linings of microscopic blood vessels in the eye. These delicate conduits for blood are easily blocked by cellular debris or inflammation. They are also sensitive to injury from high blood pressure or diabetes. As long as the right level of permeability is maintained, however, no damage occurs to the retina. OPCs keep the capillaries permeable enough to deliver nutrients and remove waste products. They prevent excessive permeability that would cause swelling in the nerve tissue itself.
  Harman believes that the antioxidant action of proanthocyanidins also helps to protect eye tissue from damage caused by inconsistent levels of oxygen. Two unpublished studies of 100 subjects found that taking 200 milligrams of grape seed OPCs for five weeks produced improvements in night vision and glare recovery. In other studies, OPCs have been shown to relieve eyestrain in computer users, to reduce retinopathy among people with diabetes, and to improve the function of the retina in nearsighted people.
• High blood pressure and stroke. People with high blood pressure have weakened capillaries that allow fluid to pass through the walls and into the tissues very easily. The tendency of capillaries to break increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and ruptured blood vessels. French researchers have found that grape seed OPCs increase capillary resistance by 25 percent in people with diabetes and/or high blood pressure. German studies have found that damage from stroke is much lower in laboratory animals first treated with OPCs.
• Swollen ankles, cuts and scrapes, lymphedema, nosebleed, tendinitis, and varicose veins. When the walls of small blood vessels weaken, the fluids they transport leak out, causing swelling. OPCs strengthen capillary walls by blocking the degradation of the two proteins that give them strength and elasticity, collagen and elastin. This action stops edema and swelling.
  The ability of OPCs to strengthen capillary walls has been scientifically verified. A double-blind Italian study of fifty people with varicose veins found that grape seed OPCs worked faster and longer than the most commonly used prescription medication. The OPCs relieved both the burning and tingling sensations caused by varicose veins and swelling in the lower extremities. All symptoms improved in just thirty days. A French study found that 300 milligrams of grape seed OPCs taken daily for four weeks reduced the reported incidence of pain, nighttime leg cramps, swelling, and tingling by 50 percent. Although OPCs can relieve the pain and swelling of venous insufficiency, they cannot make visible varicose veins disappear. But regular use might help prevent new ones from developing.
  There is some evidence that OPCs can be useful for swelling following an injury or surgery. A double-blind controlled study found that postoperative breast cancer patients who took 600 milligrams of OPCs daily for six months experienced a significant reduction in swelling, pain, and sensations known as paresthesias. Another double-blind controlled study found that OPCs improved the rate at which swelling disappeared following sports injuries.

The two principal sources of OPCs are a pine-bark extract called Pycnogenol and a number of products based on grape seed extract. Both kinds of products supply the active ingredients that are important to vascular health and circulation. Products made from cranberries, hazelnut tree leaves, and lemon tree bark that have been standardized for proanthocyanidins may also be used.

Many nutritionally oriented physicians report best results when Pycnogenol is taken in a dosage of 1 milligram per day for each pound of body weight (or 2 milligrams for each kilogram). For a 150-pound (70-kilogram) person, this would be a dose of approximately 150 milligrams of Pycnogenol daily. If progress is not satisfactory after thirty days, you can double the dosage. However, if you experience any signs of detoxification, such as congestion, fever, rash, diarrhea, headaches, irritability, or fatigue, you should increase the dosage more slowly.

Grape seed extracts are high in tannin and may interfere with iron absorption. You should not take these if you have anemia. If you are taking blood-thinning medication, including aspirin, heparin, pentoxifylline (Trental), or warfarin (Coumadin), high doses of OPCs may pose a risk of excessive bleeding.