The boys chosen for the study were given Pycnogenol, from the bark of the French maritime pine, and had “modest but significant” reductions of hyperactivity and inattention, reported Jana Trebaticka, M.D.
, and colleagues, of the Child University Hospital at Comenius University, and the University of Münster in Germany.
Doctors who conducted the study noted that the finding was especially significant for those who are rightfully concerned about overmedicating their children. Many parents these days are looking for natural remedies for their child’s attention problems, turning away from drugs like Ritalin that purportedly carry a host of side affects and dangers.
The investigators found that in the boys (but not girls) who received four weeks of therapy with the active drug, there were significant improvements over baseline and compared with placebo for teacher ratings on hyperactivity and inattention. The study also reported that a month after the trial ended, when the children were no longer taking the extract, their symptoms returned to the usual level.
The researchers found that there were no significant side effects connected with the pine bark extract except for some intestinal discomfort reported by one participant and "a rise in slowness" detected in another patient.
"Our results point to an option to use Pycnogenol as a natural supplement to relieve ADHD symptoms of children," the authors wrote.
