Grape Seed or Pine Bark Extract - Essential AntiAging Suppliments

by Rikki Arundel
(Hull, East Yorkshire, UK)

In 1535 French maritime explorer Jacques Cartier sailed up the St Lawrence Seaway for the first time, but by October discovered himself to be icebound and settled in for the harsh Canadian winter.

By February 1536, 25 of his 110 man crew were dead from scurvy and most of the rest seriously ill, when local Indians introduced him to a concoction made from the bark and pine needles a certain tree called Annedda which saved the lives of the crew.

The pine needles contained vitamin C but not enough to have had such a dramatic impact and over 400 years later, French biochemist Jaques Masquelier, intrigued by this story, investigated and discovered another ingredient in the bark of the tree which he called oligomeric proanthocyanidin or OPC.

This OPC is one of the most powerful anti oxidants known and significantly improves the effectiveness of Vitamin C by neutralizing the free radicals that destroy the vitamin. Sequentially OPC's have been discovered in a number of other plants and fruits, most notably in Grape Seeds, and account for the fact that regular consumption of red wine helps to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

I learned about Grape Seed and Pine Bark Extract over 10 years ago and have taken this supplement every day since - the effect has been remarkable. Today I look and feel younger and healthier than I did 10 years ago. People are always surprised to learn my age of 57, having assumed I was in my mid forties.

Grape Seed Extract and Pine Park extract are available at all good health shops and although quite expensive are, in my view, essential supplements. Free radicals are the primary cause cellular damage that causes aging.