Some Australian sports team are using a product called Lact-Away, which is made from the sap of a French pine. The active ingredient is pycnogenol. Various teams state anecdotal evidence that it shortens recover time and boosts muscle endurance.
Used by Aussie Rules teams, Rugby League teams, and boxer Kostya Tszyu. Apparently it tastes foul, but the players swear by it.
I’ve never heard of it, but just read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Anyone on ST tried it for endurance events?
in ‘La revue de medecine’, Pr. P. delacroix et al. show the positive effects of pycnogenol in chronic venous insufficiency.
Used for blood flow issues, in particular oedema, varicose legs.
Also some prelim. studies seem to show + effects on asthma and as an antioxydant.
This is super-spooky stuff if Google can only produce one hit for sites mentioning Lact-Away.
My cat likes to lick my sweaty, soar legs while I stretch, but still no positive effects as of yet. But one of these days cat saliva will be like bottled lightning.
It’s been around for a long time, and is an extract of the Maritime pine that is native to the coast of France. There were some folks in America that were trying to pass off grape seed extract as pycnogenol a few years ago, and they were all slapped on the wrist for it. Grape seed extract actually does the same thing, but is not as effective (nor as expensive).
The anti-oxidant properties have been well documented.