Dec. 23, 2004 — Christmas trees someday may not only be admired for their beauty, but also ingested in food supplements, because a new study reveals that the bark of the Scotch pine, commonly used for Christmas trees, reduces cellular inflammation linked to arthritis pain.

Recent additional studies on extracts derived from pine bark indicate that the extract also has the potential to treat or relieve high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease and skin cancer.

While the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved such health claims, extracts made from the European coastal pine, Pinus maritima, already are sold in some health food stores and are available online. Pending other studies, extracts from Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris, may soon be on the shelves too.

For the recent research, Scotch pine bark extract was tested on mouse macrophages, or cells known to produce compounds that trigger inflammation. To make the extracts, the researchers used various methods to separate insoluble materials from dried bark powder, which then was reconstituted in water or another liquid.

Findings will be published on Dec. 29 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Kalevi Pihlaja, a chemistry professor at the University of Turku in Finland, and colleagues found that the Christmas tree bark extract inhibited the production of nitric oxide and prostoglandins by 63 percent. Both nitric oxide and prostoglandins are produced in excess by many patients suffering from arthritis and circulatory disorders.

Pihlaja and his team also identified 22 phenolic compounds, or substances known to have disinfectant or anti-inflammatory properties, within the Scotch pine bark extract. One of these compounds in particular, ferulic acid, has been shown in studies to possess numerous "anti" health benefits, including being antioxidant, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal and antitumor.

Christmas trees obviously do not suffer from arthritis or blood circulation problems, but phenolic compounds in bark do benefit trees.

"Generally speaking, phenolic compounds in trees are of great importance in many ways," Pihlaja told Discovery News. "Phenolic compounds in tree bark act as a barrier between the environment and the living tissue of the tree. They are cellular support materials, but they can also act as antifungal or antibacterial agents."

Previous studies on pine tree bark by Lester Packer, scientist and professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, found that European coastal pine bark extract, often sold under the name Pycnogenol, contained powerful antioxidants that help to extend the beneficial health effects of Vitamin C in the body.

"It's not too early to say that Pycnogenol is a good supplement to take along with vitamins C and E, and lipoic acid," Packer said. "We looked at extracts of fruits and vegetables, gingko, green tea, and many other plants, as well as purified flavonoids, and among these Pycnogenol was the most potent in extending the lifetime of the vitamin C radical."

Pihlaja, however, warns against brewing up a pot of Christmas tree bark tea, or trying to whip up a homemade batch of extract from your holiday pine centerpiece.

"Bark contains different types of compounds," he explained. "All naturally occurring compounds are not necessarily safe and therefore application of potential plant extracts/constituents requires extensive research in many fields."

He and his colleagues hope to conduct further studies on the extract, pending additional funding.

Safer Solution?
Perhaps a safer arthritis solution, for now, might be found as a gift under the tree. Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Britain tested the effectiveness of magnetic bracelets on 194 patients suffering from arthritis. Some patients wore standard strength magnetic bracelets, while others wore weaker bracelets or non-magnetic "dummy" bracelets.

The findings are published in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal.

All bracelet wearers were asked to rate their arthritis pain four weeks and then 12 weeks into the study. Those who wore the standard magnetic bracelets consistently rated arthritis pain on a lower scale than patients who, unbeknownst to them, were wearing weak magnet or dummy bracelets.

The research team, led by general practitioner Tim Harlow, could not figure out the mechanism behind the magnetic bracelet's apparent effectiveness, but future studies on the possible pain-reducing properties of magnets are in the works.