What Is Maritime Pine Bark Extract? A Plain Explainer

A coastal pine and its bark

Maritime pine is a species of pine tree known to botanists as Pinus pinaster. The common name comes from its habit of growing near the sea, and it is a familiar tree along parts of the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast of southwestern Europe, including areas of France, Spain and Portugal. It has also been planted in other countries with similar mild climates.

Like most pines, it is an evergreen conifer with long needles, rough reddish-brown bark and woody cones. It can reach considerable height and is valued in forestry for timber, resin and for helping stabilize sandy coastal ground.

Maritime Pine Bark appears in the botanical blend named on the LungFresh label. This article is a neutral guide to what the ingredient is, how an extract is made from bark and how the name is written on labels.

What bark extract means

Bark is the protective outer layer of a tree trunk. To make an extract, the bark is gathered, usually as a by-product of the timber industry, and then processed with water or a mixture of water and another food-grade solvent. The liquid is filtered, concentrated and dried, which produces a fine powder suitable for capsules.

Extracts are made so that a bulky plant material can be turned into a compact, consistent ingredient. The word does not mean that the extract looks or behaves like raw bark; it is a processed material that has been drawn out of the bark.

A label may call it Maritime Pine Bark Extract, Pinus pinaster Bark Extract, or simply Pine Bark Extract. The Latin name is the most precise, because the word pine alone covers more than a hundred species.

• Maritime pine: Pinus pinaster
• Part used: the bark
• Process: extraction with a solvent, then drying to a powder
• Common label names: Maritime Pine Bark, Pinus pinaster Bark Extract

The plant compounds found in bark

Tree bark is a rich mixture of natural plant compounds. The ones most often mentioned in descriptions of maritime pine bark are polyphenols, a very large family of plant substances that give many plants their color, flavor or astringent taste. Tea, red grapes, cocoa and berries all contain polyphenols of their own.

Within the polyphenol family, pine bark is associated with compounds called procyanidins, sometimes grouped under the broader term proanthocyanidins. These are chains of smaller building blocks linked together. You may notice these words in technical descriptions or on labels that state a standardized content of the extract.

Phrases like standardized to a percentage simply mean that the manufacturer has measured a particular group of compounds in the extract and tuned the batch so that the figure is consistent from one batch to the next.

Where else you might meet pine bark

Pine bark has a long history in forestry and crafts, and bark and needles from various pines have been used in traditional preparations in many parts of the world. For example, pine needles are sometimes brewed as a tea in cold-climate regions, and resin from pines has been used for centuries to make turpentine and rosin.

In the modern supplement aisle, maritime pine bark extracts appear in a number of products, usually in capsules or tablets. The tree also appears in everyday life in less obvious ways, such as in garden mulch, in wood products and in the pleasant scent of a pine forest.

It is worth emphasizing that the word pine on a label does not mean that the product tastes or smells of pine. Extracts are typically dry, fine powders that are packed into capsules.

How it is written on the LungFresh label

On the LungFresh panel, Maritime Pine Bark appears inside the botanical blend, listed with Mullein Leaf, Pineapple Stem, Stinging Nettle Root, Tiger Milk Mushroom, Quercetin and Black Pepper Fruit Extract. As with any proprietary blend, the panel gives one combined amount for the group, and the ingredients are listed in descending order by amount.

This means you can tell which ingredient is largest by amount and which is smallest in the blend, even if the label does not give a separate figure for each. The bottle itself is the reference for the exact wording.

LungFresh is a daily dietary supplement in capsule form for adults. The brand suggests two capsules each day with a glass of water, about six to eight ounces, or as the label directs. Bottles contain 60 capsules and should be stored in a cool, dry place.

Reading extract labels more easily

Extract entries can look technical, but they follow a pattern. A good habit is to check four things on any product: the plant name, the part used, the form and whether the label mentions standardization.

These four checks will help you understand almost any botanical entry on a Supplement Facts panel, from tree bark to mushroom to leaf. They are worth practicing with the bottle in your hand, since label layouts differ from brand to brand.

If you ever feel unsure about a term, the Latin name in brackets is usually the quickest way to be certain about what plant is meant, because common names can be shared by several species.

• Plant name: Maritime pine or Pinus pinaster
• Part used: bark
• Form: extract or powder
• Standardization: a stated percentage of certain compounds, if given