Pine bark has recently gained attention of being a powerful antioxidant. In the 1950s, Dr. J. Masquelier read Jacques Cartier's account of the "scurvy cure" from the Iroquois' decoction of pine needles and bark. Profesionally at the time, he was researching a group of substances called flavonols (bioflavonoids) that give fruits and vegetables their colors. Masquelier found that these substances have antioxidant properties. He extracted and isolated OPCs for the first time in peanut skins, and then later from the bark of pine trees from the southern coast of France. Pine bark was a waste product of the timber industry and so he utilized this abundant source of material and extracted concentrated amount of these antioxidant substances. Researchers have termed the group of antioxidants found in pine bark extract oligomeric proanthocyanidins, or OPCs for short. OPCs (also referred to as PCOs) are some of the most powerful antioxidants available. Grape seed extract is also very high in OPCs, as well as Hawthorn berries. Masquelier called his pine bark extract Pycnogenol, and in 1987 he had it trademarked. Pycnogenol® refers to a specific proprietary pine bark extract with proanthrocyanidins from Pinus maritima. In France, pine bark extract and OPCs have been rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness, and pine bark extract is a registered drug. Studies have shown that it is a powerful antioxidant that protect cells from oxidation and free radical damage. It works in synergy with vitamin C to increase its antioxidant activity. Pine bark extract has been shown to be protective of all functions of the heart and also helps repair tissues made of collagen (connective tissue, blood vessels, skin, bone, muscles, tendons, and cartilage).