Comparison
Melatonin vs Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark)
Melatonin
Pineal hormone regulating circadian rhythm. Low doses (0.3-1mg) often outperform higher doses for sleep.
Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark)
Branded extract of French maritime pine bark. Procyanidin and flavonoid complex with cardiovascular, cognitive, and ADHD benefits.
| Field | Melatonin | Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | neuroprotective | neuroprotective |
| Dose range | 0.3–3mg | 100–200mg |
| Half-life | 1h | — |
| Onset | 30min | — |
| Evidence | EVIDENCEA | EVIDENCEB |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Legal (US) | USOTC | USOTC |
| PubMed refs | 28000 | 580 |
The comparison in plain English
Auto-generated from dataMelatonin and Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) are both in the neuroprotective category respectively. Melatonin Pineal hormone regulating circadian rhythm. Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) Branded extract of French maritime pine bark.
Bottom line
Melatonin (evidence A, safety 5/5) has a weaker evidence base than Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) (evidence B, safety 5/5). Melatonin has the slightly cleaner safety profile. For users new to either, the higher-evidence option is the safer first try.
Choose Melatonin if
Melatonin is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (Endogenous hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, signalling the circadian sleep window) and the dose range (0.3–3mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is 1h.
Choose Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) if
Pycnogenol (Maritime Pine Bark) is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (A complex of procyanidins (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), bioflavonoids, and organic acids) and the dose range (100–200mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is —h.