White Pine, Pinus Strobus

White Pine

Pinus strobus

warm, dry, tonifying

Taste: aromatic, astringent

Family: Pinaceae

Medicinal parts:leaves (needles), resin

Actions:stimulant expectorant, anticatarrhal, aromatic, antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, vulnerary, exhilarant, anti-oxidant  

Affinities:respiratory & immune systems

Notable constituents:volatiles (pinene, abietic acid), strobic acid, coniferin, rosin, tannins

Medicinal applications 

• Pine is a powerful ally when fighting against respiratory infections. Its antiseptic properties help take action against pathogens. Pine is also a powerful stimulant expectorant and considered an anticatarrhal, removing excess mucus. Pine opens up the lungs and makes coughs more productive by loosening up mucus and relieving chest congestion. Pine is a warming herb and is effective for treating respiratory conditions that are wet, phlegmy and have heavy mucus, such as pneumonia and general chest colds. Research shows that aromatics in pine help the quality of breathing and in turn allow for better sleep, helping patients heal faster. Out of all conifers, pine has the most phytoncides (wood essential oils) and breathing in these phytoncides ease respiratory infections. Direct application such as steaming with pine or breathing in its scent is the quickest and most effective way to work with pine's antiseptic properties. These applications allow the phytoncides to directly contact the membranes in your lungs. Drinking pine tinctures or pine tea is also useful because its pathway of elimination is partially through the lungs and it clears pathogens as it moves through the body. Research shows that pine needles contain shikimic acid which helps prevent the flu virus from reproducing. Both applications of steaming and drinking are supportive but keep in mind that direct application through steam is overall more effective for respiratory ailments.  

• Pine is astringent and tightens lax tissues, with the most astringent aspect of pine being its bark. Pine bark can be worked with to aid receding gums because of this tightening astringency. Research supports pine in oral health applications, pine can be effective as an ingredient in mouthwash for treating gingivitis. Pine has been shown to be effective in treating dental infections and gum disease because of its antimicrobial properties. Consider adding pine into your dental care routine. 

• Pine is considered an exhilarant, meaning it boosts your mood and creates an overall uplift and feeling of happiness. One way to connect to pine's mood boosting properties is to spend time in pine forests. When trees take in sunlight, they release potent terpenes and breathing in these terpenes has a powerful impact on mood, creating a positive, exhilarating effect. It is possible to receive these impactful, uplifting benefits by making herbal preparations that have a strong scent of pine, such as teas, tinctures and essential oil diffusion. A recent term for spending time in nature is forest bathing and research shows that it can help boost your immune system. Conclusive research demonstrates that phytoncides from trees decrease stress hormones and increase natural killer cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in your immune system. Consider scheduling in outdoor time, breathing deeply and interacting with your local trees. 

• The eastern white pine has been a powerful plant ally for the peoples of North America. The Iroquois people traditionally worked with white pine as a source of vitamin C. A substantial amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is found in the needles and bark of white pine. Ascorbic acid is helpful for supporting immune system function. In the 1970s Linus Pauling won a Nobel prize for his work showing that vitamin C reduces the length of cold symptoms. Consider making a cup of pine needle tea to support recovery during a cold and flu.

• Pine's anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antifungal properties combined with its complex terpene profile make it a potent topical. Pine tar, a medicine created by distillation of pine resin over heat  has been worked with for over two thousand years to treat a variety of skin conditions. Pine tars anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties are helpful for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis. It is suitable for healing dry, itchy, flaky or inflamed skin as well as burns. Its anti-inflammatory properties can be helpful for arthritic conditions and relieve joint pain. Over sixty different terpenes are found in pine oil, contributing to its antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. Pine essential oil protects the skins from a variety of bacterial pathogens such as staphylococcus aureus which causes skin infections. The synergy of these sixty plus terpene profiles contributes to pine's application as a potent topical. 

• Pine pollen is another way to work with the medicinal properties of pine. Purchasing pine pollen is expensive but harvesting pine pollen is simple. The pollen is ready to harvest when a golden dust is eliminated from the pine cones. Place a bag around the pine cones and gently shake the pine branch to capture the pollen. It is delicious as a tea, just add hot water to create a beautiful, sweet and milky drink. Pine pollen is a traditional Chinese medicine and has a variety of health benefits such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties. Pine pollen is known for helping testosterone levels in men as well as blood flow, making it an effective option for men's sexual health. 

• Pine bark has diuretic properties and has been effective in prevention and treatment of kidney stones. Consider adding pine in a diuretic blend to help with UTIs. 

In practice 

• Steaming with pine is a powerful direct application for supporting respiratory ailments. Add pine needles or 4-5 drops of pine essential oil into almost boiling water and breathe the steam in deeply. 

• Making tea from the bark and needles of pine are effective medicinal remedies for cold and flu as well as they are suitable for a diuretic blend. When making a cup of pine tea, make sure to breathe in its scent and enjoy pine's uplifting properties. 

• Consider working with pine in bathing, pine needles can be added into a bath tea mix or a few drops of pine essential oil. Breathe in the steam and scent of the pine to work with its powerful healing properties, uplifting your mood and fighting against pathogens in your respiratory system. 

• Forest bathing is another application for pines' exhilarating action, research shows that taking time in nature greatly improves mood. Consider getting to know your local trees and take in the exchange of mood boosting terpenes. 

• Consider incorporating pine into your oral care routine to work with its astringent and antimicrobial properties.  Powered pine needles can be added into your toothpaste and pine tea is suitable as mouthwash. 

• Pine has abundant terpenes profiles, its essential oil is uplifting and exhilarating. Considering working with pine essential oil as aromatherapy. 

• Pine trees are complex and beautiful plants. I highly recommend reading the Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben to get to know your plant allies better. 

• Pine pollen is known for men's sexual health. It was one of the first plants I worked with and after making tinctures to share with friends I was surprised to hear great results. A friend of mine, an older man who had suffered from a stroke, was able to be sexually active again after using the tincture, allowing him to regain confidence and enjoy his sexual life.  

• Pine resin is a powerful topical for wound care. After making a pine resin salve for my at home first aid kit, a friend of mine suffered from a burn while cooking. I was excited to share my newly made salve and she applied it to her wound when it became itchy, about a week after burning her skin. The wound healed surprisingly well and she was grateful to not have any scarring from the burn. Making pine resin salve is simple and also smells incredible, I highly recommend having some in your at home first aid kit! Work with a pine salve for wounds, burns and dry, flaky skin. 

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