Pine tree needle uses?

thresa

I had an opportunity to collect some pine needles. I have made them into a tincture but I am not sure what all I can use the tincture for. Any suggestions?

T

H_D

tea, vinegar, syrup, tincture all great uses for pine needles.

Pine is an antiseptic that can be used internally to support the body in a speedy recovery. In respiratory infections where thick mucus is present, it works to draw phlegm up and out of the lungs. It’s also been used externally to draw out toxins or objects embedded in the skin (Wood, 2009).

They are also high in vitamins C and A

just not when pregnant, it can cause miscarriage

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/pine-needle-tea.html

Happy healing

Heather

LaurieLovesLearning

Here is a website that recommends ID books and has benefits & recipes. Some pine are poisonous.

https://www.growforagecookferment.com/foraging-for-pine-needles/

Obiora E

Along with using them for a tincture, you can make herbal tea with the Pine Needles, include them in a Fire Cider recipe, and even in a lacto-fermented soft drink.

Torey

What a great idea to use the pine needles in Fire Cider! We have had a couple of frosts so nearly time to pick the horseradish and get a batch of Fire Cider on the go. I was doing some recipe testing for Rosalee de la Foret awhile ago and she had me experimenting with Douglas Fir. So I think they would be nice in Fire Cider as well. I am going to do two different batches of Fire Cider this year. One with some of the more traditional ingredients including ginger and black peppercorns (that are not local) but the other one I wanted to make with completely local ingredients so the needles will make an excellent addition.

lmrebert

@thresa

read an article with a few great ideas!

https://theherbalacademy.com/8-ways-use-pine-needles/

SuperC

@H_D I clicked on the link and read the information about pine needle tea. There are several pine trees in my neighborhood so this will be fun to tey. Thanks! Enjoy with love

SuperC

@thresa so many quality links within the ways to use pine needles link...I became totally distracted for 20 minutes and it was fun!

Obiora E

@torey Sounds good!

russellfarmer

There are multiple health benefits of pine needle tincture. A few remarkable health benefits of herbal medicine is the solution that enhances your immune system, helps combat depression, and alleviates respiratory-related problem like coughing.I've read about it before on this blog site : ggdbshoes.info.

bmaverick

Another good use for dried pine needles is making fire-starters. Used t-paper rolls stuffed with 2/3rds dried pine needles works great. It will kick start any rocket stove to ignite and burn nicely.

lmrebert

@bmaverick i bet that smells wonderful just like vacuuming up pine needs during Christmas!

LaurieLovesLearning

It's that time of year to collect these. Bumping up.

Monek Marie

I'll be removing my one tree soon so all these ideas are wonderful.

jowitt.europe

@thresa I make cleaning liquid by adding pine needles to apple vinegar. I keep a jar closed for about a week and then strain. It smells more pines than vinegar and I use this liquid for cleaning in the kitchen and in the bathroom.

karenjanicki

Just make sure you have an edible variety. Yew is poisonous. I like to make a tea with hemlock pine needles.

Torey

While there are a lot of conifers that are in the Pinaceae family, many are not. Western Redcedar, Yellow Cedar, Eastern White Cedar, Junipers, Redwood and Sequoia are Cupressaceae and Yew is in the Taxaceae family.

There are several different genus in the Pinaceae family, but to avoid confusion not all should be referred to as Pine. These include Firs (Abies species), Spruces (Picea species), Hemlocks (Tsuga species), Larches (Larix species) and two Douglas Firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii variations). They all have different properties and uses. Some are much more flavourful than others.

To make matters more confusing, True Cedars including the Cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus species) are in the Pinaceae family, not Cupressaceae.

Get a good book on tree identification so you can be sure of the genus and species you are harvesting.

Edit: Silly me. I forgot the one of the main Pinaceae members, Pines (Pinus species). Jack Pine (P. banksiana), Lodgepole Pine (P. contorta ssp. latifolia), Shore Pine (P. contorta ssp. contorta), Whitebark Pine (P. albicaulis), Ponderosa or Yellow Pine (P. ponderosa), White Pine (P. monticola), Eastern White Pine (P. strobus), Southwestern Pine (P. strobiformus), Sugar Pine (P. lambertiana), Red Pine (P. resinosa), Virginia Pine (P. virginiana), Bristlecone Pine (P. longaeva) and several other species including the Piñon PInes. Pinus species are the only ones that should be referred to as Pine to avoid confusion.

Wendy

Wow so much info here! I have tried conifer tea, and now need to make some conifer-cider cleaner.