Pine http://zetatalk.com/food/tfood07p.htm
From the Food Bible.
Spruce tea can be made by steeping fresh evergreen needles in water, that will be as potent with the both preventive & curative ascorbic acids as the ordinary orange juice. You can get it even more directly by chewing the tender new Spruce needles, whose starchy green tips are particularly pleasant to eat in the spring.
Pine may just be a popular Christmas tree to you, but to Indians, pioneers, mountain men and hikers, the tree has been a source of nutrition, medicine and at times a lifesaver. All pines share basically the same medicinal qualities. However the main medicinal varieties are scotch pine and white pine. The parts of the tree that are highly medicinal are the needles, inner bark and sap. Pine needle tea is high in vitamins A and C. In fact the fresh green needles have five times the amount of vitamin C found in one lemon. Throughout the centuries, people have literally survived on pine-needle tea as well as cured themselves of scurvy by drinking a tea of both the needles and inner bark of the pine tee.
Offered by Susan.
While reading Plants of the Rocky Mountains I came across this passage under "Lodgepole Pines":
The inner bark is succulent and sweet in May and June (when the sap is running), and it was eaten or chewed like gum. Because it is difficult to digest raw, it was usually boiled: too much caused a bellyache. The nourishing seeds were also eaten. Evergreen tea is high in vitamin C and was taken in winter to prevent or cure scurvy. It is still enjoyed today, often sweetened with sugar, honey, molasses or maple syrup, or spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel. Evergreen teas should always be used in moderation, because large amounts can be toxic. Pregnant women should not drink this tea.
From another source:
Pine Needle Tea
Crush and snip needles from yellow pine. Boil a pot of water, place pine needles in boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep from 20 minutes to all night. Refrigerate unused drink. The best tea will be a reddish color and a small amount of oil will rise to the top.
Note from author: if you simmer the tea it will contain less vitamin C.
Offered by Mary.
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http://1stholistic.com/Recipes/A2005/recipe_herbal-teas-pine-needle-tea.htm
Holisticonline.com Recipes Infocenter
Pine Needle Tea
Nature's Remedy Loaded with Vitamin Cby Leon Toille
It has been known for hundreds of years that a tea or broth made from hot water (do not boil) with 1/2 cup of pine needles is the cure for scurvy, and some varieties of pine produce a tea with more Vitamin C than is contained in 6 lemons! Let the tea steep for about two hours at least. Most pine needle teas are surprisingly not bitter...but if your tea a little bitter for your taste, add a little honey, preferably unpasteurized.
Jacques Cartier, one of the discoverer's of Canada, together with about half of his ship's crew, were saved from scurvy death (caused by lack of Vitamin C) when native people made a broth of pine needles when they came ashore...half the crew being dead already...and everyone drinking the tea survived.
Almost any variety of pine needles will work - when they are fresh and green (don't dry them out). Scientists also say there are many medicinal ingredients in pine needles besides Vitamin C. I have also used fresh green cedar "leaves" as well.
You don't need oranges and lemons in northern climates...health benefits are available from your nearest evergreen tree!
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http://www.nativetech.org/recipes/recipe.php?recipeid=197
Pine Needle Tea Contributor : Added by Administrator
Tribal Affiliation : Chumash
Orgin of Recipe : Offered by Rebecca Rangel ... who learned this from her Chumash Indian Grandmother in-law
Type of Dish : All Indigenous Ingredients
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Directions
Ingredients
- Needles, flowers, and candles from yellow pine.
Crush and snip needles, flowers, and pine candles.
Meantime, boil a pot of water.
Place pine in boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep from 20 minutes to all night.
What you don't drink hot, refrigerate for a cold, refreshing drink.Experiment with proportions of pine needles to water.
The best tea will be a nice reddish color, and a small amount of oil will rise to the top.
This recipe makes a beautiful red tea, with a mild, pleasant taste. You can sweeten with honey if desired. If you drink this tea every day, it can relieve mild depression. Good for allergies too.
Note: If desired, you can simmer the tea awhile. It will be very strong, but will probably contain less vitamin C. Prepared this way, it is said to be good for coughs. It is also supposed to flush kidneys, although I have not noticed this effect.
Warning:I was looking at the recipes and noticed pine needles, upon looking at the
recipe I strongly felt the need to add a caution to this recipe; pregnant
women must NOT use this as pine needles will cause "abortion" this also
happens in cows, when they eat the pine needles they will drop their calf's
(dead) within a couple of days if not hours. Please add this caution.
Thank you
Tracy Sampson
NWSFA Project Coordinator
Nicola Tribal Association
Box 188
Merritt, BC
V1K 1B8=================Stash Pine Needle Chinese Green TeaPine Needle Green tea is known for its high content of vitamins and minerals. Pine Needle Green tea contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) comparable to a lemon. It also contains several B vitamins which are water soluble and released into a cup of tea quickly. Five cups of green tea a day will provide you with 5 - 10% of the daily requirement of riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. The same five cups of green tea provide approximately 5% of the daily requirement of magnesium, 25% of the potassium requirement, and 45% of the daily requirement of manganese. Pine Needle Green tea also contains fluoride, which helps fight tooth decay.========================================
http://www.livingmemorialsproject.net/TOOLBOX/PLANT/HEALING_TREES/pine.htm
LIVING MEMORIALS PROJECT > TOOLBOX > PLANT > HEALING TREES
- Plants -- Introduction
- Healing Trees Project
- Resilience: Pine
- Respect and Care: Elm
- Reflection: Birch
- Remembrance: Willow
- Renewal: Dawn Redwood
- How to Plant Successfully
Tree of Resilience: Pine Family (Pinaceae)
- Healing Association
- A Short Story: Tree of Peace
- Planting Requirements
- Uses in the Landscape
- Healing Ethnobotanical Uses
- Recommended Species of the Pinaceae Family
- Plant Community
The pine displays unique flexibility that allows the tree to adapt to extreme climatic circumstances. The pine is an evergreen, holding onto its leaves (needles) throughout the cold or dormant season. Withstanding extreme cold, heat (in some cases, fire), drought, and ocean salt spray, pines are arguably the most wide-ranging and successful genus of trees on the (North American) continent, rivaled by the oaks in their ability to grow in a diversity of climates. The Pine Family is highly diverse. In this project, we will focus on the White Pine (Pinus strobus), growing 75-100 feet high, and sometimes 50-75' wide. The cultivar, 'Fastigiata' is a columnular upright variety, growing 20-30', and well suited for urban and small settings.
In a horticultural context, resilience is a measurement of a plant's ability to tolerate conditions of adversity and return to a healthful state. Demonstrating resilience through challenging climatic circumstances, Pines remind us of our own ability to "weather climatic shifts" and to continue to work to secure the well-being of future generations, through difficult times. The Trees of Resilience are highly valued medicinals by the Native Americans, Chinese and European cultures, bringing qualities of clarity and peace. (See Healing Ethnobotanical Uses below.)
An Oneida Story, retold by Charles Doxtater
"The story of the Tree of Peace is true and happened in the early 1800's. The Tree of Peace helped unite one of the most powerful leagues ever, The Iroquois League of Nations. The Iroquois League was made up of six tribes: the Cayuga, the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora. The tribes of the Iroquois League at one time were fighting with one another. There were fierce battles, but the people grew tired of the fighting. So they agreed to bury their weapons under a giant white pine tree. They believed that the weapons would be carried away by the under ground waters. So they sent the weapons off through the path of the roots. The weapons went in all four directions. After that, the tribes no longer fought. Instead, they formed the Iroquois League." (Source: University of Wisconsin website.)Pines are sun-loving, preferring dry, acidic, well-drained soils, from coarse sands to moderately sandy loams. pH 4.5- 6.5. Pines can tolerate salt, but are sensitive to compaction and pollution.
Structure
- An evergreen natural border and backdrop for smaller flowering trees
- Excellent visual and windbreak screen
- Produces deep shade, with little opportunity for under-planting
- Excellent specimen tree
Sensorial
- Sweet aromatic properties, especially after rain
- Dramatic visual affirmation of "life" in winter
- Some species have wonderful bark interest especially Tanyosho and Lacebark pines
Food and Habitat for Wildlife
- Pine seeds are eaten by red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches, black-capped chickadees, and pine warblers. (NRG)
- The larvae of the western pine white butterfly (Neophasia menapia) feeds on the needles, as do the eastern pine elfins and western pine elfins (Callophrys niphon and C. eryphon) (Cullina)
The Fourth Dimension: Time, growth, decay, renewal
- A member of the Pinus longaeva species of the western United States, is recorded as having lived 4844 years (Wheeler Park, Nevada; Rocky Mountain Tree Research, Inc.).
- Members of the Eastern Atlantic pines species have been known to live up to 1,000 years.
The information provided below is intended for educational purposes only. Please contact your local licensed herbalists for safe and proper medicinal uses of this plant.
Native American Medicine
The Nations of the Adirondacks (meaning "tree eaters") ate the inner bark of White Pines (Pinus strobus) as one of their primary winter foods. During the first winter in the "New World", many colonists died of scurvey, caused by a severe lack of vitamin C. Native American's offered the recipe of pine needle tea. (Weed) Pine needles are now known to manufacture large concentrations of vitamins A and C. "It has been estimated that a cupful of strong pine needle tea has more vitamin C than the average lemon." (Vitale) Boiled mashed inner bark, and pine tar salve was used to heal injuries. Dried needles were placed in open jars to sweeten home environments. (Weed, Vitale)
Pine Essential Oil
Essential oil of pine is classified as a "middle note"; that is, its energetic effect is neither stimulating nor sedating, but rather it works to regulate and modify out of balance conditions. (Yuen) Applications include use on acupressure points and drops in hot water to create medicinal vapors. Pine oil is effective in treating diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, and for rheumatic and neuralgic ailments. (Blumenthal, American Botanical Council)
Current Scientific Research
The Agricultural Research Database notes the following area of research in uses of White Pine (Pinus strobus).
Antitussive
Burn
Demulcent
Diuretic
Dysentery
Expectoran
Itch
Laxative
Myalgia
Rheumatism
Swelling
WoundResearch now in process is investigating the use of stanol esters derived from pine trees to reduce total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. (Herb Research Foundation, The Tan Sheet, June 5, 2000.)
Actions: Antiseptic, Decongestant, Disinfectant, Expectorant, Tonic
Recommended Species of the Pinaceae Family
Native Recommended Species
Short leaf Pine (Pinus echinata)
Table mountain Pine (Pinus pungens)
Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)
White Pine (Pinus strobus) 'Fastigiata': columnular upright variety, 20-30'
Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana)Non-native Recommended Species of the Pinaceae Family
There are a tremendous number of wonderful non-native pines. We recommend that you visit botanical gardens and arboreta to view their splendor, and make your selections. Two selections are:
Tanyosho Pine (Pinus densiflora)
'Umbraculifera': Very attractive evergreen displays shrub-like multi-trunked form with flat-topped umbrella-like head. Red- brown bark in youth and bright green needles are other features.Plant Community of the Eastern White Pine: Appalachian Oak-Hickory Forest, Successional Northern Hardwoods
Appalachian Oak-Hickory Forest
Native Recommended SpeciesRed Maple (Acer rubrum)
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharinum)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
Black Birch (Betula lenta)
Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Flowering Dogwood (Corunus florida)
White Ash (Fraxinus americana)
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
White Oak (Quercus alba)
Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus)
Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
Black Oak (Quercus velutina)
Common Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
Black Birch (Betula lenta)
Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
White Ash (Fraxinus americana)
Green Ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica)
American Holly (Ilex opaca)
Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Common Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)==================VERMONT WINTER: Did You Ever Eat a Pine Tree?
White pine needles have been tested for nutritional benefits, and they have good yields of vitamin A and about 5 times as much vitamin C as found in lemons. ...
www.ruralvermont.com/vermontweathervane/issues/winter/97012/eatpine.shtml - 15k -JUVO Vegetarian Raw Food Ingredients
www.gojuvo.com/whatandwhy.asp - 26k -==============Re: Dark Grapes with Skins (seedless) Resveratrol;Top 10 Fruits Pine & Spruce Needles Vitamin C,inner bark Resveratrol
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