pine needle tea

[sapphire kate]

I'm wanting to try out pine needle tea. Susun talks about it in one of the newsletters, but doens't say if she uses fresh or dried needles.

Also does it matter what species? The main pine here is Pinus radiata aka Monterey pine. It's from California I think.

Any thoughts?


cheers,
kate

[Lannie]

Hi, Kate -

I've made spruce needle tea before, just to see what it tasted like (it was actually pretty good!). I would use the fresh needles if they're available, just because I think there's more good stuff in fresh than dried.

As far as what the different pines are good for medicinally, I'm not sure. Maybe tomorrow I'll look into that, as well, but I think now it's time for me to toddle off to bed. Nighty-night! [:)]

~Lannie

[LadyB]

Though it doesn't address the different varieties of pines specifically, we have a whole thread on the White Pine uses here
http://www.herbshealing.com/weedforum/t ... IC_ID=1778
LadyB

[Oleeta]

Hi folks!

I've used pine needles for colds, flu, and bronchitis since I was little. Breathing the steam if you boil the needles is great for this, kind of like Euccalyptus. I've also drunk the infusions and made vinegar from pine needles. As to what kind....it probably doesn't matter. I think I've used both brown needles and fresh ones. Fresh ones work better for vinegars. I've never tried to tincture pine neddles though and don't know which version is more potent. Hope this helps and yes, there's an article in one of the newsletters about pine.

Blessings,

Oleeta

[sapphire kate]

hey Oleeta [:)] *waves*, haven't seen you for ages.

Thanks everyone for the pine tips. I've been doing fresh pine needle tea each morning - it's delicious! There is this subtle undertaste that reminds me of ripe banana.

I'm going to try the vinegar too. And I'll probably dry some for later on.

I harvested some eucalyptus at the same time as the pine, but when I crushed and smelled it, I felt nauseous. Pine seems much gentler to me.

[Oleeta]

Hi Kate! Thanks I've been around but haven't chatted in forever! Oh yes and pine needles make a great mulch for your yard plants. People in Atlanta, Georgia and the area have used them for years for mulching.

Hope you are doing well. I am feeling better with all the mid-life changes! [;)]

Talk to you soon,

Oleeta

[r-marie]

I am so glad to see this topic. I live in the Florida panhandle and we have pine trees everywhere - including my backyard! I just made a quick search on Google and think it's mostly the one called Pinus elliotti or Slash pine. They have 8-12" long dark green needles and 3-5 inch cones. Right now my backyard is covered with the brown needles. The other pine tree here is the sand pine (Pinus clausa).

So, are the needles of these types suitable for infusions, as well. Are there any precautions? Am wondering about that turpentine - or is that only in the bark?

Another question I would have is since these trees have some green needles all year round, can I use them anytime. You wouldn't use the dry brown needles that have fallen to the ground? (Just wondering since some people are drying theirs.) This is a totally new thing for me, but I'll eat just about anything if it's good for me [:p]

[sapphire kate]

yeah those are the questions I have too.

I've been using fresh spring needles, and will dry some for later. I wouldn't use needles off the ground.

I'm doing a google search, so will just post the links I find:

http://www.lifeevents.org/pine-needle-tea-decoction.htm

a bit heroic, but interesting

~

http://www.algonet.se/~parlei/information/pine.tea.html

more boiling!

~

http://www.stashtea.com/w-111247.htm

now I'm confused - is stash pine a pine or not?

~

http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/Pine_Needle_Elixir.htm

~

http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/features/pine_tea.html

~

mostly the links give quantities and directions.


Oleeta, isn't the pine needle mulch too acidic for general use? It gets used here, but only for things like strawberries I think.

[r-marie]

Kate, thanks for those links! They answered nearly all of my questions. I learned that the turpentine taste comes from the sap - so I must clean the needles carefully. Also should gather the young needles - less tannin. And this link: http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/Pine_Needle_Elixir.htm assures me that any pine will do. So I'll give it a try!

By the way, if it's hard or laborious to chop those needles,what's wrong with tossing them in a blender or food processor? I have a Little Oscar that I use for just about everything. I'll give that a try too.

[r-marie]

Well, you can forget about the blender or the food processor! I just tried that and those needles just danced around and around the inside container - unfazed [:D] except for some residue on the container. So I snipped them with scissors and put them into the kettle with boiling water and simmered them for 5 minutes or so and then let them steep another 20 - 30 minutes.

I've never done this before and didn't know what to expect. But because pine needles are very green I guess I expected the tea to be green as well. Imagine my surprise when I lifted the lid and the liquid was nearly clear. If you hold the glass with the tea against the light you can see a very pale golden color and some cloudiness. The taste is bland. I used a bundle of 8" long fresh needles about the size of a quarter.

Is this it???? [:(]

[sapphire kate]

R-marie, I'm using a mix of last years growth, and new needles which are still very short. I chop them into a cup and cover with boiling water and cover and let sit 20 mins, then strain. I'm using about a tablespoon of chopped needles to a cup of water.

What I get is a clear liquid that has a subtle but definite taste. I really like it.

I will experiment with making stronger brews, maybe an overnight infusion. And later with dried needle preparations. Can't wait to do a vinegar!

Is it autumn where you are? Maybe the fresh needles aren't the best then? It's sping here.

I don't know how big a quarter is, nor how much water you used, so I can't really compare.

You could try the other variety of pine that you have.

[r-marie]

Kate, yes, it's autumn here, but we're in NW Florida so the temperature dips below freezing only a few times in the winter. I think I'm going to look for some young trees and try those. I was exagerating a little about the amount. I would say I had about 15 8inch needles which I chopped up and put into 8 oz of water. But I simmered the needles for a while. The tea had a very faint pine taste but actually quite pleasing once I got into it.

thanks for the info.

[sapphire kate]

yeah, I find the needles off younger trees to have a better taste. It's good having someone else trying this out too. Keep me posted [:)]

[Anonymous]

Hello...I am new here, but found your discussion on a goggle search. Just fyi, Pine Tea is consumed in southern Japan, and is believed to be one reason cancer rate is so low. It is an excellent immune system modulator, and shifts the immune system to the T1 from the T2 system where it often gets "stuck" in diseases such as CFS/FM, and AIDS. The imported tea and local (FL) distillation are VERY expensive- $35 and $60 respectively.

So, inspired by you ladies I am off to pick some pine needles, and see if I can save myself some money while increasing my NK cells!
Here's a CFS site that discusses this a bit: http://www.cfsdoc.org/nk_treatment.htm

Oh, I am fighting chronic Lyme disease, CFS/FM and EBV. Yuck!

Nice meeting you all![8)]
tansy

[sapphire kate]

hey, nice to meet you too tansy [:)]

I have CFIDS(CFS/M.E.) too - it's always nice to hear new information about this. That is very interesting about the T cells - I'll go check out the link.

I'd be interested to know if you have had NK or T cell tests. I haven't - they're not generally available here in New Zealand, but I gather they are more available in places like the US.

Can you say what "local (FL) distillation" is? (although I guess I'll find that on the site. I'm always a bit suspicious of 'treatments' that cost alot, especially something as ubiquitous as pine!

If you are looking at ways of taking pine check out the thread that LadyB posted the link for above:

http://www.herbshealing.com/weedforum/t ... IC_ID=1778



There are also a number of people here that have/had Lymes, CFS, and/or EBV - you'll find some threads on Lymes especially.


hope to see you around the forum.

blessings,
kate.