What is the effect of pine?
Pine or Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is an ancient medicinal plant that is said to have secretion-dissolving and slightly germ-reducing (antiseptic) properties. It has therefore long been valued in the treatment of inflammation of the respiratory tract:
The light green pine shoots and the essential oil isolated from the twigs and needles (pine needle oil) are used internally and externally to treat catarrhal diseases of the upper and lower airways (such as colds, pharyngitis, bronchitis).
Other areas of application include rheumatic complaints and mild muscle and nerve pain. Here the medicinal plant is used externally.
Pine ingredients
In addition to resin and flavonoids (secondary plant substances), pine shoots contain the plant’s healing essential oil. Its most important components are pinene, carene and limonene.
How is pine used?
There are various ways to use the healing powers of pine (Scots pine).
Pine as a household remedy
Pine can be used internally in various preparations for inflammation of the respiratory tract. In folk medicine, for example, a tea made from pine shoots is recommended:
More often, however, the healing power of pine is used in the form of pine needle oil (in aromatherapy) or ready-made preparations based on pine shoots or essential oil.
Home remedies based on medicinal plants have their limits. If your symptoms persist over a longer period of time and do not improve or even get worse despite treatment, you should always consult a doctor.
Pine in aromatherapy
Unless otherwise stated, the following formulations apply to healthy adults. For children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, the elderly and people with certain underlying conditions (such as asthma, epilepsy), the dosage often needs to be reduced or some essential oils avoided altogether. You should therefore first discuss the use of essential oils with such patient groups with an aromatherapist – for example, a doctor or alternative practitioner with appropriate additional training.
You can also prepare a full bath with pine needle oil: To do this, mix two to three tablespoons of honey with four to six drops of the essential oil and then stir into the warm bath water. The recommended water temperature for a full bath with pine needle oil is 35 to 38 degrees Celsius. Soak in it for 10 to 20 minutes. This can be beneficial for respiratory infections, muscle and joint pain and fatigue.
Pine needle oil, in combination with other oils, is suitable for rubbing in to stimulate circulation and relieve muscle pain: Take 30 milliliters of St. John’s wort oil (as a fatty base oil) and mix it with 30 drops of pine needle oil and five drops each of juniper berry, rosemary (chemotype cineol) and eucalyptus radiata essential oils. You can rub this mixture into the painful areas several times a day.
Ready-made preparations with pine
Various preparations made from pine needle oil such as ointments, creams, oils or alcoholic preparations (e.g. in rubbing alcohol) are available for rubbing in. They are used externally for rheumatic complaints, muscle or nerve pain. The same applies to ready-made bath additives based on pine (and often other medicinal plants). Read the package leaflet to find out how to use the ready-made preparations correctly, or ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Pine needle oil can irritate the skin and mucous membranes, especially in high doses. It can also increase spasms of the airways (bronchospasms).
What you should bear in mind when using pine
- Do not take a full bath if you suffer from major skin injuries, acute skin diseases, febrile or infectious diseases, cardiac insufficiency or high blood pressure.
- The following applies to pine needle oil and other essential oils: Only use 100 percent natural essential oils – preferably those obtained from organically grown or wild-collected plants.
- Never use pine needle oil around the eyes.
- The essential oil should also not be used for bronchial asthma and whooping cough, as this can increase cramping of the bronchial muscles.
- Children under the age of four should not inhale pine preparations.
- Pine needle oil and corresponding preparations should never be applied to the face of children under two years of age. This can lead to a dangerous glottis spasm and respiratory arrest.
- As a general rule, always discuss the use of essential oils on children with a doctor or pharmacist first.
How to obtain pine products
You can obtain preparations containing pine extracts or shoots from your drugstore or pharmacy. These include, for example
- sweets
- ointments
- balms
- emulsions
- Full baths
- tinctures
- syrup
- oil
The preparations are offered either for internal or external use. To ensure correct use, read the relevant package leaflet and consult your doctor and pharmacist.
Pine: What is it?
The (Scots) pine (Pinus silvestris) is a very resinous coniferous tree and an important representative of the forests in Europe and northern Asia (Euro-Siberian region). The tree, which can grow up to 40 meters tall, is very frugal when it comes to soil, water and climate. It has a very scaly bark and an umbrella-shaped crown, with older specimens being knotless far up.
The five to ten centimeter long needle-shaped leaves are arranged in pairs on the branches. The pine produces flowers every year, from which two to seven centimeter long, cone-shaped cones develop. These hang individually or in groups from the branches.
Related pine species (Pinus palustris = swamp pine and P. pinaster = maritime pine) also produce an essential oil used in pharmaceuticals – turpentine oil. It is used medicinally in a similar way to the essential oil of Scots pine.
