Everyone in this country is familiar with the easy-care sturdy solid wood furniture made from the wood of pine. However, it is less known that the plant parts of pine can also be used as a remedy to treat various diseases.
Occurrence and cultivation of pine
The best-known pine species include mountain pine (Austrian Alps), forest pine and mountain pine (umbrella pine, Vienna Woods, Austria). Scots pine – or more accurately, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) – belongs to the pine family (Pinaceae). The fast-growing evergreen coniferous plant usually occurs as a tree. In its bark, wood, needles and cones are the resin channels. The trunk is straight grown and has no lateral branching. It is covered with a thin smooth or scaly bark. The tree crown is umbrella-shaped or cone-shaped. The needles are in narrow needle sheaths and stand together in clusters of two to eight leaves. They sometimes remain on the tree for up to 30 years. The stomata needed for photosynthesis are either on all sides of the plano-convex or triangular needles, or only on one side. At the base of young shoots grow elongated-ovate pendulous pine cones that contain the yellowish pollen. At the end of the shoots are the stalked seed cones arranged in groups. They develop from the female flowers of the conifer. The pine is native to Europe and Asia. Although it prefers the cool and humid climate, it is also found in the tropics and subtropics. In Central Europe, it is widespread and even grows at altitudes of up to 1,600 meters. The best-known pine species include mountain pine (Austrian Alps), Scots pine and mountain pine (umbrella pine, Vienna Woods, Austria). The tree makes few demands on the soil in which it grows (sandy soil). Resin and needles of pine are harvested in summer, the other medicinally active parts of the plant already in May.
Effect and application
Pine contains mainly essential oil, resins, bitter compounds, camphene, carene, limonene and bornyl acetate. Oil, ointment, tincture and tea are made from its needles, twigs and resins. Particularly valuable are the essential oils found in pine, which are extracted from the leaves (pine needle oil) and the resin (turpentine oil). Pine plant parts are used internally and externally. They have antiseptic, anti-oxidant, decongestant, analgesic and expectorant effects. They promote blood circulation, are diuretic, refreshing and stimulating. As air purifiers, they even kill microorganisms present in the air we breathe. Particularly well known are the soothing and cold-improving bath additives made from pine oil, which also have a pain-relieving effect on rheumatic diseases. From the resin and the pine needles oil is produced, which can be applied pure or added to an ointment or gel. The needles are also processed into pine tea. Pine wood and needles are used to prepare medicinal full baths. Pine tea is used internally, the oil is applied externally to the area to be treated or inhaled with water. Pine tincture is massaged directly into the skin as a liniment: it absorbs most of the essential oil of pine. To prepare the medicinal tea, the patient pours a teaspoon of fresh/dried cut needles with a cup of boiling water and steeps the covered tea for five minutes. After straining, he drinks one cup three times throughout the day. When he has a cold, he pours a few drops into hot water for inhalation and inhales the oil. To make a pine bath additive, one kilogram of needles is boiled with three liters of water for ten minutes. Then leave the decoction to infuse for two hours, strain it and add it to the hot bath water along with some sea salt. Under the application of pine natural remedies may occasionally occur allergic reactions, if the product was overdosed. Patients with whooping cough and bronchial asthma should generally not use pine remedies. Oil baths are dangerous only if the patient has open wounds, high blood pressure, heart failure or is pregnant. Inhalations with pine oil should not be performed on young children.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Pine natural healing products have a wide range of applications.They can have a strengthening effect in general physical weakness and relieve toothache. Pine tea helps with liver disorders, gallstones, urinary tract infections, bladder diseases, constipation, nervous exhaustion, nervousness and insomnia. Inhalations with pine oil have a positive effect on lung diseases such as tuberculosis, respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, sinus catarrh and colds (flu, cough, hoarseness). They can also be additionally combated with pine oil cold baths. Skin diseases such as psoriasis and neurodermatitis as well as neuralgia, rheumatoid arthritis, circulatory disorders of the skin and muscle injuries caused by sports activities are relieved externally by massaging in pine oil or with medicinal baths. They have an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, circulation-enhancing effect and reduce itching and pain. Most patients are probably familiar with the use of rubbing alcohol. This natural remedy has made a name for itself especially in the external treatment of strains, sprains, circulatory disorders of the extremities and general improvement of health. Pine needles, turpentine and pine needle oil have been recommended by Commission E of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices for internal and external use. In homeopathy, a fresh plant trituration (teep) of young pine shoots is used to treat eczema and urticaria (hives). The pine product known as Pine in Bach Flower Therapy helps to reduce discontent, discouragement and negative thoughts.
