They relieve congestion. They also support the immune system to do its job recovering from viruses and infections. Pine is high in antioxidant flavonoids including anthocyanins. A Korean study demonstrated using pine needles in tea was the best way to access the antioxidant benefits from pine needles. Pine needles contain shikimic acid , an antiviral precursor to the drug Tamiflu. Some other benefits that pine needles share with other conifer species:.
Pine needle tea is one way to enjoy the benefits that your local conifers have to offer. Pine needle tea is rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants however, before you plan to drink a mug of this natural vitamin C supplement, there are a few things you should understand. Some species of pine have been known to cause abortion in pregnant cattle, so if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant soon, avoid using pine needle tea out of an abundance of caution.
The diuretic actions of pine needle tea can be irritating to the bladder. If you are taking prescription medication check with your health professional before drinking pine needle tea regularly. Pine needle tea can lower the amount of other drugs circulating in your blood. Some conifers can be toxic so make an identification of the specific species before using it in this recipe. Avoid yew, cypress, and Norfolk pine as they are reported to be toxic.
Pine needle tea is a vitamin C and antioxidant rich tissane that is tonic and restorative in winter, with 4 times the vitamin C of fresh squeezed orange juice. It should be avoided, however by pregnant mothers and those who plan to become pregnant. The needles of some species of pine can cause abortion in pregnant animals, including humans. Avoid drinking or eating pine needles if you are pregnant. The plant family Pinaceae covers pine, spruce, fir, cypress, cedar, juniper, and other conifers.
When speaking of pine needle tea, many people will assume this refers to any plant within the Pinaceae family. So look beyond pine trees and also consider spruce, fir, and cedar as candidates for a daily cup of tea.
All these have high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A as well as other antioxidants that can help you stay healthy in a long winter.
Get a good field guide for your region though, before you head out on a foraging hike. Some trees are potentially toxic and should be avoided. Spruce and fir trees are safe and in my opinion, have a nicer flavour with a less resinous quality than pine or cedar. The flavour also varies between individual trees even within the same species. So nibble as you hike. But avoid yew, Norfolk pine, and some cypress trees. In addition, shikimic acid derived zeylenone displays anticancer, antiviral and antibiotic behavior, and triacetylshikimic acid exhibits anticoagulant and antithrombotic activity.
Shikimic Acid is the precursor used in the production of Tamiflu, a prescription drug used in the treatment of H1N1, swine flu, and avian flu. It is generally extracted from star anise spice. It can also be extracted from fennel seeds or pine, fir, or spruce needles. Researchers at the University of Tasmania developed a technique using a home espresso machine to extract shikimic acid from star anise, inexpensively.
Shikimic acid is water soluble and can be extracted using water alone. To extract the most antioxidants and vitamin C, needles should be fresh, or freshly dried with a green color and fresh evergreen scent. If you plan to use a home espresso machine to extract your pine needle tea, grind the fresh needles briefly in a vitamix jar or Blendtec blender, until they are coarsely ground.
Do not over process. Freeze unused portions of ground pine needles to preserve their antioxidants. Fill the lower chamber with filtered water. Place on the stove top on medium heat, as per Moka pot manufacturers instructions. If you're worried about it, stick with tried and true Eastern white pine, and of course exercise moderation. We sell pine needles online through our Etsy shop WalkingSmallFarm. They're foraged fresh on and around our homestead, which is surrounded by National and State Forest -- they never get sprayed.
Add pine needles. The addition of the needles should bring the water temperature down below boiling. For a stronger tea, reduce heat and simmer -- don't boil -- for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Then cover and let sit overnight or continue to next step and serve. Make sure not to boil the pine needles in order to preserve the vitamin C and prevent the release of bitter terpenes.
Vitamin C doesn't last long, so drink this tea as soon as possible. If you don't have access to white pine needles, you can buy them through our Etsy shop. Pine Needle Tea. But I wanted to buy my own tree--or find someone with a tree so i could harvest my own needles. But I am not sure if I just take a scissors and cut them off randomly, or if there is a particular method. I need specific instructions.
ANd can you cut too man off of a tree so it damages the tree?? Thanks for your help! These are good questions! To harvest, you can simply pluck off the needle clusters or use scissors to trim them off at the base of the needles. How can we store our harvested pine needles? Breathable Box? Should we let them dry like tea? I ordered a good amount of organic pine needles for tea. How best should I store these? In a paper bag? In a cabinet? In the fridge? And how long should they stay fresh?
This article states the substance and effects on animals, lists a few species. The translation for Coffee is Black Medicine Water. We have beautiful pine trees bordering out property and I have noticed in the past couple months they are yellowing. Not terrible. Just the tips! He actually stated that the vitamin C would not only be destroy in the plant, but could actually be boiled off into the air.
Obviously a little research was required on my part. This is what I have found out in regard to boiling pine needles for tea. I will address his second point first. Therefore the boiling of water would never reach a temperature that would cause the vitamin C to be boiled off.
Instead, the vitamin C would be dissolved vitamin C is water soluble in the water, which with a tea is what we are going to drink. The next point is that when you cook vegetables in boiling water, you will leach a lot of the vitamins out of the vegetables into the cooking water. This is why my wife steams our vegetables, as opposed to boiling them in water. Again, in the case of pine needle tea, we are not eating the needles, we are drinking the water, which should now be full of vitamin C.
Boiling pine needles in water over a fire for tea. In my humble opinion, you can steep your pine needles, or you can boil your pine needles. I have found that when they are boiled the water gets much more yellow looking which might mean it has more vitamin C in it. It should be noted that it is often more bitter as well. That's what our honey is for. It should also be noted that pine needle tea has medicinal uses.
It has often been used as an expectorant, a decongestant, and when cooled, an antiseptic wash. The bottom line is vitamin C is important, and during a survival situation you can get a heavy concentration of it by making pine needle tea. I have both steeped and boiled pine needles and it is always a pleasant warm drink, especially on a chilly night. Give it a try and stay healthy when in the field. We hope you enjoyed this article and will help support our efforts by checking out our products.
As always, Be Prepared To Survive! When in doubt, be prudent and leave it alone! Again, While there is no documented evidence of pine needles causing human miscarriages, pregnant women are advised to not ingest pine in any way.
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