Pine needles - useful properties and contraindications

Pine ordinary is a coniferous plant that stands out in height among many trees, reaching 40 meters. Outwardly, it can be distinguished from other trees by a straight trunk, a cracked bark or a round crown. Instead of leaves, pine needles are quite densely located on pine branches. Despite this, a tree, like all plants, can bloom. The flowering period, as a rule, is May; it is at this time that cones form on the branches. Over time, these cones become harder and literally become stiff. Pine trees can stand for a large number of years. The average life span of this plant is 400 years.

Pine is popular primarily due to its many healing properties. In treatment, this plant was used more than 5 thousand years ago. Needles are excellent as a basis for the preparation of compresses and poultices. In ancient Egypt, pine resin was mainly used. This material was used in the embalming process. In the territory of Ancient Russia, people in most cases used resin for disinfection of the oral cavity and treatment of various gum diseases. To do this, just chew the resin.

• vitamins;
• essential oils;
• tannins;
• starch;
• resin;
• carotene and more.

In ancient times, various healers advised people to walk more often in a pine forest to improve their well-being. Many argue that if you snuggle up to a pine tree for just a few minutes, you can feel better and increase your performance. Scientists from Japan say that the smell of pine essential oils significantly improves memory, improves mood and has an invigorating effect.

How can pine buds be used?

Decoction based on pine kidneys has a number of useful properties, thanks to which it is used in medicine:

• eliminates inflammation;
• has a diuretic effect;
• destroys microbes;
• possesses a disinfecting property;
• has a hemostatic effect.

In addition to these properties, pine is also able to help a person get rid of cough, as it is an expectorant. The fact is that the oils of this plant are able to excite the epithelium of the respiratory tract. In addition, pine has a stimulating effect on the ciliary epithelium.

To combat bronchitis, you can make tea from pine buds. A similar medicine can also help fight pneumonia with kidney disease and cholelithiasis. To make such tea, you need to take 10 grams of pine buds and pour a glass of boiling water. After this, the resulting broth must be cooled to room temperature.

Useful properties of pine needles

Pine needles are also rich in beneficial substances. From it you can prepare many different decoctions and infusions, which are now actively used in the treatment of many diseases. It is best to collect needles in the winter or late autumn. It was at this time that it was most rich in useful properties.

1. From pine needles you can make a real vitamin infusion. To do this, you need to collect about 4 cups of raw materials. After that, it must be thoroughly washed and cut into small pieces with scissors.Next, the needles should be filled with cold water, only half a liter of liquid will be enough. To remove the bitterness in the infusion, you need to add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Then the resulting mixture must be placed in a dark and cool place where the vitamin drink can be infused for 2-3 days. You need to take a similar drink one glass a day. It will help enrich the body with the vitamin C it needs, as well as increase the body's resistance to various colds, and strengthen immunity.
2. You can also very quickly prepare another vitamin infusion based on needles. First you need to boil 200 ml of water and pour about 40 grams of the washed raw material into it. For taste, you can add a teaspoon of sugar and a little lemon zest. Then you need to reduce the heat and cook the resulting mixture a little. Next, you need to cool the infusion and add a little lemon juice to it.
3. The needles infusion can be used not only for internal use, but also for the bath. It is good to use coniferous infusion in the bath for various depressive states, as well as neurosis. For cooking, you need a kilogram of a mixture of needles and kidneys. This mixture is poured with boiling water and steamed for 3-4 hours. After this, the resulting infusion can be filtered and poured into the bath.
4. Pine needles are great for cleansing blood vessels. To prepare such a decoction is also quite simple. You need to take 5 tablespoons of needles, which must first be chopped, as well as a couple of tablespoons of chopped onion husks. Also, three tablespoons of wild rose are added to the mixture. The whole mixture must be filled with one liter of hot water. All this infusion should be boiled for a quarter of an hour, after which the broth is filtered and taken once a day before meals.
5. Pine needles can be used as a diuretic. To prepare it, you need a tablespoon of crushed raw materials. This amount should be poured with a liter of boiling water and left for half an hour for steaming. The resulting broth must be drunk one tablespoon four times a day.

How can I use gum?

Zhivitsa is a very popular component obtained from pine. It is mainly used for healing a wide variety of wounds, including putrefactive and wet ones. Zhivitsa is often used for the preparation of ointments. It is worth noting that the ointment from it can be prepared independently at home.

1. Ointment recipe: 25 grams of beeswax, rosin and vegetable oil are required. These components must be mixed and dissolved in a water bath. Next, 50 grams of resin is added to the resulting mass. The mixture is brought to a boil, but boiled. The ointment is ready. Then it just needs to be cooled, after which it can be used to treat wounds and create compresses.
2. Zhivitsa can be used to treat abscesses, various degrees of bruises and fractures. To prepare such an ointment, you will need 200 grams of resin, olive oil, onion and 15 grams of vitriol. All ingredients must be mixed and then brought to a boil. The resulting mixture should also be cooled and used to treat wounds and sore spots. In addition, such an ointment can be used with a runny nose. In this case, it is enough to apply a small amount of ointment to the nasal mucosa.
3. Zhivitsa can be used to treat a boil. In this case, it is enough just to attach it to a sore spot and in a short time you can feel that the pain recedes. After three days of such use, the boil will completely resolve. You can also apply resin to various wounds.

The use of pine in cosmetology

To prepare the remedy, you will need a pound of pine buds and five liters of water. These two components are mixed, and then boiled for 30 minutes. Next, the broth needs to be filtered. It should be used for rinsing. It is important that this tool can be used both for baldness and for the prevention and strengthening of hair. Rinsing with a decoction of pine buds is very useful for hair, they become silky, shiny, stronger and denser. In addition, excessive fat content disappears.

Pine becomes an excellent tool in the presence of acne or various purulent formations on the face. Preparing a decoction to combat these unpleasant rashes is also quite simple. It will take only two handfuls of needles and a liter of boiling water. Boil the infusion for 10 minutes, then strain and cool. Such a decoction should be washed twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.

Who should not use pine in treatment?

The tree contains various active components in a fairly strong concentration. For this reason, excessive consumption of infusions or decoctions should beware. Such treatment should be approached with caution, it is better to use a little less drug than to exaggerate the dosage and get unwanted reactions of the body. In addition, there are some specific contraindications:

• the presence of individual intolerance to some components of the drug;
• various kidney diseases;
• the period of bearing a child and breastfeeding;
• glomerulonephritis;
• hepatitis.

Particular care should be taken when using turpentine. The fact is that the increased use of this drug can provoke flushing of the skin, and if turpentine is used too often, the skin at the place of use of the ointment may first become blistered and then completely dead. It is also worth considering that even a small rubbing of turpentine into the skin can lead to an increase in blood pressure, as well as insomnia and shortness of breath. It is strictly forbidden to use any products and medicines that contain pine and its components for children under two years of age.

Video: healing properties of needles