White Pine

Here is a little science behind the tea with the source linked below it...

""The White Pine was used in medicinal applications by several North American Indian tribes. The dried inner bark of the White Pine contains a glycoside, an oleoresin, a volatile oil, mucilage and tannin. Brewed as a diuretic and expectorant tea, it was used to treat diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory problems such as colds, coughs and sore throats. White Pine bark powder and White Pine bark tea are still sold commercially for this purpose. As a poultice, the inner bark was used to treat skin complaints including wounds, burns and boils.""
http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needh...ine_060326.htm

""White Pine Bark is an old and trusted remedy for colds and flu. It helps loosen and expel phlegm from the respiratory tract, easing bronchitis and lung congestion, and its warming qualities stimulate circulation, which may ward off colds and flu before they settle in. The high content of nature's most powerful antioxidants (proanthocyanidins/PCSs/OPCs) in White Pine Bark have made it the focus of much attention in the area of combating free radicals, arteriosclerosis and strokes.""
http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/white-pine-bark.cfm



Also of interest from the first link...
""The inner bark of White Pine Bark (cambium) is the source of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin, which is produced in plants that is reputed to have antifungal properties.

According to recent research (2008) from Peninsula Medical School, England, the resveratrol found in Pine Bark, Grape Skin and Red Wine can protect against cellular damage to blood vessels caused by high production of glucose in diabetes, claiming resveratrol's antioxidant effects are well documented. But the new research establishes a link between high levels of glucose, its damaging effect on cell structure and the ability of resveratrol to protect against and mend such damage. Moreover, resveratrol could be a factor in blocking the damaging effect of glucose, which, in turn, might combat the often life-threatening complications that accompany diabetes and potentially be a basis of effective diet-based therapy for the prevention of vascular damage caused by hyperglycemia in the future.

In 2008, Italian researchers reported in Phytotherapy Research that supplements of Pine Bark extract may reduce the pain associated with arthritis of the knee by about fifty-five percent. The study also indicated an improvement in all osteoarthritis symptoms by fifty-six percent.

White Pine Bark is considered a diuretic, and as such, encourages the flow of urine, which is said to be very helpful in cases of urinary tract infections and kidney problems.""

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Bushcraft

[abo4ster]

Will the whole branch die? No, just the portion where the wound was created going out. However, when creating a wound like that, do so in a way to maximize the trees ability to heal itself. The wound should be in a place where it won't hold moisture and gets sunlight to dry. Don't cover with anything. By letting it exude its own sap and drying, it minimizes the opportunity for a pathogen to get in or fungal growth.

[abo4ster]

Great question! While the pine needles (tea) are chocked full of nutrients, I have never seen any documentation that states a medicinal value outside of the inner bark TEA. And that includes eating the inner bark. Don't know if resveratrol is in the needles, but even if it is you many not get a benefit.

[GardenOpus]

Thanks for sharing this, very informative - a favorite tree of mine also (I posted my video of these Pines singing). Here in Northern Illinois, and much of Southern Wisconsin, native White Pines were extirpated from the wild pretty much by the beginning of the last century due to logging (though they are planted widely now) - a remnant stand west of Chicago has become White Pines State Park.

[AugustusLarch]

White pine is my favorite tree. Balsam fir is second. You should film a big white pine. I see a lot of really big white pines all by themselves along the road. They have a distinct shape to their own. Balsam fir is another tree that has a distinct shape.

[camelsonhorizon]

will the whole branch die? shouldn't you harvest the whole thing? (or cover it with mud.?) Great video though. Is resveratrol in the needles?? diterpenes in needles, very good.