 Am I supposed to tell you about the benefits of pine needle tea when it's so darn foggy in here? Maybe if I just look over... BOOM! Whoa! Wrong room! What on earth is going on? Oh wait, I know. It's the fog of uncertainty caused by the lack of evidence and scientific data on pine needle tea. But it's okay, because today on Ascentric Nature we're gonna get rid of all this fog and give you all of the details about the benefits of pine needle tea. But first, what is pine needle tea? When people usually refer to pine needle tea in America. They are most often talking about the tea that comes from the eastern white pine tree. However, pine needle tea can come from any tree that has pine needles and is of course, edible. So it can refer to any number of pine varietals including the Juniper Ridge Douglas fir tree or any of these other babies right here too. Feel free to pause if you want to read them all. So if you're in Korea, you're probably drinking tea from the Manchurian Red or Korean Red Pine Tree. If you're in Europe or Western Asia, you could be having needles from the Himalayan Pine Tree. And if you're in China, your tea probably comes from the Chinese White Pine. Native Americans discovered the benefits of pine needle tea centuries ago and they used it to fight coughs, colds, and various illnesses. They even introduced it to the European settlers as a way to combat scurvy. Anti-viral and antifungal benefits. Our first stop as we start wading through the fog concerns the components of pine needle tea that inhibit the growth of bad microorganisms. These include pineene and limonene which are thought to reduce viral contagions by almost 100%. And let me do the math here. I don't think you can get much better than that. Now the best fog clearing study we have in this area is a 2011 Korean study on pine needle tea which showed that pine needles contain chikemic acid, a forerunner to the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Now several types of pine tree have been studied for their effectiveness against bacteria and fungi with some encouraging results. And only more time and research will tell. Get out of here fog. Blood pressure and heart benefits. Pine needle tea has catechin which has been shown in some studies to help with high blood pressure. In a 2016 study on pine needle extract, pine needle was shown to increase an enzyme that helps with oxidative stress. The use of pine needle extract was also shown to reduce bad cholesterol and even waste circumference. Anti-oxidant benefits. Now one of the best indicators of pine needle tea's benefits comes from a study that asserted that compared to other methods like supplements, having pine needles in your tea yielded a much higher level of antioxidants. Researchers have also found that pine needle extract can help protect your kidneys and liver. And while it doesn't clear out all of the evil fog, one study believes that pine needle tea could help boost the effectiveness of white blood cells. Workout benefits. Oh yeah. Pine needle tea can- Yeah. An initial 2014 study supported the idea that pine needle tea can be an effective aid to your nutritional regimen. Helping with muscle soreness, workout endurance, and effectiveness. The initial study was done on rats, so it keeps things a little bit hazy. So we need actual humans to pump out some studies to see just how beneficial it is. Brain and memory benefits. Needing to clear out that brain fog that it can affect many people and clothing myself. Now one of the reasons that monks and priests from all different regions of the world have drunk pine needle tea for centuries is because it's supposed to help your mental clarity and allow your mind and body to relax as well. The antioxidants and vitamins in pine needle tea have also been shown to help with brain function and health. Keeping your brain healthier longer. And now that that pine needle tea is helping us not be as foggy-brained, I can remember to tell you how a 2015 study helped reverse memory impairment in mice. And yet another 2017 study on mice showed that pine needles helped with stress-induced memory impairment as well. Depression benefits. Now a lot of people don't know that the precursor to the signs of scurvy is actually depression. And initial studies have found that pine needle tea could possibly help elevate your mood. To affect this amorphous cloud of depression that affects so many people these days. Now early studies have been primarily on improving symptoms of depression. And there isn't any research yet on how it affects people with actual mood disorders. So take this all with a grain of salt or a couple grams of pine needles. Respiratory and cold benefits. As I mentioned earlier, indigenous Americans have used white pine for ages as an expectorant and decongestant. Pine needle tea is believed to be good at fighting chest infections by clearing out that tenacious mucus and helping to calm those harsh coughs. And while there isn't any research yet to clarify this ability, the extensive anecdotal evidence is very promising. Skin, hair, and eye health. Most of what we know about pine needle tea's abilities for this category is due to its strong vitamin A, C, and E content. One study found that one-year-old pine needle had 1.18 milligrams of vitamin C per gram of pine needles. Which is more than twice that of oranges. And some people claim it as 5 times the vitamin C of lemons. The trouble is that the nutritional numbers on pine needles can vary wildly. Depending on the type of pine, the time of year you harvest it, and exactly how old the tree is. And one of the big problems that makes this all very hazy is there hasn't been any quality, in-depth research done on the vitamin and mineral levels of pine needles. I mean heck, pine needles don't even show up on the USDA food site. Though yes, we do know pine needles have good levels of these three vitamins and much more. We just don't have good research to back up exactly how much. So, getting back to the point. Can pine needle tea help with skin, hair, and eye health? Yes, very probably. We just can't say for sure yet. Other possible benefits. This is where things remain really foggy for pine needle tea. There is this epic list of things people say pine needle tea could be good for. So yes, you can try it for any of these things. Just don't say that I told you definitively that it is definitely good for these things. Cause it didn't, okay? So how do you actually drink pine needle tea? Very good question. As I've seen a variety of different recipes. But if this is your first time trying it, I'd start with no more than two tablespoons per cup of water. And most people will say use boiling water from anywhere to five to twenty minutes, depending on how strong you want it. Just keep in mind, if you oversteep pine needle tea, it is prone to get very bitter. So I would also error for a shorter steeping time on your first time trying it. Dangerous of pine needle tea. There are about twenty known toxic varieties of pine trees. Ponderosa pine, Lodgepole pine, Norfolk Island pine, Monterey pine, Australian pine, and the U pine. Also, when you're having pine needle tea, be careful to read that label. And this is because commercially wild harvested tea is thought to be not as good for you, compared to sustainably harvested tea. And if you're thinking about it, which some of you probably are, don't just go out there and brew up some of those needles off of your Christmas tree. Check first to make sure your variety of Christmas tree is safe to use. For example, in the U.S., you can get Christmas trees in the Leland or Arizona Cypress or Red Cedar varietals. Side effects. Now we've already talked about how there are various types of poisonous pine trees out there. So we won't go into detail on those trees, just the pine needle tea that is safe for you. Get it? Got it? Good. Now the good news. There are no direct side effects currently attributed to pine needle tea. The bad news. Come on! If you are allergic to pine trees, it is highly possible that you can experience throat damage, nausea, or diarrhea when having pine needle tea. As always, be careful which drugs you take with it, as it can affect the balance of your system in combination with prescription drugs. The same goes for pregnant women. There isn't any research how it's going to affect you or your baby. So just don't use it or use it sparingly while you're pregnant. And that's it. There aren't any other known side effects, the pine needle tea. Sweet. If you want to learn more about tea, then watch one of these sexy videos right here. Otherwise, please be kind, take care of each other, and hopefully you're out of that fog of uncertainty and on your way to enjoying some great smelling pine needle tea.