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The beneficial properties of pine needles and contraindications are the subject of hot discussions in traditional medicine. Pine tree needles are used to treat dozens of ailments, and it is very interesting to know for what properties they are so highly valued.
Why pine needles are useful
It is not for nothing that pine needles are used for ailments of a cold and inflammatory nature. Coniferous needles have, first of all, strong antiseptic, strengthening and healing properties; they can be used both separately and in combination with other folk and pharmaceutical remedies.
What pine needles contain
The benefits of pine needles are due to their chemical composition. Young pine needles include the following components:
- vitamin C;
- vitamins E and B;
- fairly rare vitamin K;
- vitamin P;
- carotene, and this component is even more present in needles than in carrots;
- phytoncides;
- tannins;
- oleic, benzoic and stearic acids;
- calcium and phosphorus;
- copper and manganese;
- iron and zinc;
- magnesium;
- cobalt.
Also, pine needles contain a huge amount of essential oil, which has an increased medicinal value.
What does pine needles heal
Pine needles are one of the few folk remedies, the effectiveness of which is recognized and actively used by official medicine. In one form or another, fresh and dried needles are used to treat:
- colds - cough, runny nose, tonsillitis, tracheitis and bronchitis, ARVI and flu;
- gynecological inflammations - pine needles help with fungal infections and bacterial processes of the genitourinary sphere in men and women;
- diseases of the oral cavity - gingivitis, stomatitis, caries, periodontal disease;
- digestive ailments - gastritis and ulcers, cholecystitis and pancreatitis;
- cardiovascular diseases - pine needles have a powerful preventive and therapeutic effect in atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart failure, poor blood supply to the brain.
Pine needles are used for joint ailments - arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis and radiculitis. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, it relieves swelling of soft tissues around the joint and relieves pain. Eating pine needles is useful for diseases of the nervous system - B vitamins, which are present in large quantities in needles, help to improve well-being.
And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the soothing properties of pine needles. Funds based on it help to effectively fight insomnia and emotional disorders, stress and depression.
Harvesting pine needles
Since pine grows everywhere in the middle lane, it is very easy to prepare needles on your own - you do not have to buy raw materials at a pharmacy. At the same time, in order to competently carry out the procurement, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules.
- You can collect needles throughout the year, but it is best to do this in winter. In the cold season, pine needles contain the maximum amount of vitamin C and other nutrients.
- To collect raw materials, you need to choose the most environmentally friendly places.There should be no major roads in the vicinity of the forest, and industrial factories and plants should also be avoided. It is better to go deeper into the forest - the trees growing in the middle of it are the most environmentally friendly.
- When collecting raw materials, the lower branches should be cut off, and it is advisable to take no more than a couple of branches from one tree to preserve the health of the pine.
- For collection, you need to choose young branches, but it is better not to touch the freshest shoots. If you damage them, the pine will suffer and may even die.
Pine needles can not only be cut from the shoots of a plant, but also picked up from the ground - from young branches that were torn off by a strong wind.
Fresh pine needles have the greatest benefit; dried needles contain half the amount of vitamins and natural acids. However, for long-term storage, the needles are often dried.
This is done as follows - the cut branches are laid out in an even layer on a clean surface at room temperature and good ventilation. When the pine needles are completely dry, they will move away from the shoots by themselves. After that, the needles can be collected in dry glass jars and stored in a dark place.
The use of pine needles
Pine needles are mainly used for medicinal purposes. With the help of decoctions and tinctures based on it, you can:
- remove phlegm and cure bronchitis, cough and pneumonia;
- accelerate the healing of any damage to the skin - burns, cuts, scratches and boils;
- cleanse the body of toxins and toxic substances, thereby improving the blood composition and reducing the load on the liver;
- facilitate the work of the kidneys and gallbladder - needles are an excellent diuretic and choleretic agent;
- reduce blood pressure and improve the condition of blood vessels;
- eliminate inflammatory processes of the digestive and genitourinary systems;
- reduce the temperature and remove the general malaise;
- relieve joint pain and improve mobility;
- normalize sleep and improve mood.
However, medicine is not the only area of application for pine needles. The needles are used in home cosmetology, as part of masks and rinses, they help to take care of the beauty of hair and skin. If you put fresh pine twigs in water, then the needles will aromatize the room for a long time and, moreover, will eliminate harmful microorganisms in the air.
Fresh and dried needles are actively used in horticulture. First of all, it acts as a mulching material for garden trees and plants. If it is scattered over the soil in a dense layer, the needles will prevent the evaporation of moisture from the ground and inhibit growth. weeds... In winter, the needles serve as a good insulating material for the root system of heat-loving plants. And due to the bactericidal properties of needles, they are often used in the preparation of disinfecting solutions for spraying.
Recipes with pine needles in folk medicine
Many simple but very useful remedies are prepared on the basis of pine needles. The methods of use and dosage of drugs may differ, however, in any type of needles, it has a guaranteed positive effect on the body and improves well-being.
Pine needles decoction
A simple and useful remedy based on pine needles is a vitamin coniferous broth. The drink helps well with vitamin deficiency and weakened immunity, has a complex cleansing effect due to the high amount of antioxidants. A decoction of pine needles is used to treat and prevent scurvy, after undergoing heart surgery or after chemotherapy.
Prepare the product as follows:
- about 30 g of fresh needles are poured with a glass of boiling water;
- boil over low heat for 20 minutes;
- then remove from the stove and insist under the lid for another 2 hours;
- filter.
To improve the taste, natural honey can be added to the drink. They drink pine broth on a full stomach in half a glass.
Pine needles also help from coughing, in this case it will be most useful to brew the needles not in water, but in 500 ml of milk. Prepare a remedy and apply it in the same way as a regular decoction.
Pine needles with rose hips and onion husks from pressure
Pine needles are beneficial for hypertension, and to increase the beneficial effect, it is recommended to mix the needles with onion husks and rose hips. A healing agent is prepared as follows:
- 5 large spoons of pine needles are mixed with 3 large spoons of rose hips;
- add 2.5 tablespoons of onion peel;
- pour the components with a liter of boiling water and put on moderate heat.
After the mixture boils, it will need to be boiled for another 10 minutes, and then insisted for at least 12 hours. Take the filtered remedy three times a day, half a glass. Reviews of pine needles, rose hips and onion peels indicate that the drink has a quick therapeutic effect, and when used as a course it helps to stabilize pressure and prevent pressure drops anymore.
Pine needles tea
The benefits and harms of pine needle tea are widely known - the drink quickly replenishes vitamin deficiencies, strengthens the immune system and relieves unpleasant sensations in the stomach. You can make healthy tea as follows:
- 2 large spoons of pine needles are thoroughly crushed, while the bases of the needles must be cut off and discarded;
- the raw materials are poured into a teapot and poured with hot water in a volume of 250 ml;
- when the tea has cooled naturally to room temperature, it is filtered through a strainer.
They drink pine tea in an amount of no more than 2-3 cups a day, honey or sugar can be added to the drink, the benefits of this will not decrease, and the taste will improve. Vitamin tea contains a huge amount of vitamin C and is therefore especially effective against inflammation or colds.
Kvass from pine needles
Another healthy and tasty drink based on pine needles is a fragrant refreshing kvass. It is very simple to prepare it, for this you need:
- take 5 liters of ordinary kvass;
- pour them 1 kg of fresh pine needles;
- insist throughout the day so that the drink ferments properly;
- strain from the needles and pour into another vessel.
You can consume coniferous kvass 3-4 glasses a day, preferably on a full stomach - if you drink carbonated kvass on an empty stomach, you may experience heartburn and a feeling of heaviness. Kvass will have a strengthening effect on the body, improve mood and help to cheer up, and in the summer heat it will also serve as an excellent refreshing drink.
Infusion of pine needles
Pine needles retain their medicinal properties as part of a simple infusion on water. To prepare it, you need to take 1 large spoonful of thoroughly washed needles, pour a glass of boiling water over it, and then insist for only half an hour.
The filtered and cooled remedy is consumed four times a day on a full stomach. Since the concentration of nutrients in the infusion is high enough, you need to take the drink 1 large spoon at a time - an overdose can lead to nausea and migraine.
Pine infusion is beneficial for a wide range of health conditions. You can use it for joint ailments and high blood pressure, with poor digestion and the first signs of a cold.
Bath with pine needles
The healing properties of pine needles are used not only internally, but also externally. In particular, for arthritis, rheumatism, osteochondrosis and other ailments, baths with the addition of fresh or dried needles are of great benefit.
There are 2 ways to prepare a pine bath:
- according to the first method, first a coniferous broth is prepared - 1 kg of needles is poured into 10 liters of cold water, infused for 10 hours, and then boiled for half an hour and insisted for another 90 minutes, after which it is poured into a prepared bath;
- according to the second method, a small bag of water-permeable clean fabric is stuffed with pine needles and immersed in water with a temperature of about 38 ° C.
It is recommended to take a bath with the addition of pine needles no longer than 20 minutes, preferably shortly before bedtime.
A bath with the addition of pine needles is beneficial not only for joint diseases. Carrying out the procedure is useful for strengthening the heart and blood vessels; pine needles also help with nervous disorders, increased fatigue, and metabolic disorders. Pine needles have a positive effect on the condition of the skin - the body after such procedures becomes smoother and more elastic, the skin is tightened and smoothed.
Other recipes
Pine needles are very common in traditional medicine recipes, they are used for most diseases. In addition to decoctions, infusions and tea at home, you can prepare other valuable products based on conifer needles.
Jam from pine needles has a wonderful taste and useful properties. Prepare it like this:
- washed needles in the amount of 2 glasses are mixed with a glass of dried rose hips;
- pour 700 ml of boiling water and remove to infuse for 12 hours;
- add 300 g of sugar to the infusion, add 3 more glasses of water and put on the stove;
- cook for an hour until the mixture thickens.
About 5 minutes before removing the jam from the stove, freshly squeezed lemon juice is added to it. If you use jam with tea, then the medicinal properties of pine needles will help strengthen the immune system and eliminate inflammatory processes in the body.
Pine ointment is often mentioned in recipes for treating pine needles. To prepare it you need:
- boil 20 g of chopped needles, and then put them in layers with butter;
- simmer during the day at a low temperature in the oven, taking breaks every 2 hours;
- after the finished coniferous oil has cooled slightly, it will need to be poured into a glass container and put into the refrigerator to solidify.
You can use the resulting cream for joint ailments, in the treatment of herpes, hemorrhoids or skin lesions.
For colds, the benefits of pine needles are manifested in inhalation. To carry out them, you need to finely chop 25 g of needles, pour 100 ml of hot water and boil over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Then the broth is infused for another quarter of an hour, and then they bend over the pan, covering their head with a towel, and carefully inhale the rising hot steam.
Precautions
Pine needles contain a huge amount of vitamins, organic acids and essential oils. On the one hand, such a rich composition gives pine needles tremendous beneficial properties. But on the other hand, pine needles, if consumed in excess, can easily damage the body.
Against the background of an overdose of pine needles, severe headaches and a runny nose often develop, nausea occurs, and in especially unfavorable cases, inflammation of the stomach and intestines may develop. Therefore, you need to use products based on pine needles very carefully, carefully observing the dosages indicated in the recipes.
Contraindications to pine needles
In some cases, the properties of pine needles can cause severe harm to the body. It is not recommended to use decoctions and infusions based on needles:
- with acute hepatitis and other severe liver damage;
- with chronic renal failure and serious inflammatory diseases of the kidneys;
- in the presence of individual intolerance to a natural product;
- with heart failure;
- in case of infectious skin diseases - in this case it is impossible to use pine needles either internally or externally.
Also, pregnant women and nursing mothers should refuse preparations based on pine needles - the beneficial properties of raw materials can easily turn into harm for the mother and child. It is not recommended to offer drinks from pine needles inside to children under 7-10 years old, the products can damage the sensitive child's body.
Terms and conditions of storage of raw materials
Fresh pine needles retain the greatest health benefits. That is why they are collected in small quantities, and immediately after collection they are removed to the refrigerator or crushed and frozen in the freezer. In such conditions, the needles remain useful for the body for 2 months and are suitable for both internal and external use.
In addition, pine needles can be dried, while the valuable properties will decrease, but there will still be quite a lot of benefits in the needles. Dried pine needles are stored in dry sealed jars in a dark place, it is desirable that the temperature also does not exceed 10 ° C. From time to time, it is recommended to stir dry needles in a jar to prevent mold. Dry raw materials can be used for 2 years, but then a new harvest will need to be carried out, since the needles will lose their useful properties.
Conclusion
The useful properties of pine needles and contraindications are very diverse - needles have a beneficial effect on the body for many ailments. However, in the presence of contraindications or in case of an overdose, the needles can cause serious harm, therefore, proven recipes must be followed exactly.
