Preparing pine needles for medicinal extraction

Pine needles (from the common pine tree) are loaded with medicinal resin, and have been used for thousands of years by indigenous North Americans and Chinese peoples. Quercetin, a bitter plant flavinoid used to boost immune health, is one of the compounds extracted from pine. Another is the aromatic terpene pinene, which has numerous medicinal properties as well. Modern science has confirmed these properties, yet knowledge of pine medicine has all-but-disappeared from society, perhaps because there is no money to be made in promoting natural plant treatments. Today, I harvested a branch from a nearby lodgepole pine, then prepared its needles for hot water extraction.

As you can see, I've even got a cone on this branch. I'll only be using the needles for this project. To keep the branch alive and fresh, I wrapped a damp paper towel around the cut end.

The leaves ("needles") on a lodgepole pine are long, sharp, and attached to the branch in clusters of 2. As in all conifer trees, the needles stay green all year round. Lodgepoles are one of the best pines for medicinal uses, and are found all around North America at mid elevations.

After washing the branch to remove dust and pollutants, I plucked off the needles:

I was surprised my fingers didn't get sticky. The resin is kept locked inside the branches, cones, and needles. Even though it was fresh, the branch and needles had little smell. That is, until we started cutting the needles!

But first, I piled them all up while heating a pot of water on the stove.

It felt like having spell components, ready for use! Free medicine from nature... it's a bit like magic!

To see my wife extract the medicine and make pine needle tea, click here.

This may be useful information, as quercetin is being used extensively to fight off Covid, the flu, colds, and other viral infections. Supply chains are currently breaking down and many items are becoming unavailable as we head into winter. Being able to produce pinene, quercetin, and other medicinal compounds abundantly from Nature is a valuable skill.

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