Pine Needle Tea

Pine needle tea has been used for centuries, prized for it's numerous health benefits. Before I go any further, there are precautions when using any wild plant for consumption. First, positive identification of any plant is absolutely necessary. There are a few varieties of pine that are not good for you to consume and Yew is toxic to humans. Many wild edibles have poisonous lookalikes so be sure you know exactly what you are looking at before using anything.

Pine needles have a pleasant taste if you prepare them correctly. Never boil the needles. This causes something in them to rupture and the tea will have a turpentine taste. Always boil the water and then add the needles after reducing the heat. Pine needles are extremely rich in vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is an immune system booster so it can assist in fighting off illnesses and infections even after they start. Vitamin A is good for your eyesight, skin and can improve red blood cell production in the body.

Pine needle tea acts as an expectorant and can help with making coughs more productive. I sweeten it with some local honey and it works great to relieve a sore throat. The local honey adds to the medicinal value of this tea by introducing very small amounts of your local allergens that the bees collect to make honey. This aids your body in building a natural immunity to the allergens.Pine needle tea also contains antioxidants which can reduce free radicals in the body which cause diseases.

Just boiling a pot of needles will make your whole house smell amazing, like a pine forest. As I mentioned before though, you don't want to drink the tea if the needles have been boiled. It won't necessarily harm you, but it tastes considerably worse.

IMPORTANT - Only use ROUND needles. Flat needles could be a variety of Yew which can be very toxic. I use white pine needles from around my area and have had no issues. Pregnant women should not drink pine needle tea. Most varieties of pine can be used, but steer clear of Yew and Cypress, both of which could possibly be mistaken for pine.

Now for the fun part, making the tea.

Boil your water first. I usually bring the water to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down (or move the pot away from the fire). Chop up a handful of needles and add them to the water and let them steep for 10 or 15 minutes. I sweeten with local honey, but sugar or any other sweetener you like can be used. Pour the water through a strainer into a cup to remove all the needles and enjoy! It's really very simple and you will be amazed at what a few cups a week can do for you. I also add a little Chaga to the tea to help even further with the health benefits, but Chaga is another topic that I could go on about in another post.

I have been drinking this tea regularly for a little more than a year now and I can attest to the power of it. I grew up with Asthma and bad seasonal allergies and since I started drinking pine needle tea I have not had one issue. I can't say that it cured my Asthma but I sure haven't had any attacks. The only illness I have had in the last year was a cold. I normally kept a cold for about a week, treating it with over the counter medicine that really didn't seem to do anything but make me sick to my stomach or put me to sleep. When I got the cold, I upped my consumption of pine needle tea and that cold only lasted for a couple days and that was with NO medicine!

I can't emphasize enough that you make sure of the identification of what you are using. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment here or find me on Facebook. I am always available to answer anything I can.