# Pine Needle Tea?????



## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

Last February, in another section of this forum, someone mentioned making Pine Needle Tea. Never heard of it. Nevertheless, I have some steeping right now. I've already googled it, but would love any info or input. Also, outside of landscaping, mulch, and compost, are there other uses for pine needles? 

....kinda hoping someone chimes in BEFORE I drink it.....hee hee....


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I fix a tea from the white pine ... it was very nice.  Not at all what I thought it would be.

Can't wait to hear about yours ...


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Hey possumfam!
I was looking around on the net about this, too. I seem to recall that there are some pines you should NOT make tea from, but I don't know about the slash/yellow pine in our neck of the woods. Maybe someone can direct us to a site outlining the suitable ones. For SHTF, there's supposed to be a LOAD of vitamin C in pine, a very little known fact.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Seems to me it would just taste like gin. Never tried it though.


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## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

Great source of vitamin C !



Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea-
Robert A. Heinlein


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

pawpaw said:


> Hey possumfam!
> I was looking around on the net about this, too. I seem to recall that there are some pines you should NOT make tea from, but I don't know about the slash/yellow pine in our neck of the woods. Maybe someone can direct us to a site outlining the suitable ones. For SHTF, there's supposed to be a LOAD of vitamin C in pine, a very little known fact.


Seems I shoulda read this before I drank it, but....I have no third eye, it was good, and I put more in the fridge for later. I'm used to regular black tea, not too much herbal, and this reminded me of an herbal type tea, kinda like citrus. I love learning from y'all!


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Possumfam said:


> Seems I shoulda read this before I drank it, but....I have no third eye, it was good, and I put more in the fridge for later. I'm used to regular black tea, not too much herbal, and this reminded me of an herbal type tea, kinda like citrus. I love learning from y'all!


Really? It actually had a wift of citrus? I guess I'm gonna grab a handful & scissor them up this morning.
I've heard of Rosemary tea & the wife has one of those plants; I think I'll do a "side by side" taste test. "Film at 11:00..."


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

pawpaw said:


> Hey possumfam!
> I was looking around on the net about this, too. I seem to recall that there are some pines you should NOT make tea from, but I don't know about the slash/yellow pine in our neck of the woods. Maybe someone can direct us to a site outlining the suitable ones. For SHTF, there's supposed to be a LOAD of vitamin C in pine, a very little known fact.


I've read it both ways ... some say only use this pine tree and other say any pine tree, will do. I picked the white pine because that was what my book called for. The white pine has long needles (4 - 6 inches) with 5 needles pre cluster.

The white pine is also called Mother Natures band-aid tree. (per my book )


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

Band-aid tree? Care to elaborate? Good for cuts?


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

The white pine is a first-aid station wrapped up in a tree ... The sap makes an airtight, antiseptic, and pain-relieving bandage. (some people are sensitvity to pine sap ~ so do a test "before" you use/need it. )

The needles are a year round source of vitamins C and A. Use as a tea, steam pot, or chest compress.

As with any herb research, research and more research. 

I picked the first link I came across with some info ...

White Pine Bark Herb Benefits | LIVESTRONG.COM


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Regarding the citrus smell, the sawmill near our place always has kind of a lemony smell from the pine logs they cut into board there. I love the smell. I can see where it and similar pines might also have a citrus-like taste to the tea.

One think I want to research is whether the Vitamin C and tea-making is just Pines. Not all evergreen trees with needles are pines. I'm not sure how tightly related the evergreen families are, but we have Firs and Cedars and such here. Can a person use those as well, or should we identify which ones are true pines? Can a person (like me in this instance) think too hard about this and make it more complicated than it needs to be?


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

From what I understand ... firs and cedars are dfferent. 

But that is where the research comes into play ... :wave:


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I've been digging around on google, and pines, spruces, firs, cedars, larches, etc, are members of the Pine family, known as "Pinaceae". Junipers, however, are members of the cyprus family, even though they're evergreens with needles.

After reading several sites with directions for making Pine Needle tea I was exasperated because none of them said which kind of pine they were using the needles from! One site had the caution: All pines are evergreens but not all evergreens are pines.

I liked this set of directions best, probably because it has lots of pictures!  
Link: Pine Needle Tea


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I think he hit the nail on the head ...

Just remember that while all Pines are evergreens, not all evergreens are Pines! So head out to the back yard or park, positively identify your pine trees, bring back some needles and give this one a try!

... The key is in knowing what you are looking for ... :flower:


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## litstorm (Jan 28, 2011)

Possumfam said:


> Seems I shoulda read this before I drank it, but....I have no third eye, it was good, and I put more in the fridge for later. I'm used to regular black tea, not too much herbal, and this reminded me of an herbal type tea, kinda like citrus. I love learning from y'all!


Everyone has a third eye, not many people have it open though (People have "sleeping" or "deactivated" third eyes, caused by but not limited to pollution).


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## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

There was a reason why 'spruce beer' was drank in the 'colonies'

High in Vitamin C with a local flavor
Pine needles are also an aneseptic (similar to hops or the gruit herbs)


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Kiva Rose is an excellent herbalist. Here's her recipes for evergreen infused oil and evergreen balm. Great for winter colds, dry skin, tired muscles. The wonderful thing about herbal medicine is that a plant can bring it's healing energy to you in so many different ways, be it teas, infusions, culinary vinegars and seasonings, or salves and oils for the skin and tired muscles.

www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_78.html
(scroll down past the intial screen shot for step by step instructions and pictures)


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## Drakstar (Jan 11, 2011)

As a boy scout we used to make this all the time on camping trips. One time we added some berry (we called them tingle berries because they made your mouth tingle) and the resulting mixture made us, um well a bit stoned I guess. 
The numbing of the berries spread throughout your body and well you kinda felt like you were floating.

Just straight pine needle tea with a bit of sugar was very tasty as I recall.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

LOL. I had an entirely different vision of boy scouts... hee hee


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Use as a tea, steam pot, cough drops or chest compress ... The green bark makes a good splint for sprains, lending both support and pain relief.

:bump:


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## emilnon (May 8, 2012)

Anyone figure out how to tell if it's a pine tree or not? I thought I knew but now I'm not so sure... Got a web link or anything? Please and thank you


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

emilnon said:


> Anyone figure out how to tell if it's a pine tree or not? I thought I knew but now I'm not so sure... Got a web link or anything? Please and thank you


Think round not flat ... (circular, clusters) ... cylindrical ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_White_Pine

I found 2 Charlie Brown White pines at a tree lot last year ... 5 bucks each on the day before Christmas. They are doing well. 

The pine I look for is the Eastern White Pine ... do a search & read all you can about it.

Needles in a cluster of 5 ... slinder ... pale green ... up to 8 inches long ...


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## emilnon (May 8, 2012)

*Andi said:


> Think round not flat ... (circular, clusters) ... cylindrical ...
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine
> 
> ...


I've grown up around pine trees and know what they are- just thought y'all were saying certain types of pines are not edible. I guess I misunderstood- y'all were just saying other evergreens aren't edible...
Just to confirm: are there any "bad" (actual) pine trees?
Sorry I'm slow on this for some reason


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