White Pine
Parts Usually Used
Inner bark, young shoots, twigs, pitch, leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
White pine is a large North American evergreen tree; reaches a height of 150 feet or more, the tree is covered with deeply fissured, gray-brown bark. Its branches are arranged in regular whorls. The soft bluish-green, needle-like, linear leaves grow in clusters of five, the clusters spirally arranged on the branches. The male flowers grow in axillary, catkinlike cones, the female in slightly larger lateral or nearly terminal cones.
The slender, cylindrical seed cones are from 3-8 inches long and are often curved. The winged seeds are brown, mottled with black.
Where Found
Grows from Newfoundland to Georgia mountains and central Iowa, west to northern Illinois.
Medicinal Properties
Expectorant, demulcent
Legends, Myths and Stories
The Native Americans used white pine for making a bread from the ground-up bark. Long been used for lumber and wood pulp, the timber has been used for ship masts, houses, other buildings.
Uses
Herbalists historically prepared the inner bark of white pine as a tea or incorporated it into cough syrups, recommending it for coughs, colds, and respiratory congestion. Certain Native American traditions utilized the inner bark and sap as a poultice or dressing for wounds and sores. The pitch was traditionally applied as a poultice intended to draw out boils, splinters, and abscesses, as well as for cuts, bruises, broken bones, rheumatism, and general inflammation.
Teas brewed from the twigs were utilized for kidney and pulmonary complaints, while preparations of the bark or leaves were consumed for sore throats or applied externally to the head for headaches. Practitioners also combined the bark with bearberry, marshmallow, and poplar bark for metabolic complaints. Additionally, heated resin was historically spread onto cloth and applied in the manner of a plaster for sciatic discomfort and general muscular soreness.
How Sold
A ready-made combination of pine with other herbs is available at many herb shops, with the directions for use on the container.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc.
, 1974