Pine Needle Research
  
This website is dedicated to sharing the knowledge gleaned primarily from the St. Peteresburg Forest Technical Academy and other scientists fascinated by the healing power of live green needles from pine and fir species.
It also reflects the authors' personal and clinical experience in searching for and providing levels of meta-health and well being that transcends conventional understanding and practice.
Please visit often to read about breaking research on the efficacy of pine needle products as a natural pathway for whole health. We will also be occasionally providing information on, and accounts of our own or others experiences of, other areas of health with a view to providing a forum for people to investigate pathways to fulfilling the potential to optimal or 'meta' health that is inherent in all of us.
Traditional Use of Pines as a Source of Natural Medicine
Pines are very robust trees often growing in rugged places such as cliffs and on the sides of mountains. The word Pinus comes from the Celtic word pin, which means rock face or cliff.
Pine Needle Research is primarily dedicated to the following species:
Spruce trees (Picea) and pine trees (Pinus) reach heights of up to 50m and certain species have diameters of up to 7.5m. Most have a life span of 250-600 years. However Pinus aristata which grows in south west USA can reach 6000 years and has the longest life span of any tree in nature.
In Australia the predominant pine species is (Pinus radiata), which is also common in North America and New Zealand.
The air in a pine forest is clear, non-allergenic and filled with pine aroma. It has been known for a long time that breathing this air is helpful for people suffering from tuberculosis. Pines release volatile phytoncides into the air, which are fractions of essential oils. These substances possess anti-bacterial properties. As a result of taking a walk in a pine forest and breathing in the pleasant pine fragrance, you are disinfecting your lungs and cleansing your body-mind.
The trunk of a pine tree is rich in soft resins that ooze out and fill naturally occurring cracks. This protects the tree from damage caused by drying out and from fungal diseases.
Turpentine comes from the soft resin solution of the trunk which is rich in essential oils. Turpentine is used in medicine as an external preparation for rheumatism, colds, gout and arthritis.
Pine extracts and tinctures are used widely as additives in therapeutic baths. These bath additives help to regulate the function of the skin and the central nervous system.
Forest Biochemistry and the ‘Live Elements’ of trees
The pioneering development of Forest Biochemistry by Professor Solodky, and the research team at the St Petersburg Forest technical Academy has uncovered a new dimension in the potential of the pine tree as a source of natural medicines.
Of particular interest to the generations of Russian scientists that have followed Solodky, have been the extracts and essential oils derived from the live, green needles of these incredibly resilient trees. Within the content of the living material are a multitude of essential nutrients in proportions determined by nature to ensure the survival of the tree.
Whist harder to define in compositional terms, the researchers have been painstakingly careful to also develop extract methods that preserve the essential life force of the unique materials: the end result has been the creation of therapeutic natural extracts that appear to have health benefits beyond simple nutritional supplementation.
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