Coniferous plant ordinary or forest pine grows practically throughout the entire territory of our country. Its medicinal properties were discovered several centuries ago. To this day, needles, stems, cones and buds of a plant are widely used in both traditional and folk medicine. But in order to prepare a medicine at home, it is necessary to properly collect and apply the raw materials. This article will focus on such a plant product as pine buds: when to collect them, how to store and use them for medicinal purposes.
Pine buds in folk and traditional medicine
Pine kidneys have a long list of medicinal properties, so this raw material is used both in traditional medicine and in folk medicine recipes.
An extract from pine buds in Ancient Egypt was used for embalming, in Greece they used for colds and ointments were made for healing wounds, and in Russia, using a plant, they struggled with problems of the oral cavity.
You can buy pine buds in dried pure form, they are also added to various herbal preparations. Most often, the kidneys are used to treat colds, respiratory problems (acute respiratory viral infections, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis and others).
Apply a pre-dried plant in the form of decoctions, tinctures, inhalations, rinses.
But not all kidneys are useful - overripe or, on the contrary, unripe, they do not have great healing power. You need to be able to properly prepare them. When to collect pine buds for treatment? We will talk about this below.
Healing composition and properties
The composition of pine buds includes essential oils, resins, volatile, starch, vitamins C, B, K, carotene, tannins, mineral salts.
Due to this, pine buds have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral, wound healing, diuretic properties.
Only young ripe cones collected in a certain period possess such a composition. When to collect pine buds for medicine? It depends on the climate and weather conditions.
Contraindications to taking pine kidneys
Pine buds - this is a medicine that involves a reasonable (according to indications) intake and strict compliance with the prescribed dosage. In addition, in some conditions, taking pine-based medications is contraindicated. So, it is not recommended to use such medications for people with kidney disease, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, suffering from thrombosis. You can not use such drugs for pregnant and lactating women, as well as children.
Overripe, not properly collected pine cones do not have the necessary healing composition and can even provoke side reactions when consumed: nausea, digestive upsets, allergic rashes. When to collect pine buds? As soon as the snow falls and the spring sun fills the plant with juices and resins. This period is optimal for the collection of such raw materials.
When can I collect pine buds?
Dry pine buds can be purchased in dried form in a pharmacy, regardless of the time of year. But freshly picked spring buds have even greater healing properties. They contain many resins and ether - the main active components necessary for the manufacture of a medicinal product.
Raw materials are collected in early spring or late winter (February - April). Here it is not so much to rely on the time of the year, but to carefully monitor how the pine buds swell. When the time comes to collect, they become resinous, but still remain closed. In order to determine whether the raw materials are suitable for collection, you need to wait for the moment when the active growth of the kidneys begins, their swelling. The color of the shoots during this period is light brown, sometimes orange. On the fault, the buds are green, resinous, have a pronounced coniferous aroma.
But you do not need to delay the harvest - you can miss the moment of the best harvest. If the kidney blooms, it is no longer suitable for medicinal purposes. Need a tightly closed scales kidney.
How to collect?
How and when to collect pine buds? For treatment with such a plant, it is necessary to correctly collect the raw materials. Cut off a few pieces with scissors in the crown, leaving a small stalk. We recommend collecting pine buds in mittens, as it is quite difficult to wash off the resin.
Then the kidneys need to be dried. To do this, pine buds are laid out in a dry, ventilated and darkened place on a cotton cloth with a uniform thin layer of pine buds. When to collect ready-made dry raw materials? The drying time depends on weather conditions - in a warm climate, the kidneys will dry out within 10 days. Properly dried kidneys on the fault will become dry, earthy in color.
It is impossible to dry the pine buds in special dryers or in direct sunlight, since most of the nutrients will be destroyed, the resin will dry, and the kidneys will open. In this case, the raw material will become unsuitable for the preparation of medicines.
It is recommended to store pine buds in linen bags for no longer than two years.
Decoction Recipes
A decoction of pine kidneys is used for oral administration for colds and problems with the excretory system, used as inhalations and rinses. We offer several simple and effective recipes:
- In order to prepare a simple decoction of pine buds, you need to boil a tablespoon of dry raw materials in a glass of water. Strain and bring to the original volume with boiled water. You need to use such a tool for a tablespoon three times a day. In the same way, prepare a decoction for inhalation, only increase the volume of water to one and a half liters, and in this case 60 g of dry kidneys are needed
- With colds and sore throats, a decoction of pine buds with honey will help. It is prepared in the same way as an ordinary decoction. Only after the filtered liquid has cooled, is honey added to taste. You can’t add honey to a hot broth, since most of the nutrients are destroyed at high temperature, so the medicinal value of the product is significantly reduced.
- Popular in folk medicine is a recipe for a decoction of pine buds in milk. To prepare such a miracle remedy is simple: you just need to boil young pine buds (when you need to collect the raw materials indicated above) in 0.5 liter of milk, and then strain.
Alcohol tincture
To prepare the alcohol tincture, you need half a liter of high-quality vodka, a handful of pine buds (fresh or dry), lemon and honey to taste (200-300 g). The manufacturing process of such a tool is quite long - pine buds need to be infused. The best ones take care in advance of preventing colds in the winter and prepare alcohol tincture on the eve of the cold.
In order to make such a product at home, you need to pour half of the pine cones with vodka, and the other half with boiled water with the addition of the juice of one lemon and honey. Insist for two weeks in a dark place. Then strain both formulations and mix. Pour into containers (preferably glass) with a hermetically sealed lid and leave in the refrigerator for another month.
When do I need to collect pine buds to make tinctures? You need all the same young spring buds. Then such a medicine will be not only useful - it enhances immunity, fights viruses, has an expectorant effect, but also delights with pleasant taste. You can use tincture in its pure form 3-5 times a day for a tablespoon or you can add it to warm (not hot) teas and compotes.
Jam recipe
A medicine from pine buds is not only useful, but also very tasty! Jam from such raw materials turns out to be thick and aromatic, and a large amount of useful substances in such a product will help prevent a person from becoming infected with respiratory infections and significantly reduce the course of treatment for an already detected disease. In addition, taking pine buds in this form is not contraindicated even in children and pregnant women, but in moderation.
When to collect pine buds for jam? There is an opinion that ripe, already opened kidneys are suitable for such an application. This is actually a fallacy. Only young spring juicy shoots are suitable for jam.
There are a wide variety of recipes for making jam from pine buds. We offer this method:
- Rinse half a kilogram of kidneys under running water several times, then place in enameled dishes.
- Pour with two glasses of cold water, put on a stove and bring to a boil.
- Boil over low heat for half an hour (almost until water boils completely).
- Make syrup. To do this, pour a kilogram of sugar in a pan and pour 500 ml of water. Boil, stirring constantly, over low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Put the pine buds in the sugar syrup and boil again for about 10 minutes.
- It remains to pour the jam into sterilized jars and roll up the lids.
Pine kidney bath
Fragrant coniferous bath - the procedure is very pleasant and useful. Essential oils of pine cones relax, relieve muscle tension, accelerate metabolism, contribute to the fight against colds and headaches.
How to make a decoction for the bath? To do this, you need to place 500 g of pine buds in a large pot (5 l), you can add needles, cones and young shoots of the plant if desired. Pour everything with cold water and boil for half an hour. Insist such a healing composition needs 12 hours. Then pour the broth into a warm bath. Take a hot bath for 15-20 minutes.
In our material, we talked about the time at which pine buds are harvested, how they are useful, and shared proven recipes for traditional medicine. They can be used both for prevention and for the treatment of diseases. The main thing is to comply with all measures and not overdo it with taking pine buds - an overdose can lead to unpleasant and dangerous conditions. And it is better before using medicines based on herbs prepared at home, consult with a herbalist or doctor.