A decoction of spruce branches. Spruce needles useful properties and contraindications

After all, it is a natural cure for so many diseases. In the forests, it is one of the most ancient trees. According to scientists, this tree has been growing here since the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era. Spruce needles have truly wonderful healing properties. They have not yet invented such pills that in a short time could produce such a powerful and complex healing effect on the human body that does not have any side effects. It is such a "pill" that spruce needles are.

Spruce and its extraordinary healing properties

It has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, analgesic, choleretic, antiscorbutic and diuretic effects. It is spruce needles that contain most amino acids, including essential ones, minerals, as well as salts of cobalt, manganese, iron, copper, chromium. Carotene in needles 140:320 mg/kg, vitamins E - 350:360 mg/kg, C - 300 mg/kg in winter and 250 mg/kg in summer. If needles are stored at temperatures below +5 °C, then all these substances remain unchanged for the entire storage period.

Needles can be harvested for future use , and it is better to do it in winter (more vitamin C). It is dried and stored in tightly closed jars in a dark, dry place. One kilogram of dry spruce needles contains the following substances (numbers are shown through the dividing line harvesting in summer / harvesting in winter): vitamins P - 900:2300 mg / 2180:3810 mg, K - 12/20 mg, PP - 142/29 mg, H - 0.06/0.15 mg, B1 - 8/19 mg, B2 - 7/5 mg, B3 - 16/28 mg,
B6 - 1, 1/2 mg, as well as minerals and trace elements.

The use of spruce for medicinal purposes

For medicinal purposes, young tops of branches with buds, resin-rosin, immature seed "female" cones, needles and turpentine are used. Collection times vary. Young tops of branches are harvested after wintering in May, and immature cones and resin in June - September.

How to distinguish "male" (with pollen) spruce cones from "female" (seed)? After all, it is precisely immature "female" ones that need to be collected for use for medicinal purposes. In the spring, both "female" and "male" cones appear on the branches of the spruce. Usually this time falls on the period of flowering bird cherry. "Female" cones are extremely beautiful and very noticeable on the tree: they are bright red in color, the size of a thimble. The usual location of these cones is at the ends of the branches in the upper part of the spruce crown. They "look" up. An adult "female" spruce cone is large and brown.

"Male" bumps are even smaller than women's ones. They are red or greenish-yellow. Pollen ripens in them - a fine yellow powder. They are not suitable for medicinal purposes. Pollinated "female" cones ripen in the first year. But the cones open at the end of winter, and therefore they must be collected closer to autumn, unripe and unopened.

Needles are a source of biologically active substances. Coniferous greens contain valuable components: chlorophyll, vitamins, macro- and microelements, phytohormones, phytoncides. You are probably thinking: “Why should collect needles in winter ? But because immediately after the first frosts in green needles, the content of vitamin C rises sharply, and decreases in summer. And one more thing: keep the collected needles in a cool place. Storing spruce needles for a month at temperatures above 10 ° leads to a loss of 35% of nutrients.

Folk methods and recipes for treatment

Coniferous baths . They are used to relieve severe fatigue, nervous excitement, improve blood supply to internal organs, relieve inflammation of a different nature, as well as relieve pain syndromes in menopause, stomach ulcers, and joint pain. To prepare such a bath, two handfuls of pine needles are poured with one liter of boiling water and boiled for 10 minutes, the broth is filtered and poured into the prepared bath. The bath is taken for 12:15 minutes. The water temperature is 37:38 degrees Celsius. Full course of treatment 15:20 procedures. After the bath, you should take a shower.

Infusion of spruce cones. It is used for diseases of angina, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, rhinitis and chronic tonsillitis. Unripe "female" spruce cones are crushed, poured with boiling water and boiled for 30 minutes with constant stirring. After removing from heat, the mixture is infused for another 15 minutes, then filtered through a three-layer gauze. The result is a brown liquid with an astringent taste and a pleasant smell of pine needles. It is used for mouthwash and inhalation. When carrying out inhalation procedures, at least 20 milliliters of this mixture is used, preheated to 60 degrees Celsius. Inhalation time 10 minutes.

Pine tea. It is extremely useful for beriberi, frequent colds, lingering coughs and as a natural remedy for maintaining normal metabolism in the human body. It is an excellent expectorant, choleretic, diuretic and diaphoretic. Rinse a tablespoon of needles with boiled water, pour a glass of boiling water and boil for another 20 minutes. Strain the tea through a three-layer gauze, cool and drink throughout the day. You can add sugar, and honey is even better.

A decoction of spruce buds. It is used to improve the processes of hematopoiesis, with joint and muscle pain, with chronic bronchitis, for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. It is prepared and applied in the same way as coniferous tea.

Infusion of spruce buds on alcohol. It is used for inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract in the form of external rubbing and warming compresses. This infusion in pharmacies is quite rare, as it is in high demand among a certain part of our population. It is easy to prepare at home. To do this, place 250 grams of young spruce buds in a dark glass vessel and pour half a liter of 40:45 degree vodka into them. Close the vessel tightly and place in a dark, dry place. Ten days later, the infusion is ready for use. In a dark place, such an infusion can be stored for up to a year or more without loss of medicinal properties.

To improve eyesight drink a decoction of pine needles: pour 5 tablespoons of crushed needles of pine needles into 500 ml of boiling water, soak in a water bath for 20-30 minutes, leave overnight. In the morning, strain and drink a tablespoon 3-4 times a day after meals.

Stroke - drink pine tea.

On a three-liter kettle, take a liter jar of spruce or pine needles with twigs, pour boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. You can add a few different herbs: knotweed, currant leaf, raspberry leaf. Leave the broth until the morning, so that it is infused. You can drink this tea as much as you like: with jam, sweets, honey, sugar, but always with lemon.
Such tea cleanses the cardiovascular system, removes radionuclides, heals the kidneys, restores the entire body. The full course of treatment is 4-5 months.
Juice from young pine needles
Medicinal juice can be obtained from the needles of cedar, pine, fir, spruce, cedar dwarf. To do this, young shoots that are harvested no later than May 15 should be washed well in cold water and spread out on a towel to dry. Then the needles are placed in a glass jar: a layer of needles, a layer of sugar, and so on, to the very top. The last layer should be sugar. A 5-liter jar consumes 1.5 kg of sugar. Leave the jar overnight, and in the morning mix the pine needles and sugar in the jar with a wooden spoon and, tying the neck of the jar with a clean cloth, put it in the sun. The contents of the banks insist 10 days. In this case, the needles will gradually begin to rise up, and the juice will be at the bottom. On the 11th day, the juice is poured into bottles, tightly closed with stoppers, and stored at room temperature.
In folk medicine, such coniferous juice is used to treat asthma, tuberculosis, inflammation of the lungs, bronchi, trachea, weakened blood vessels and the heart.

Folk recipes describe several ways to prepare healing drinks from pine needles.

Here are just a few of them.
1. Finely chop 40-50 g of needles (spruce, pine, fir, juniper) with a knife, pour 1 liter of boiling water and insist in an enamel bowl for 15-20 minutes. Then add a liter of chilled boiled water, filter and keep for 5-6 hours in the cold. Drain carefully without shaking the sediment. AT
water, you can add citric acid, sugar and drink 0.5 tbsp. 4-5 times a day.
2. Pour 40-50 g of needles into 2 liters of water in an enamel bowl. Add 1 tbsp. chopped onion peel and 1 tsp. chopped licorice root, then boil over low heat for 20 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. mashed rose hips and boil for another half a minute.
The resulting broth insist in a thermos for 10-12 hours. Then strain, bring to a boil again, cool and refrigerate. You can drink up to 1 liter per day. This product will boost your immunity
and make up for the lack of vitamins in the body.

3. Take fresh spruce needles pass through a meat grinder, pack in plastic bags for 1 tbsp. spoon (make sure that the juice does not flow out) and store in freezer.
To prepare a healing potion, take out a briquette with needles, pour a glass of boiled chilled water and leave for 3 hours in a dark place. Then stir, strain, wring out raw materials.
Drink 1/4-1/3 cup infusion 3-4 times a day before or after meals. This coniferous drink is rich in vitamins and microelements, useful for cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infectious and inflammatory diseases, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, prostate adenoma, prostatitis, diseases of the kidneys, liver, urinary and gall bladders, tinnitus, hernia, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, helps with weakening of vision, mastopathy and uterine fibroids, treats hemorrhoids, perfectly relieves fatigue.

Pine needle remedy regulates blood pressure, lowers high cholesterol and blood sugar levels, helps to cope with excess weight, relieves shortness of breath, treats the musculoskeletal system.
In addition, the described infusion cleanses the body, normalizes metabolism, strengthens the immune system, protects against premature aging and prolongs life.

Recipe for external use : 5 bags of needles pour 0.5-0.7 liters of boiled cooled water, let it brew for at least 3 hours in a dark place. Then stir, strain, wring out the raw material.
Use the resulting infusion for compresses, lotions, washes, rinses for diseases of the oral cavity, larynx and nasopharynx, as well as for rubbing, preparing sitz baths for hemorrhoids, irritation, itching, inflammation and other skin problems, including acne, wounds and abrasions.
For the treatment of paralysis apply recumbent coniferous baths and poultices.
15 frozen bags with needles should be insisted in cool water, stir, strain, squeeze the raw material. Pour the infusion into a bath with warm water. The procedure should be carried out once a week for 15-20 minutes.
To make poultices, take half a glass of coniferous mass (defrost it first), heat it to a hot state, attach it to a sore spot, cover it with polyethylene on top and tie it with a warm scarf.
Keep doing this until you get positive results. Poultices do at night, remove the bandage in the morning and wash the problem area of the body with warm water.
Poultices with needles are effective for hernia, gout, varicose veins, osteoarticular and inflammatory diseases.
Hot poultices should not be made on the tumor, in which case only room temperature poultices can be used.
With a non-healing trophic ulcer soak a cotton swab with pine needles juice, apply to a sore spot, cover with compress paper on top and bandage.
Also with the help of juice they treat psoriasis, boils.

Remedy for a hundred ailments . As a preventive measure for many diseases, including oncology , wash the needles in warm, and then in cold water. Finely cut the needles with scissors and cover with sugar in a glass jar 4:1. This spruce "jam" can be stored until the summer. From it you can prepare a coniferous drink: 2 tbsp. "Sweet needles" pour 4 tbsp. cold boiled water, insist for three days, strain and drink 0.5 tbsp. twice a day in courses of three to five days.

Vitamin infusion from spruce needles. It is applied as restorative and antiscorbutic. One tenth of a glass of spruce needles, together with a small amount of cold boiled water, grind in a mortar with a pestle. Pour this pounded needles with a glass of boiling water, add lemon juice or citric acid (slightly acidify) and boil for 20:30 minutes. The ratio of needles and water should always be 1:10. After boiling, insist for 3 hours, then strain. Take 1/3 of a glass twice a day after meals.

Spruce decoction with milk . Used to treat scurvy, intermittent body aches, skin rashes and inflammation of the respiratory system. 30 grams of young spruce shoots or immature unopened shoots are taken<женских>fir cones. They are finely crushed and poured with a liter of milk. Milk is brought to a boil and the whole mixture is boiled over low heat for 10 minutes. The broth is filtered, divided into three equal parts and drunk during one day: morning, afternoon and evening.

Spruce ointment. It is applied for rapid healing of ulcers, wounds, pustules. An equal amount of spruce resin, honey, yellow wax and sunflower or hemp oil is taken. All components are thoroughly mixed, heated on fire. In the process of cooling to the temperature of the human body, a viscous mixture is formed. This is spruce ointment. It is applied to the affected areas.

Recipes

Tuberculosis. Porridge from spruce needles (you can take pine and fir) mixed in equal parts with honey (by weight) and leave in a cool dark place for 2 weeks, stirring occasionally. Drain the honey-pine juice, squeeze out the rest, take 2 tablespoons in the morning on an empty stomach. Store juice in the refrigerator.

with prolonged cough make a mixture of spruce resin and yellow wax (one weight part of each component), melt the mixture, cool, put pieces of the mixture on hot coals, inhale the released vapors.

expectorant for children: 1 kg of young spruce cones, 1 liter of water, 1 kg of sugar, simmer for 30-40 minutes. Pour into jars and roll up. Take 1-2 teaspoons 3 times a day.

infusion of spruce cones: the cones are poured with boiled water (at the rate of 1: 5), boiled for 30 minutes, stirring, infused for 15 minutes, filtered through 3 layers of gauze. A brown liquid is obtained, astringent in taste, with the smell of pine needles. For inhalations, an infusion heated to 60-80 ° C is used: 20-30 ml per procedure for adults.

Norway spruce, from the point of view of a biologist, is a direct relative of pine. This plant is one of the most ancient. The physiology of this tree determines many qualities of spruce.

Biological characteristics of spruce

The familiar Christmas tree is a gymnosperm plant that forms high (25-30 meters) woody forms. On the territory of the Northern Hemisphere, this tree species formed entire forests, common spruce is one of the main components of the taiga.

The tree is evergreen, its green parts are transformed leaves, the nature of the changes of which is aimed at reducing evaporation and thus preserving moisture. From the trunk, in the adult state covered with brown bark, whorls of branches depart, while the tree forms a pyramidal crown.

Spruce loses part of its needles annually, which is associated with the accumulation of substances toxic to the survival of the tree in the needles. The water-repellent properties of needles determine the fact that spruce forests are very dry. Reproduction occurs by transferring seeds formed in cones - megastrobiles. Fertilization occurs within the same tree, since male and female strobili are located on the same individual. Seed ripening occurs in the autumn season, that is, in September-October.

Gymnosperms, a typical representative of which is the common spruce, have come down to our times from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic. In those days, angiosperms (flowering) plants had just emerged. Later, angiosperms, due to their adaptability, became cosmopolitan and spread throughout the globe.

Meanwhile, gymnosperms, due to the peculiarities of their growth, in some places can displace trees belonging to the angiosperm department. A typical example is the joint growth of spruce and birch. First, the birch crown gives the shade necessary for a small Christmas tree, and when it grows, it obscures the territory and acidifies the soil, so the birch dies off.

The ancient Germans revered the spruce tree as the source of forest life and worshiped it. Of course, the tradition of decorating a tree dates back to pagan times. However, Christianity is known to have adopted many pagan rites. Therefore, the fir tree began to decorate for Christmas.

The fashion for the installation and decoration of spruce on New Year's Eve in Russia was introduced by the reformer Tsar Peter I. The German tradition quickly became popular in our country, and to this day we put this pretty tree in our apartments, houses or garden plots.

Chemical composition

In general, common spruce, like any other plant, is formed by a complex of organic and mineral substances. However, the proportions of some substances fluctuate depending on the season. Therefore, there is evidence that there are more useful substances in winter spruces than in trees of other seasons of the year.

The organic component of the composition is represented by a large number of phytoncides, resinous and tannic components, vitamins, polyprenols, as well as carbohydrates, fiber and some other substances.

Various mineral salts are dissolved in the cell sap of the Christmas tree, which are donors of substances such as iron, magnesium, manganese, and aluminum. It is known that different parts of this plant contain different elements, for example, the bark of a tree contains tannins, which are practically absent in other parts of the tree.

This phenomenon is associated with aspects of the life of spruce. Features of the seasonal composition determine the time of collection of medicinal raw materials, for example, it is better to collect cones in the summer, and take needles from young spring twigs.

Application in traditional medicine

Norway spruce has a lot of useful properties, so even official medicine recognizes it.

Currently, there are several pharmaceutical preparations that are used to cure various diseases. A typical example is the drug "Pana-Bin", which is a mixture of essential oils of spruce needles and peach oil, mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. This preparation is used to treat urolithiasis, because the substances that make up the needles affect the smooth muscles of the ureters.

The medicinal qualities of common spruce are widely used in various traditional medicine recipes. For the treatment of various diseases, specialists in the field of homeopathy use different raw materials from spruce.
Phytoncides, which are part of different parts of spruce, determine its therapeutic effect on the human respiratory system. Many problems associated with the area of specialization of the ENT doctor can be solved through the use of infusions and decoctions on spruce. In folk medicine, a decoction of spruce cones is used for this purpose.
Ingredients: finely chopped cones - 1 tbsp. spoon, water - 2 tbsp. Preparation and reception: the components are mixed and boiled for about 0.5 hours. Strained broth is used for inhalation, which should be carried out for at least 10-15 minutes. The liquid can be reused, preheated. The shelf life of the decoction is 3 days if stored in the refrigerator.

With the help of inhalations with a decoction of spruce cones, respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma are treated. Also, a decoction can be used to gargle with sore throat, laryngitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis. In case of diseases of the nasal passages - sinusitis, rhinitis, sinusitis - washing them with salted infusion on spruce cones is useful.

In addition to spruce cones, spruce resin is used to treat the internal respiratory tract - bronchi. To do this, it is mixed with beeswax, having previously melted, in a ratio of 1: 1. After cooling, the viscous mass is rolled into balls, which can be stored for a long time. Application occurs by burning (smoldering) one ball and inhaling the resulting smoke.

For the treatment of various diseases of the human musculoskeletal system, spruce needles are used. The composition of this plant element includes vitamins, tannins and essential oils. Together, they have an analgesic, diaphoretic and antimicrobial effect on a person. These mechanisms underlie the use of spruce as a medicinal raw material in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica. There is a recipe among the people that has been used since ancient times.

Ingredients: finely chopped spruce needles - 1 tbsp. spoon, hot water -1 glass. Preparation and reception: the needles are brewed with boiling water and simmered over low heat for about half an hour. The infusion is filtered and used to rub the affected joints.

Also, for the treatment of pain in the joints, especially at the stage of the process, when the shape of the joint is transformed, resin helps, otherwise - spruce resin. To do this, it is placed in a damp warm gauze, heated to a temperature of 30-40 degrees and the gauze (or bandage) soaked in resin is applied to the sore joints of the arms or legs. In some cases, even spruce wood can be used to treat diseases of the spine and back. For example, from sciatica among the people there is the following recipe:

Ingredients: wood chips or finely chopped spruce needles - 0.5 kg. Preparation and reception: vegetable raw materials are calcined in the oven or in a frying pan and transferred to a woven bag. A hot bag is placed on a sore spot on the back, previously covered with a waffle towel or diaper.

At the same time, the therapeutic effect is achieved simultaneously from heating the affected area, and also, when cooling, the wood raw material releases aromatic substances that have a psychological calming effect on the patient and disinfects the air. Warming up with this method is carried out for 15-20 minutes.

In folk medicine, the calming effect of spruce raw materials is used. For the treatment of chronic fatigue, stress, anxiety and even neurosis, it is useful to use lying, sitting and foot baths. For insomnia, spruce needles are used, placed in a woven bag, which is placed close to the pillow. However, it should be borne in mind that over time, such a handbag with needles loses its useful properties, so vegetable raw materials are recommended for replacement at least once every 2 months.

For baths, water extracts and decoctions of spruce needles are used. They are bred in the volume of warm or hot water poured into the bath. There is the following recipe based on needles.

Ingredients: spruce needles - 100g, warm water -1 liter. Preparation and reception: The components are mixed and allowed to boil in a saucepan with a covered lid for about half an hour over medium heat. The broth is filtered and poured into a lying bath (volume 200 liters).

Also, anxiety, restlessness and increased excitability can be combated with the help of young spruce shoots or the upper parts of the stem of the branch (where the needles are softest). On their basis, water extracts are made, which are mixed with warm water and taken in the form of sitz or foot baths. The shoot extract recipe is similar to that described for pine needles. The proportions must be kept the same, but the concentration of the therapeutic composition will differ, because for a foot bath you will need 250 g of medicinal raw materials, and for a sedentary bath - 750 g.

For the treatment of various wounds, suppurations, boils, abrasions or ulcers, treatment with spruce resin is widespread among the people. Numerous biologically active substances contained in this product cause bacteriostatic, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects on external lesions of the skin and mucous membranes.

In addition, the use of resin as an ointment relieves the pain that accompanies various external injuries, including pain from a burn. Among the people, there are quite a few ways to prepare medicinal components based on resin. Let's take a look at some of them.

Ingredients: spruce resin - 1 part, butter -1 part, beeswax - 1 part. Preparation and reception: the melted components are mixed and placed in a container with a lid. With the resulting ointment, lubricate the areas of skin affected by a boil, ulcer or abscess.

Ingredients: resin, flower honey, any vegetable oil (sunflower, hemp, linseed, olive). Preparation and reception: all components are taken in a ratio of 1:1:1, heated until a liquid state is obtained and mixed. The cooled mixture is lubricated with abscesses, ulcers, festering wounds. You can use this ointment in the form of patches.

Ingredients: spruce resin - 1 part, pork fat - 1 part, yellow wax - 1 part. Preparation and reception: these substances are melted in a water bath and mixed. This composition can treat such complex wounds as thermal and chemical burns, fistulas, as well as abscesses, abscesses and abscesses.

Norway spruce is popularly known as a source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Its antiscorbutic therapeutic effect is based on this property, because scurvy is an acute lack of vitamin C, leading to severe consequences for the human connective tissue. This property of spruce raw materials was widely used during the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, in cases of shortage of this most important vitamin for a person, the following recipe is used, based on spruce medicinal raw materials.

Ingredients: spruce needles - 30g, hot boiling water - 0.5 liters. Preparation and reception: The plant component is scalded in a container with a lid. The mixture is infused for at least several hours and, in a strained state, is drunk before meals 3 times a day.

In addition, spruce needles, buds, shoots and other parts of the tree are used to treat other vitamin deficiencies. The fact is that in addition to the described vitamin C, this plant also contains vitamin A (carotene), E (tocopherol), as well as some representatives of the B group vitamin family. In this vein, the following multivitamin solution is taken.

Ingredients: needles or tops of spruce shoots finely chopped - 5 tbsp. spoons, wild rose (fruits) - 3 tbsp. spoons, onion peel (chopped) - 1 tbsp. spoon, hot boiling water - 0.7 l. Preparation and reception: vegetable raw materials are brewed with hot boiled water and kept at medium heat for another 5-7 minutes. Cool for two hours with the lid of the pan closed, in which boiling was carried out. The tincture is taken in the volume of half a glass 3 times a day, daily for a month, after which it is taken for a break for 10-12 days.

In addition, there is a recipe for monoinfusion on spruce. At the same time, needles and water are combined in a ratio of 1: 2, and honey or sugar can be added to the strained infusion to improve the taste. Tincture is taken in half a glass in the morning and before bedtime.

Contraindications to taking spruce medicinal raw materials

With the whole mass of useful substances that make up this plant, common spruce also has a negative impact on human health. In particular, doctors have found that the intake of spruce essential oils has a negative effect on the condition of people suffering from kidney diseases such as nephritis or nephrosis. In addition, spruce phytoncides are a fairly powerful allergen, so allergy sufferers should take spruce medicines with caution.

The intake of water extracts and infusions of spruce inside is contraindicated for people suffering from ulceration of various parts of the intestine, as well as gastritis.

Coniferous baths should be taken with caution for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, in particular, hypertensive patients. Varicose veins and thrombosis are also a contraindication to taking lying or sitting baths with spruce infusions.

The condition of cancer patients can also worsen when taking coniferous baths.

Spruce, medicinal properties

Norway spruce (European) has many useful and medicinal properties. The plant has an excellent preventive and therapeutic effect in many diseases. Young tops of branches, immature cones, needles, resin are used as medicinal raw materials, from which infusions, decoctions, tinctures and powder are prepared.

Spruce, useful properties

Spruce has a tonic, diuretic, choleretic, antimicrobial, antiscorbutic, analgesic and antispasmodic effect.

Infusion and decoction of spruce cones are used for inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, cough, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, tonsillitis, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, whooping cough, laryngitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, chronic inflammation of the lungs and for the prevention of infectious diseases, as well as to strengthen immune system and as an antiscorbutic.

Spruce is used for diseases of the kidneys and bladder, dropsy and infectious diseases of the urinary tract.

In the form of baths, coniferous extract is used for functional disorders of the peripheral and central nervous systems, such as neurasthenia, neurosis, plexitis, sciatica, neuritis, overwork.

A decoction of the needles of the plant is used to treat purulent wounds, cuts, abrasions, and fungal diseases. Spruce resin is used to prepare an ointment against boils.

Spruce oil helps to eliminate nervousness, overstrain, improves the overall tone of the body and enhances the protective properties of the skin. Essential compounds of spruce are able to neutralize harmful microorganisms and purify the air in the room.

Spruce, medicinal recipes

Decoction of spruce needles: one tablespoon of chopped spruce needles is poured with one glass of boiling water and boiled for thirty minutes, after which the broth is covered and left to infuse for three hours. The finished broth is filtered and taken in half a glass during the day to strengthen the immune system and cleanse the blood of harmful impurities.

Spruce tincture: three tablespoons of young coniferous twigs are poured with half a liter of vodka and tightly closed with a lid. The tincture is left for two weeks, occasionally shaken. Ready tincture is taken before eating 5-10 drops for bronchitis, pneumonia, rhinitis, renal edema, tuberculosis, rheumatism, bronchial asthma.

Infusion of spruce cones: young cones are crushed and poured in a ratio of 1:5 with hot water, boiled over low heat for half an hour and let it brew for twenty minutes. The finished infusion has an astringent taste, a specific smell and has a brown tint. The infusion is stored in a cool place for no more than three days and is used for inhalation; for an adult, 20 milliliters are used for one procedure.

As a general tonic, you can pour cones with hot water in a ratio of 1:10, boil for fifteen minutes, add lemon and leave to infuse for one to two hours. The finished infusion is filtered, sugar or honey can be added, and I drink half a glass once a day in the morning before meals.

Spruce Recipes

Spruce jam: fresh young shoots and spruce cones are thoroughly washed, put in an enamel bowl and poured with water a centimeter above the cones and boiled over low heat for two hours. After complete cooling, the broth is carefully filtered through gauze and sugar is added in a ratio of 1: 1 to the volume of the broth. Then again put the pan on the fire and cook for 1.5-2 hours like regular jam. Next, the jam is poured into sterilized jars and rolled up, used for coughing, myocarditis, microinfarctions, rheumatic heartitis.

Tea from spruce twigs: useful for diseases of the heart and blood vessels, for cleansing the body, for increasing the body's immune forces and preventing various diseases. Other herbs can be added to spruce tea: mint, heather, raspberry leaves, currants and others. During the day, you can drink 2-3 cups of this tea.

Spruce, contraindications

Read also: Norway spruce, description

Watch a video that tells about the medicinal properties and use of spruce (watch from 13 minutes):

Pine: medicinal properties and contraindications.

Pine is an almost universal tree species. Her gifts are pine boards, tar, rosin and turpentine. Pine bark is an excellent material for making up an inert soil used in growing orchids. Pine is also a great alternative to a Christmas tree: its needles practically do not crumble, which cannot be said about spruce. The value of pine also lies in its medicinal properties, which were noticed even in hoary antiquity, which was confirmed in ancient manuscripts.

Procurement of medicinal raw materials

For medicinal purposes, traditional medicine uses pine needles, young shoots and pine cones. The use of pine resin also has a place in folk medicine. There is no reason to consider the use of products obtained at pharmacological enterprises (turpentine, rosin, etc.), therefore it is advisable to focus on those parts of the plant that have practical use at home.

Pine buds are harvested at the very beginning of sap flow (in early spring).

Pine cones are harvested for medicinal needs in May - June, at the same time, young shoots are also harvested. Needles can be harvested at any time of the year (even from a tree used as a "Christmas tree").

The chemical composition of medicinal raw materials

In the needles and young shoots of pine, as in all parts of the tree, resinous substances are contained. In addition, needles are a rich source of ascorbic acid and were often used in the old days to treat scurvy (avitaminosis caused by a lack of vitamin C). Pine needles accumulate a large number of chemical compounds, both organic and inorganic nature, which include macro- and microelements.

Pine needle essential oil contains terpene compounds, borneol, bornyl acetate, aromatic substances, etc.

Pharmacological properties of pine preparations

Water and alcohol extracts of pine buds, cones and needles contribute to the thinning of viscous mucus in the bronchi (expectorant action), increase diuresis (diuretic). Biologically active substances that are part of the medicinal raw materials have a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect. All of the listed properties of pine preparations determine their use for the treatment of diseases of the bronchopulmonary system (bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc.). Pine preparations are often prescribed as adjunctive agents used to treat diseases associated with the formation of stones in the kidneys and bile ducts. Pine preparations are also used in dermatology.

In ancient medical publications ("Private Pharmacology", 1847), information was found on the use of pine cones. "Pine cones have diuretic and diaphoretic properties; they are used in dropsy and chronic aching and rheumatic suffering, mucus (for example, from the lungs). Formerly they were also used against scurvy and venereal diseases." The publication also provides instructions on the technology of preparing a complex pine tincture (tinc. pini composit., loco tincturae lignorum):

Pine cones - 90 g; - Shavings of guaiac wood - 60 g; - Sassafras and juniper berries - 30 g each; - Alcohol - 1074 ml.

After infusion, the raw material is pressed.

The tincture was prescribed in 2-4 ml doses for the treatment of rheumatism, and as an adjuvant for venereal diseases.

Medicinal properties of pine in folk medicine (recipes)

In Moldova, a popular recipe for premature aging is pine pollen. To obtain pollen, young cones collected in spring are dried in the sun so that their scales open and the pollen spills out freely. Take this remedy 1 g (approximately) up to 3 times a day before meals.

- Pine honey. To prepare the product, underdeveloped pine cones (about 4 cm long) are used. Fresh cones are washed, laid out in an enamel bowl, sprinkled with sugar (1 kg of sugar per 1 liter of water) and poured with water so that it covers them completely, and a little higher by 2 - 4 cm. It is necessary to cook the composition for at least one and a half hours, observing that the water did not boil over, and constantly removing the resulting foam. In the process of cooking, the cones become "transparent", and the syrup acquires a ruby color and a viscous consistency.

With the light hand of Valery Tishchenko, the following recipe has spread: 5 tbsp. pine needles (chopped), 3 tbsp. rose hips, 2 tbsp. onion peel in 700 ml of water. Cook for 10 minutes after boiling, pour into a thermos and insist overnight. The healer believes that such a decoction should be drunk from a liter or more per day (instead of water), thereby a complete restoration of the vascular system occurs. The course of treatment with a decoction is at least 4 months. With all due respect to the traditional healer, but this recipe is not suitable for treatment, and, as practice has shown, use in such dosages can lead to serious exacerbations of heart disease. The maximum allowable dosage is 50 or 100 ml per dose, with two or three doses!

Bath decoction. Hot foot baths for colds. For 10 liters of water - 1 kg of pine needles (or shoots). After boiling, remove the dishes from the heat and insist for 1 hour. Used for foot baths for colds. For baths, decoctions from cones (crushed) are also used, of which 3 cups are taken per 10 liters. The technology of preparation is similar to the previous one.

With iron deficiency anemia, a healing infusion of pine needles helps. For a glass of warm water - 2 tbsp. needles, insist for 3 hours. Take often, every 2 - 3 hours, 15 ml.

Extracts prepared from pine needles are used to prepare baths. For 10 liters of water - 1 kg of pine needles, cook for half an hour and insist for an hour and a half. For each kilogram of extract, 2.5 kg of table salt is added. Coniferous-salt baths are recommended for patients suffering from diseases of the musculoskeletal system associated with the deposition of salts (osteochondrosis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.). A good effect of the bath is provided for various kinds of neuroses, joint pains.

Pine cones tincture can be taken to treat gastritis, peptic ulcer, etc.

Contraindications to treatment with pine preparations

Internal use of pine preparations is not recommended during pregnancy, during exacerbation of kidney disease, acute hepatitis. Individual intolerance also serves as one of the contraindications when you should not resort to treatment with pine preparations.

Abuse of drugs based on pine can provoke unpleasant symptoms: headache, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. Pine pollen can be a cause of allergic rhinitis.

With external use of infusions, decoctions and extracts, no special contraindications have been identified.

We collect needles

You can harvest needles at any time of the year. But it is better to collect it in the summer, when there are more acids and other useful substances in the needles. It is not recommended to collect needles for the future; during long-term storage, its healing properties decrease.

Needles should be collected with branches - this is how it is better stored. Under the snow, in the cold, most of the nutrients are stored for up to 3 months. If you put a sprig of pine in water and keep it at room temperature, then after a few days the vitamins are destroyed.

The benefits of pine needles

The needles contain a large amount of vitamins, micro and macro elements, phytoncides, chlorophyll, ascorbic acid (especially a lot of it accumulates in winter), phytoncides, essential oils. The latter accumulate mainly in the summer, and in winter their content in the needles is minimal.

Thanks to such a rich set of valuable substances, pine needles have the following useful properties:

bactericidal action. Due to the presence of essential oils.
Anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, expectorant action. This makes the needles very useful for acute respiratory infections. Gargle with a decoction.
It has a positive effect on the digestive system, has a diuretic effect.
Stimulates cardiac activity.
It purifies the air in the room, which also has a general strengthening effect on the body.
Fights insomnia, stress, nervous overwork. Improves mood.
Normalizes metabolism, stimulates the removal of excess fluid from the body.
It has a positive effect on the skin, rejuvenates it, smoothes wrinkles, fights boils and accelerates skin healing. The positive effect of needles on the hair was also noted.
It has a good effect on the joints, it is recommended for gout, rickets.

Contraindications

Pine needles should be used with caution, because the irresponsible use of this folk medicine can cause serious harm to health. You can not use pine needles when:

Acute hepatitis. In chronic hepatitis, the use of pine needles is permissible after consulting a doctor.
Glomerulonephritis and other severe kidney diseases. With a mild form of kidney disease, treatment with pine needles is possible, but you should always consult a doctor first.
Severe heart failure.
Infectious diseases of the skin (coniferous baths).
Acute inflammatory processes.

Recipes with pine needles

For kidney diseases. 2 tbsp onion peel and 5 tbsp. needles pour a liter of boiling water and hold on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Then the broth should be infused all night in a thermos. This portion of the decoction is designed for 1 day, the course of treatment lasts several months. You need a doctor's permission!
Cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, colds, cough. 200 ml of boiling water for 1 tbsp. needles, pour and boil for 20 minutes. Strain, cool, drink at a time.
Phlebeurysm. Pour 500 g of peeled chopped needles with 300 ml of boiling water. Mix to make a paste. Apply it to the affected area, wrapping it with gauze. Remove the compress after 15 minutes. The course of treatment lasts 14 days, it is necessary to apply compresses every other day.
Skin rejuvenation, wrinkle removal. Mix 30 grams of needles (washed and chopped), a tablespoon of olive oil and 3 tbsp. honey. Apply the resulting mixture to the skin and rinse with warm water after 10 minutes. Repeat after two weeks.
For general immunity strengthening. Rinse a glass of pine needles, chop, pour 600 ml of boiling water. Let stand covered for 1 hour, then squeeze the juice from half a lemon and strain.
Pine bath. Pine needles in a bag, immerse in a hot bath. Good for colds.
Liver recovery. Pour boiling water over 2-3 tablespoons of needles and boil for half an hour. Then strain and drink 100 ml per day.
Diuretic. Pour 1 tbsp of pine needles with 250 ml of boiling water. Insist 30 minutes, then strain. Take four times a day after meals, a tablespoon.
Strengthening the cardiovascular system. Pour a liter of water 2 tbsp. onion peel, rosehip, and 5 tbsp. pine needles. Bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, then leave for 12 hours in a thermos. Drink warm instead of water. The course of treatment lasts 2 weeks, followed by a monthly break.

In folk medicine, pine needles are considered a very valuable raw material. No wonder the Finns call the pine "tree of life", because almost every part of it can be used to treat diseases.

Pine

Scotch pine belongs to coniferous trees, reaching a height of up to 40 meters. She has a straight trunk with cracked brown or gray and a rounded crown. Its leaves, or rather, needles, are located on the branches in pairs, having a dense, rigid structure. The flowering period is May, when cones form on the edges of the branches. A little later, the cones increase and become stiff, forming, in turn, seeds in the axils of their scales. The life expectancy of one tree is up to 400 years.

The medicinal properties of pine were known more than 5 thousand years ago. On the basis of needles, compresses and poultices were made, and in ancient Egypt, pine resin, which the plant is very rich in, was used for embalming. Even now, after more than 3000 thousand years, these embalming compositions have absolutely not lost the bactericidal properties that the pine endowed them with. In Ancient Russia, people chewed resin to cure diseases of the gums and teeth, and thus disinfected the oral cavity.

In medicinal medicine, almost all parts of this tree are healing and useful: needles, resin, young spring shoots, branches, bark - everything goes into business. There are a lot of tannins, resin, starch, essential oil, carotene, vitamins B, C, K, R in pine.

Even in the old days, healers advised people with depression to walk at a leisurely pace through a pine forest, inhaling the fragrant, resin-saturated air. And if you cling to a pine for 2-3 minutes, then a person immediately relaxes, his consciousness clears up, he becomes cheerful, cheerful, efficient. Studies by Japanese scientists confirm that the ethereal smell of pine improves memory, invigorates and uplifts the mood.

pine buds

Decoctions from pine buds have a pronounced diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, disinfectant, hemostatic effect. It also perfectly performs the function of an expectorant due to the fact that the epithelium of the respiratory tract is excited, sputum viscosity decreases, and the functions of the ciliated epithelium are stimulated.

Tea from pine buds perfectly copes with bronchitis, pneumonia, gallstone and kidney diseases. Recipe: 10 grams of pine buds are poured with 1 cup of boiling water and cooled to room temperature. Take 2 tsp. 3-4 times a day.

Expectorant: 1 tsp pine buds are poured with 1 cup of boiling water and languish in an enamel bowl in a water bath for half an hour. After the resulting broth is filtered, cooled and brought to the original volume with boiled water - up to 1 cup. Such a decoction can be stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days. Take 3 times a day for 1/3 cup.

Decoction for inhalation: You need to take 20 grams of kidneys and pour them with 1 cup of boiling water. Next, put in a water bath and breathe this steam. Excellent liquefies sputum, cures bronchitis, tracheitis, rhinitis, reduces sore throat.

For whooping cough and bronchial asthma: 40 grams of pine buds, 30 grams of plantain and 30 grams of coltsfoot leaves. Mix everything, pour 1 liter of boiling water, let it brew, cool and take 1/3 cup 3 times a day.

For inflammation of the bladder or urinary retention: Take 1 tbsp. pine buds, pour them with 1 cup of boiling water, let it brew overnight, and then take 3 times a day after meals after 1-1.5 hours, 1/3 cup. For children, it is necessary to reduce the dose of a single consumption by half. This recipe also helps with diseases of the upper respiratory tract, pharyngitis and laryngitis.

pine needles

It is best to collect coniferous needles in late autumn or winter. It is during this period that they have the highest concentration of tannins, ascorbic acid and essential oils.

Vitamin infusion No. 1 It is necessary to collect needles, rinse them thoroughly in water, finely chop with scissors. Raw materials in a volume of 4 cups need to be poured with 500 ml of cold water, add 2 tbsp. vinegar to slightly acidify the solution and reduce bitterness, and let it brew in a dark and cool place for 2-3 days. You need to take 1 glass a day. Such tea will instantly saturate the body with vitamin C, remove excess fluid from the body, increase immunity and strengthen the body against colds and inflammation.

Vitamin infusion No. 2 Boil 200 grams of water and pour 40 grams of pine needles, lemon zest (very little) and 1 tsp into it. granulated sugar. Boil over low heat for half an hour, then cool and add a few drops of lemon juice.

For a bath: You need to take 1 kg of needles and kidneys mixed in equal parts, pour them with three liters of boiling water and let it brew for 3-4 hours, strain and add to the bath. Such an infusion is excellent for neurosis, depressive states.

To remove toxins and radioactive substances from the body: Take 40-50 grams of pine needles (preferably young) and pour 2 liters of boiling water. Put the infusion in an enamel bowl on a gentle fire and add 1 tsp. finely chopped licorice root and 1 tbsp. chopped onion peel. Boil the broth for 20 minutes, and then pour 2 tbsp. pre-mashed rose hips. After the broth has been removed from the heat, it must either be poured into a thermos, or tightly wrap the pan and let it brew for 12 hours. Within 48 hours, i.e. two days, you need to drink at least 5 liters of this broth. This golden recipe helps prevent radiation sickness, cleanses the body even with severe radiation contamination.

External use of needles: From skin diseases, pustules, boils, rashes, burns and injuries, poultices from fresh needles are excellent. It is necessary to pick the needles, rinse it in cold water, then pour boiling water over it, wrap it in gauze and apply a compress to the affected area. In case of burns, the needles must be finely chopped, slightly steamed in water, allowed to cool to room temperature and applied to the injury site.

To clean the vessels: Take 5 tbsp. chopped pine needles, 2 tbsp. chopped onion peel and 3 tbsp. wild rose. Pour the resulting mixture with 1 liter of boiling water and boil for another 10-15 minutes. Strain the resulting broth and take 100 grams once a day before meals.

To improve vision: Take 5 tbsp. finely chopped pine needles, pour it with 2 cups of boiling water and let it brew overnight. In the morning, strain the infusion and take 1 tbsp. 4 times a day after meals.

Diuretic: 1 tbsp. finely chopped needles pour 1 cup boiling water and let it brew for half an hour. Strain the resulting solution and take 1 tbsp. 4 times a day. The same infusion can rinse the mouth to get rid of scurvy, periodontal disease and bleeding gums.

Vitamin infusion: It is necessary to finely chop the needles in the amount of 3 cups and pour cold boiled water (4 cups), add 1 tsp. lemon juice and put in a dark and cool place for 3 days. Then the infusion must be filtered and taken 100-150 grams 2 times a day. For children, the portion should be halved.

Coniferous tea: 4 tablespoons grind finely chopped pine needles with 2 tablespoons of sugar, pour boiling water and drink a tea drink rich in vitamins.

Coniferous baths: Baths with the addition of pine needles are used for diseases of the joints, skin rashes, sores and other diseases, overweight, joint diseases. Also coniferous baths very well relax tired muscles, restore strength, eliminate depression, neuroses. Recipe: Rinse 2 kg of needles, finely chop, pour 1 liter of hot water and let it brew for half an hour. Then strain the infusion and pour into the bath. You can swim only in warm, not hot water, preferably at night, before going to bed and no more than 20-30 minutes.

Also, a local needle bath has a very good warming effect for constantly freezing feet or hands: pour 1 glass of finely chopped needles into 1 liter of warm water in one container and 1 liter of cool water in another container. Frozen limbs alternately lower into one or another container and hold for 20 seconds in each. The temperature difference between the two containers should not exceed 15 degrees.

The needles collected from the branches should be kept in a cold place, preferably in the snow, so that it does not lose its full vitamin qualities, and if necessary, prepare infusions and decoctions. If it is not possible to store in a cold place, then you need to cut off the needles from the branches very carefully, without a foundation, then in a warm place it will not lose its properties. It is best to store raw materials in a linen bag.

Sap

Resin is used mainly externally as an excellent wound healing extract. With its help, ointments are prepared that can tighten the most putrid, wet and hard-to-heal wounds.

Ointment: Heat 25 grams of beeswax, rosin and vegetable oil in a water bath until the components are completely dissolved. Then add 50 grams of resin and bring to a boil, but do not boil. Cool the resulting mixture and you can smear the wounds with a thin layer or apply compresses if the condition of the wound does not allow it to be smeared.

Against abscesses, bruises, bone fractures: Mix 200 grams of resin, 150 grams of olive oil, 15 grams of vitriol and add one onion. Bring to a boil, but do not boil. Cool the resulting mixture and use externally as an ointment. It can also be used to lubricate the nasal mucosa if there is a runny nose.

In the presence of a boil, you just need to apply a little resin and you can immediately feel the analgesic effect. After 2-3 days, the boil will completely resolve. In the same way, it can be applied to wounds. There is a clear wound-healing effect.

Pine ordinary in cosmetology

For baldness: 500 grams of pine buds are boiled for half an hour in 5 liters of water, filtered and used as a rinse. Also, this recipe is used not only for baldness, but for hair loss and simply as a preventive, strengthening method. After rinsing with pine decoction, the hair becomes silky, shiny, dense, and excess fat disappears.

For acne: In addition to the fact that Scotch pine is able to heal wounds, it also has healing properties for acne or pustular rash on the face. Recipe: finely chop 2 full handfuls of needles, pour 1 liter of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. With this decoction, you need to wash your face in the morning and evening.

Contraindications

Scotch pine has a very strong concentrate of all the substances that it contains, therefore, when self-medicating, you must be very careful and careful and remember that it is better to use a slightly smaller portion than to suffer from an overabundance and side effects of the medicine.

It is forbidden to use drugs for those who have individual intolerance, have kidney disease, hepatitis, glomeluronephritis, pregnancy and lactation.

The use of turpentine can cause hyperemia of the skin, and if it is used frequently, the skin in places of local exposure becomes covered with blisters and dies. Even with a slight rubbing into the skin, turpentine can cause an increase in blood pressure, shortness of breath, and insomnia. Children are forbidden to take any preparations that include Scots pine, up to 2 years.

What is spruce good for health / decoctions, infusions, baths from cones, buds, needles, shoots /

Spruce, a tree familiar from childhood to most residents of the northern hemisphere. Europeans under the concept of "spruce" mean the species spruce ordinary or its hybrid Finnish spruce. For the inhabitants of Asia, Siberian or Korean spruce are familiar. And in North America, black, Canadian, prickly spruce reign. All representatives of the genus Spruce (Picea) are similar in structure and chemical composition. Any type of spruce has beneficial properties and can be used to treat certain diseases. On the territory of Europe, cones and needles of common spruce (European) are used as medicinal raw materials.

The healing properties of spruce are due to the chemicals that make up its composition, these are:
essential oils;
tannins;
resins;
mineral salts;
vitamins (C, E, B3 or PP, K);
carotenoids;
trace elements (iron, manganese, chromium, copper);
amino acids.

Different parts of spruce contain different amounts of useful components. Their composition may vary depending on the season. The greatest number of useful components in young shoots and developing buds.
One of the main components of the essential oils that make up spruce is pinene, which got its name from the Latin Pinus (pinus - pine). Spruce and pine are so close in chemical composition and properties that until recently both belonged to the genus Pinus (pine).

The healing properties of spruce

The main and most well-known useful property of spruce is its bactericidal properties. Spruce contains substances from the class of terpenes, better known as essential oils, which are broad-spectrum phytoncides. These biologically active components are very volatile, so they are constantly released into the environment. As the temperature rises, the amount of essential oils released increases. On hot days, a strong coniferous aroma is felt near the spruce. Spruce phytoncides destroy pathogenic bacteria, microscopic fungi that cause rot, as well as species of some protozoan (single-celled) animals.
Inhaling the aroma of pine needles, a person not only gets rid of pathogenic microorganisms and improves immunity. Phytoncides, inhibiting the development of pathogenic bacteria, stimulate the growth of microorganisms useful to humans.
In addition, spruce stimulates the immune system of plants growing next to it. It is useful for pets and birds. In winter, a fortified supplement is prepared for them from ground needles.

Where the healing properties of spruce will help

Spruce has a versatile positive effect on the human body, affecting almost all systems and organs:
Stimulates the immune system;
Tones and relieves fatigue;
Activates brain activity;
Helps to normalize the nervous system after stress, improves sleep;
Accelerates the healing of wounds, including burns, ulcers;
Stimulates the work of the cardiovascular system;
Favorably affects the functioning of the intestine and stimulates the growth of microflora in it, which helps digestion, improves the functioning of secretory cells;
Spruce phytoncides destroy even such dangerous bacteria as staphylococci, E. coli, bacteria that cause tuberculosis and whooping cough.
To obtain medicinal raw materials and manufacture various preparations, spruce needles, cones, resin, less often bark, branches and wood are used. Useful properties of spruce allow the use of needles and cones for the treatment of many diseases:
diseases of the upper respiratory tract of viral and bacterial origin, bronchial asthma;
diseases of the lower respiratory tract (pneumonia, tuberculosis);
inflammatory processes of the excretory system and kidney disease;
decrease in the elasticity of blood vessels, varicose veins;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
skin diseases caused by fungi and bacteria;
infectious diseases of the oral cavity;
rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, laryngotracheitis.

We recommend reading: Spruce: description, classification, types > Magic cone, or how to grow a Christmas tree from seeds >
Spruce: planting, care, reproduction, use in landscape design
Ivan-tea narrow-leaved. Koporye tea > Benefits and healing properties of linden honey >
Norway spruce (European) / Picea abies >Rosehip oil: application and beneficial properties >

Face masks with olive oil and chopped spruce needles perfectly renew the skin, stimulate the epithelium, and smooth out wrinkles.
The brewed drink on spruce needles cleanses the blood of toxic substances, binds free radicals that destroy cells, and improves blood circulation.
Inhalations with pine needles extract, another healing property of spruce, which is used in the treatment of diseases of the nasopharynx. An easier way to cope with the disease is to suck spruce resin.
Baths with extracts or tincture of spruce needles help get rid of rheumatism. And the needles, ground into gruel, mixed with vegetable oil or baby cream, will help cure the fungus that occurs between the toes and get rid of the unpleasant smell.
Brewed spruce needles are a good remedy for gum disease or inflammatory processes in the mouth (young needles can simply be chewed without swallowing). This is an excellent prophylactic against periodontal disease.

Useful recipes from spruce needles, buds, shoots and cones

Oral use

With beriberi, colds and just to strengthen the body, prepare a drink.
Take 4 tbsp. spoons of needles collected in winter, fill them with 3 cups of cooled boiled water and leave for 3 days in a dark place, then strain. Add 2 tsp. citric acid or apple cider vinegar and take 1/2 cup 2 times a day with honey or sugar. Store the prepared infusion in a dark, cool place.
A decoction of spruce needles has the same property. Pour 2 tablespoons of clean spruce needles in an enamel bowl with a glass of boiling water, boil over low heat for 20 minutes and let it brew for half an hour. Drink half a glass 2 times a day, adding sugar or honey.
It cleanses the blood well and fights vitamin deficiency. A decoction in the milk of kidneys and spruce cones. It is prepared from crushed raw materials (2 tablespoons) and milk (1 liter) for 20 minutes. Take in a cooled form in a glass up to 3 times a day.
Washed and dried young spruce shoots collected in early spring are placed in a 5-liter jar, sprinkled with sugar (1.5 kg) in layers. Leave to stand overnight, mix, expose to the sun, covered with a lid with holes or a cloth. After 10 days, the resulting juice is poured into another container, corked, stored at room temperature. Juice from spruce needles is taken for all the diseases listed above from 0.5 to 2 tbsp. l. 1 time per day on an empty stomach.
Rub clean spruce needles and mix with the same amount of honey. Infuse for 2 weeks in a cool and dark place, stirring occasionally. Drain the resulting liquid mass, squeeze out the remnants. Take a spoonful for preventive purposes. With tuberculosis and respiratory diseases, 2 tbsp. l. on an empty stomach in the morning.
From young shoots and cones of spruce (or pine), cook syrup or jam, useful for colds and respiratory diseases. Fill fresh raw materials with water with a small top and cook for about 2 hours. After cooling, strain through a dense cloth and add 1 kg of sugar for each liter. Re-boil the jam and pour into clean jars, roll up. Depending on the cooking time with sugar, you will get syrup (boil), five minutes (cook 10-15 minutes) or jam (cook 1-2 hours).
Spruce buds, collected at the end of spring, are a concentrate of useful substances of spruce. They are washed and crushed, poured with water in a proportion of ¼ and boiled over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain, allow to cool, and strain again through a thicker cloth. Apply ¼ cup 3 times a day. For long-term storage in a cool dark place, honey is added to the resulting broth in a ratio of 1/1, which is dissolved by heating in a water bath or over very low heat. Keep tightly closed. Apply before meals on a teaspoon three times a day.

Outdoor use

At purulent wounds and ulcers externally use spruce resin. You can: 1) Sprinkle wounds with dry rubbed resin; 2) Warm up, stirring, taken in equal amounts of spruce resin, vegetable oil and beeswax. After cooling, lubricate sore spots. According to the same recipe, an ointment is prepared for the treatment of boils, but instead of vegetable oil, pork fat or butter is used.
With rheumatism and osteochondrosis, baths from cones and spruce needles will help. The cones are crushed, the needles are washed and poured with cold water in a ratio of 1/3. The bath is taken every other day. Previously, the infusion is boiled for half an hour, filtered and poured into the bath. For one procedure, 2 kg of raw materials are enough.
For colds, tonsillitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, inhalations, warm rinsing or washing with infusion of spruce cones are used. The crushed cones are boiled for half an hour in water (ratio 1/5), cooled, filtered well. With rhinitis, 7 drops of infusion are instilled in a warm form in each nasal passage.

Contraindications

Inhalation of the aroma of spruce is not useful for everyone, as well as inhalations with spruce needles. In sick people, they can cause an exacerbation of asthma or migraine. The use of infusions and drinks from spruce is contraindicated in gastric diseases, and excessive doses are dangerous for the kidneys.