Everyone knows the benefits of a pine forest and many love to be there to recharge their batteries and get positive emotions. The rich chemical composition of the pine and its healing properties are recognized by official medicine, which recommends the use of various parts of this plant to treat many diseases and maintain the immune system. And experienced gardeners have found a way to protect the vegetable and fruit cult, to increase their productivity with the help of needles and sawdust. Since the action of pine is based on a large number of high-activity biological substances that are part of it, it can cause poor health.

The chemical composition of pine

Due to its rich chemical composition, pine is endowed with many useful properties. Various parts of this plant are used by people and in official medicine. Pine needles are known as valuable medicinal raw materials.

Did you know?The well-known amber is petrified resin. If an arthropod insect more than a centimeter long has got into the solidifying pine resin, such amber is included in the category of precious stones.

Its composition is rich:

• tannins;
• resinous substances;
• volatile compounds of essential oils;
• vitamins;
• carotenes;
• anthocyanins;
• coumarins;
• flavonoids;
• trace elements.

Its healing properties are due to:

• high in resin acids;
• vitamin value of the product;
• mineral composition (iron, cobalt, manganese, calcium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iodine and carotene).

Pine bark is appreciated due to the presence of such compounds:

• tannins;
• D-hyaluronic acid;
• pycnogenol;
• resveratrol.

Young pine cones have unique properties that are widely used by the people for medicinal purposes and in the production of pharmacological preparations.

Green cones are rich:

• vitamins of almost all groups (A, B1, C, E, H, U);
• resins;
• lipids;
• essential oils;
• acids, especially oleic;
• minerals: potassium, phosphorus, magnesium;
• terpenes giving them a pleasant aroma;
• borneol.

Video: The healing properties of green pine cones

Pine pollen is considered an excellent immunostimulant. It is rich in many substances involved in the functioning of the human body:

• vitamins (A, groups B and C);
• micro and macro elements (27 substances, the main part of which are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper, zinc, selenium, iron);
• antioxidants;
• amino acids;
• natural antibiotics;
• enzymes;
• immunostimulants.

Pine refers to phytoncide woody species, releasing tarry substances into the air, thereby giving it healing properties.

Beneficial features

Pine contains the largest number of biologically active substances among all conifers. Aromatic compounds, resins, vitamins, minerals and other components. This plant is used in the complex therapy of many diseases and for recovery after severe illnesses as a rich source of aromatic compounds, resins, vitamins, minerals and other components.

Did you know? In a cubic meter of air of a pine forest contains 500 microbes, while a large city in the same volume contains up to 36 thousand.

Pine needles

There are many useful substances in pine needles. Organic acids, resins, phytoncides, tannins, volatile oils and substances that make up the raw material endow the medicinal properties with healing properties:

• painkiller;
• anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial;
• hemostatic and cleansing;
• cholinetic;
• diuretic;
• soothing;
• vasodilator;
• healing;
• immunomodulatory;
• radioprotective.

Pine needles and extracts from it are useful for improving the condition of the skin, therefore they are common in cosmetology and are part of hair strengthening products.

Air

Due to its unique ability to clean the air, pine stands are rightly called the "lungs of the planet." The pine forest air contains about two hundred biologically active volatile compounds that disinfect and make it practically sterile.

Pine trees are natural air ionizers, so walking in the woods normalizes blood pressure, improves performance and improves mood. The plant is able to capture dust and purify the air from harmful impurities. Dust and harmful substances settle on the needles, bark of trees, after which they are washed off by rain.

Pines emit a large number of volatile products, which give the air of pine forests has powerful healing properties:

• normalizes appetite;
• improves the activity of the cardiovascular system;
• heals the respiratory system;
• cures rhinitis and cough;
• normalizes cholesterol;
• favorably affects the nervous system;
• contributes to recovery from injuries;
• struggles with rheumatism;
• helps in the complex treatment of prostate adenoma;
• beneficial effect on the state of blood vessels;
• increases lung capacity;
• improves working capacity and brain activity;
• strengthens the immune system;
• enriches the body with oxygen;
• contributes to the normalization of body weight.

Many diseases can be eliminated thanks to walking in the woods alone; therefore, the beneficial properties of pine air are used for therapeutic and preventive purposes by sanatoriums, dispensaries, and health centers, which are often located in coniferous areas.

Sawdust

Pine sawdust is an affordable raw material, which due to its properties is widely used in the cultivation of personal plots.

Important! Many gardeners refrain from fertilizing the land with sawdust. Indeed, this raw material as a fertilizer should be approached very carefully, since it has the property of increasing the acidity of the soil and drawing nitrogen out of it.

Many gardeners recommend adding them to the soil.

The properties inherent in sawdust are as follows:

1. Loosening the soil. As part of the soil, sawdust improves its porosity, gives friability and prevents the formation of crust in the upper soil layer.
2. Moisture retention. Sawdust absorbs water and holds it, preventing drying out and thereby increasing the intervals between irrigation.
3. Weed protection. The use of raw materials as a mulching material complicates the germination of weeds, thereby eliminating the need for frequent weeding of beds.

Pine application

Pine is used by humans in almost all areas of human activity. In folk medicine, it is widely used in many diseases. It is recognized by official medicine and is used in pharmacology in the production of a number of drugs. Use pine and gardeners to protect plants and obtain a rich harvest. In addition, pine cones are an ingredient in unusual, but incredibly tasty and healthy dishes.

Ethnoscience

In folk medicine, pine needles, containing a huge amount of nutrients, are especially valued.

From it are made:

• infusions;
• bathtubs;
• compresses;
• decoctions;
• vitamin drinks.

Tools prepared from pine needles help get rid of or significantly alleviate the condition with many ailments:

• a cold
• coughing
• laryngitis;
• bronchitis;
• sore throat;
• diseases of the dermis;
• tuberculosis;
• gum disease;
• heart and vascular diseases;
• gall bladder problems;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Pine needles extract is very helpful for sleep disorders, overwork and anxiety, if a small amount is added while taking a bath.

There are many folk recipes for the beauty of the skin, hair and nails. The beneficial effect of needles on the skin is:

• maintaining water-fat balance;
• enrichment with vitamins (vitamin E is especially useful for the dermis, which is found in large quantities in pine needles);
• healing of small cuts, wounds, drying of inflamed areas.

The most useful medicinal properties are possessed by the needles of young shoots of two- or three-year-old pines collected in the first months of autumn. They contain a huge amount of vitamin C. But the needles collected at any time of the year are healing, the main thing is to collect it far from roads and industrial enterprises. Medical raw materials do not lose their qualities when stored in the refrigerator for two months.

In the garden

Many gardeners use litter of pine as an excellent alternative to expensive fertilizers, poisons for the destruction of pests and other means necessary on a household farm.

Ways to use:

1. Basis for mulching as mulch. The litter, laid on the beds in a small layer, perfectly retains moisture in the upper soil layer after irrigation. This method of mulching will also save the site of weeds and carrying out its regular loosening. You can cover the needles in the spring in the spring after the appearance of the first shoots.
2. To increase soil fertility. As a top dressing of plants. Under normal conditions, litter decomposes from three to five years. In order for rotting to be more intense, it is recommended to mix it with liquid mullein in a ratio of 1 cc. m litter per 100 kg of manure. In this mixture you need to add vegetable tops, weeds, food waste. Lay a compost heap in layers, alternating with the earth from a bed and watered with organic fertilizer. Compost heap should be covered with a film. In order that the process of decay does not stop, it is periodically moistened. After ripening, the resulting humus must be opened and aired from time to time. As a rule, valuable top dressing can be used after 1.5 years.
3. For insulated beds. Site preparation in the fall in a special way will help to accelerate the growth and maturation of crops, as well as increase their productivity. To equip such beds, you need to dig a ditch in about 2 bayonet shovels. Lay out at the bottom in layers: pine needles, some wood ash, manure. The top layer is about 20 cm high and is covered with weeds sprinkled with earth. The height of such beds is from 25 to 30 cm. It needs to be watered and covered with a black film. In the spring, under the influence of decaying organics, it will warm up a month faster, which will allow seedlings to be planted earlier than usual.
4. For warming plants for the winter. As a sheltering material, it helps to survive sufficiently severe frosts for thermophilic plants (grapes, clematis, roses, azaleas, etc.), which, having previously been fixed low above the ground, are covered with dried pine needles. Cover with a film on top and press with a weighting agent. The roots of young fruit trees in the garden can also be protected from freezing and damage by rodents by spreading bags full of pine needles around the trunk.
5. To protect against insects. Infusion of pine branches is used in early spring to prevent the propagation of pests, such as: apple moth, weevil, leaflet, etc. To prepare the infusion, young pine branches are chopped, poured with water heated to 50-60 °, insisted for three to four days in a warm place, stirring occasionally. The finished infusion is filtered and diluted about half. Add two large tablespoons of liquid soap, mix. Use this tool in three stages: when the buds swell, during budding and at the end of flowering.
6. For storing vegetables. The bactericidal and anti-spetic properties of pine are used to store beets, carrots and potatoes. For this, layers of vegetables are transferred to well-dried needles. Moreover, the lower and upper layers should be from pine litter.

In cooking

Delicious and healthy preparations are prepared from green pine cones. For this raw material, soft unopened fruits (up to 4 cm long) are collected from the end of June to August.

Important!It is necessary to collect pine raw materials with gloves so as not to injure hands with sharp needles and stain them in resin.

Before cooking, they are sorted, cleaned of needles, washed and dried. Jam and honey are prepared from pine fruits, which are distinguished not only by an unusual pleasant taste, but also by the ability to strengthen immunity and maintain the body in the cold season.

Pine cone jam

For cooking you will need: 1 kg of green pine cones, 1 kg of sugar and 1 liter of water. Pour the washed cones with water and leave for 24 hours to get rid of bitterness, then pour the raw materials into the pan, pour water and bring to a boil. In the process of cooking, it is necessary to remove the foam and wipe the spoon from the resin. Pour sugar and cook at a slow boil from one and a half to two hours, until the jam becomes red. Pour the finished jam into pre-sterilized jars, cover with lids.

Pine cone honey

It is very useful to use it from autumn to spring for the prevention of colds. To prepare honey, you need to take: 70 green pine cones, 800 g of sugar, 1 lemon and 800 ml of water. Rinse the cones well and add water. Bring to a boil, remove the foam, then reduce the heat and cook for another half hour. Remove from heat, refrigerate and leave for 24 hours to infuse. After this, strain the broth through cheesecloth, add sugar and cook at a slow boil for two to three hours, until the liquid acquires a honey consistency. At the end of cooking, add lemon juice, mix. Pour the finished honey into pre-sterilized jars, close the lids.

Video: pine cone honey

Contraindications

The concentration of biologically active substances in the pine and pine air is so high that this plant can both heal and cause serious health problems.

• Before you go to the pine forest, remember about contraindications and the possible harm of such a walk:
• Pine trees in large quantities emit volatile aromatic substances, which can cause asthma in sufferers.
• An increased concentration of oxygen in the blood as a result of being in the coniferous forest can lead to vasospasm and fainting.
• Essential oils often cause tinnitus and headache.
• Long coniferous forest therapy sessions can provoke an increase in blood pressure, shortness of breath and arrhythmia.
• Precautions for walking should include people suffering from severe heart failure. High levels of phytoncides in pine air can lead to seizures.

You should not take funds, including pine needles, pine extracts, pollen, cones for people with such health problems:

• hepatitis;
• acute heart failure;
• infectious skin diseases;
• acute phases of any inflammatory processes;
• kidney disease
• pregnancy;
• individual intolerance.

Being unpretentious to the growing conditions, pine is found everywhere in our latitudes and is used in many industries. Thanks to its rich chemical composition, it is a recognized medicine in official medicine for treating many diseases, and for many centuries, wonderful recipes for healing many diseases have been passed on from generation to generation. But, in order not to harm the body, it is important to remember contraindications and observe precautions both when using products that contain the components of this plant, as well as going for a walk in a pine forest.