Eastern White Pine or Pinus strobus, grand evergreen trees native to northeastern part of North America, have long served as a natural pharmacy in the region. While there's still much to uncover about these wonderful pine needles, this once unassuming tea is quickly becoming more in demand than ever.  Pine Needle Tea is gaining more popularity as researchers understand its many beneficial properties. Here at Ivory Honeycomb, we're pretty big fans of Pine Needle tea. Here's why we include pine needle as part of our functional herbal tea collection.

Rich in Alpha-Pinene, Beta-Pinene, Beta-Phellandrene, D-Limonene, Germacrene D, 3-Carene, Caryophyllene, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Pine needles really pack a punch when you consider all of its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

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Bursting with more vitamin C than that of an orange or lemon, makes this tea great for boosting the immune system. Not to mention the other benefits of Vitamin C such as clearer skin, and increased collagen productions.

High in vitamin A, this makes pine needle tea a great source for healthy vision, skin and hair regeneration, and red blood cell production.

Pine needle tea has long been used as a respiratory herbal remedy. A natural expectorant and decongestant, this comforting tea helps to expel mucus and phlegm while soothing a sore throat.

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Research has also found that sipping on pine needle tea after a workout may help with endurance, prevent sore muscles, and speed up recovery. It may even help with weight loss as shown in another study that found pine needle tea may be beneficial in slowing weight gain and reducing visceral fat.

Immerging studies also gave encouraging results on how pine needle tea may help with improving cognitive function when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases.  Pine needle tea seems to be very successful with protecting against memory loss and may even improve memory function.

In the peer-reviewed journal, Nutrition and Cancer, researchers found early positive results regarding pine needle tea against cancer. They discovered "strong antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative effects on cancer cells" when testing the effects of Pine Needle Tea. And interestingly, they found that pine needle tea aids in autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells while generating newer and healthier cells.

And as if the list of all the benefits of pine needle tea isn’t long enough, this potent tea may even improve heart health. LDL oxidation can lead to inflammation in the arterial wall and cause cardiovascular damage such as atherosclerosis or heart disease. Studies show the benefits of pine needle tea may include protection against LDL oxidation.

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Want to incorporate pine needle tea into your healthy routine? Ivory Honeycomb uses the power of plants in functional herbal tea blends to help you better your well-being. Check out our Premium Pine Needle Tea blends here.

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References:

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Hatfield, Gabrielle. Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2004.

Dziedziński, M., Kobus-Cisowska, J., & Stachowiak, B. (2021). Pinus Species as Prospective Reserves of Bioactive Compounds with Potential Use in Functional Food-Current State of Knowledge. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(7), 1306. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071306

Park YS, Jeon MH, Hwang HJ, Park MR, Lee SH, Kim SG, Kim M.   Antioxidant activity and analysis of proanthocyanidins from pine (Pinus densiflora) needles.   Nutr Res Pract. 2011 Aug;5(4):281-287.   https://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2011.5.4.281

Porterfield, K. M., Keoke, E. D. (2009). Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations. United States: Facts On File, Incorporated.

Seo, H., Lee, N. H., & Ryu, S. (2014). Antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of pine needle powder ingestion and endurance training in high cholesterol-fed rats. Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry, 18(3), 301–309. https://doi.org/10.5717/jenb.2014.18.3.301

Kim, E. A., Yang, J. H., Byeon, E. H., Kim, W., Kang, D., Han, J., Hong, S. G., Kim, D. R., Park, S. J., Huh, J. W., Cheong, H., Yun, S. P., & Lee, D. K. (2021). Anti-Obesity Effect of Pine Needle Extract on High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 837. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050837

Lee, J. S., Kim, H. G., Lee, H. W., Han, J. M., Lee, S. K., Kim, D. W., Saravanakumar, A., & Son, C. G. (2015). Hippocampal memory enhancing activity of pine needle extract against scopolamine-induced amnesia in a mouse model. Scientific reports, 5, 9651. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09651

Kwak, C. S., Moon, S. C., & Lee, M. S. (2006). Antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antitumor effects of pine needles (Pinus densiflora). Nutrition and cancer, 56(2), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327914nc5602_7

Gow-Chin Yen, Pin-Der Duh, Din-Wen Huang, Chin-Lin Hsu, Timothy Yu-Chi Fu,

Protective effect of pine (Pinus morrisonicola Hay.) needle on LDL oxidation and its anti-inflammatory action by modulation of iNOS and COX-2 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 46, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 175-185, ISSN 0278-6915, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2007.07.012. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691507002621)

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