Pine cones: benefits and harms, medicinal recipes with photos

The benefits and harms of pine cones are of great importance for fans of traditional medicine. To understand how justified the use of cones for treatment is, you need to carefully read all of their properties.

The healing properties of pine

Pine has long been considered one of the most beneficial trees for human health. Its cones, buds, bark and resin are actively used in medicinal recipes - the tree relieves inflammation and has a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, reduces stress and saturates the body with vitamins.

It is in pine forests that rest houses and medical sanatoriums are most often placed, the air itself in such a place helps to fight ailments, since pine kills bacteria. Pine needles are very effective in treating joint diseases, and pine tar is recommended for treating skin ailments.

The benefits of young pine cones are very great. Their properties are used for the complex improvement of the body.

The chemical composition of pine cones

Young buds contain a huge amount of resinous acids, vitamins, minerals and tannins. Namely, the composition includes:

• vitamins C, P, K and B;
• phytoncides and bioflavonoids;
• tannins or lipids;
• carotene;
• resin;
• turpentine;
• organic acids - oleic and linolenic;
• iron, magnesium and selenium;
• fatty oils and terpene compounds;
• monoterpene hydrocarbons.

The most beneficial are the mid-maturing, bright green buds. It is them that must be collected for a home first aid kit.

Why pine cones are useful

The benefits of pine cones for humans are that they:

• relieve internal and external inflammation, fight infections, increase immune resistance;
• serve as a good expectorant;
• cleanse the blood and strengthen blood vessels, prevent the development of dangerous diseases - heart attacks and strokes;
• have a choleretic and diuretic effect, thereby relieving puffiness;
• have a tonic effect on the body and protect against anemia, scurvy and anemia;
• have a beneficial effect on the intestines and stomach;
• calms the nervous system and helps cope with stress.

Pine cones for children

Pine cones bring health benefits not only to adults, but also to young children. Natural remedies work well for colds and lingering coughs, weak immunity and skin irritations.

Children over 7 years old can be treated with useful decoctions and water infusions based on pine trees, and you can make healing baths for them. Only alcoholic pine tincture is prohibited for use, there will be unconditional harm from it.

Bump-based traditional medicine recipes

For the treatment of many ailments in home medicine, the beneficial properties of pine cones are used. Medicines are prepared very easily.

Alcohol tincture

The properties of the alcoholic tincture provide effective assistance in the fight against joint and colds. It is done as follows - raw materials are poured into a liter jar, poured with a glass of liquid honey and left for a day. Then the cones and honey are poured with vodka or alcohol and removed to a dark place for 10 days until fully cooked.

The benefits and contraindications of pine cone tincture largely depend on the age of the patient and the amount of use. The product is prohibited for minors, and adults need to take it in minimal amounts so as not to get harm.

Oil extract

At home, you can easily make healthy oil. Raw materials in the amount of 1 kg are poured into a large container, filled with water and washed properly, then dried from water on a piece of fabric.

After that, the raw material is poured into 1 liter of unrefined vegetable oil and placed in a water bath for an hour. During this time, the beneficial substances will have time to turn into oil. After the expiration date, the mixture is removed from the stove, allow the oil to cool and pour into a clean jar.

The finished oil needs to be insisted in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, and at the end of each week, the liquid is poured into a new vessel, filtering through cheesecloth. The finished product helps mainly for joint ailments and bronchitis, and it must also be stored in the refrigerator.

Decoction

To prepare the medicine, a one-liter saucepan is filled with pine raw materials by a third, filled with water and boiled for 5 minutes. Then the fire is turned off, the broth is closed with a lid and allowed to cool and infuse, and then filtered and drunk as needed for colds and stomach ailments. The broth can be used with honey and sugar.

Infusion

The benefits of infusion from pine cones are manifested when coughing and weak immunity. To prepare the product, you need to wash and grind 50 g of cones, and then pour 500 ml of boiling water over them. The product is insisted under the lid for about 2 hours, then filtered through folded gauze.

Syrup

For colds, the benefits of pine cone syrup are good. It is prepared like this - the washed cones are poured with water, boiled for 20 minutes, and then insisted for another day under the lid. After the expiration date, the cones are thrown away, and the green infusion is poured into another dish and sugar is added to it at the rate of 1 kg per 1 liter of infusion.

A useful agent must be boiled over low heat for about 1.5-2 hours, until the syrup turns raspberry, and poured into sterile jars, without waiting for cooling.

Pine cone honey

With weak immunity and colds, honey from pine cones will benefit. The kidneys are thoroughly washed and finely chopped, placed in a saucepan and generously sprinkled with granulated sugar in a 1 to 2 ratio.

The workpiece must be left for a day so that the cones let the juice out, and then put on the fire, let it boil and cook for about 5 minutes more. Then the honey is removed from the stove, allowed to cool and boiled again for another 5 minutes. This should be done three times, and then add a large spoonful of citric acid to the delicacy, mix well and put the honey in jars. The benefits and harms of pine cone honey are manifested when coughing - it quickly relieves the symptoms of a cold.

Candied pine cones

Candied pine fruits are used not only in medicine, they are used as an ordinary sweet delicacy along with hot tea. Making sweetness is not difficult. For this you need:

• cut the washed cones into small pieces and add 1 kg of sugar;
• pour the ingredients with 1 liter of water and boil over the fire for an hour until you get the usual pine jam;
• completely drain the liquid syrup from the jam, and spread the remaining cones on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

The baking sheet with cones is removed in the oven, preheated to the lowest temperature, and the door is left open. When the cones are dry, they are removed from the parchment while still warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar or plain sugar on all sides.

The cooled candied fruits are laid out in glass or ceramic jars and stored under a tightly closed lid.

How to take pine cones medicinally

Pine drinks and other medicines can help even with very serious ailments. In order to properly carry out the treatment, you need to learn more about the benefits of pine cone recipes.

With the threat of a stroke

Healthy pine cones contain a large amount of tannins, which have a beneficial effect on brain cells. The healing properties of pine cones tincture on vodka are best manifested - tannins are most fully concentrated in alcohol.

A classic remedy for alcohol or vodka with the threat of a stroke must be taken within 2 weeks - a teaspoon in the morning, immediately after a meal. Then they take a break for a week, and then repeat the treatment course.

Another healing remedy is prepared by adding a large spoonful of apple cider vinegar to 500 ml of ordinary pine tincture.

Such a remedy is taken before bedtime - 1 spoon of the remedy is added to evening tea.

After a stroke

If a stroke has already occurred, then the medicinal properties of a decoction of pine cones will help to minimize its destructive effects. Tannins and other beneficial substances in the composition of the product will prevent the death of brain cells.

To prepare the product, about 7 chopped cones are poured with boiling water, put on a slow fire and after boiling, cook for another 10 minutes. Then the broth is cooled, filtered and drunk three times a day, 1/3 cup for a couple of weeks.

For the treatment of blood vessels

The tannins in pine cones provide invaluable help in cleaning blood vessels. It is also recommended to use an alcoholic agent kept in a dark place for about 3 weeks during therapy.

If we are talking about preventive strengthening of blood vessels, then you need to use the agent in the morning on an empty stomach, 1 teaspoon each. If you already have a problem with cholesterol plaques, you need to drink the medicine in the same amount, but three times a day. So that the medicine does not turn into harm, in no case should the indicated dosages be exceeded.

For bronchitis and cough

A healing broth based on pine cones and milk is excellent for any cough. It is prepared in about the same way as an ordinary remedy - only the cones are poured not with water, but with goat or cow's natural milk in a volume of 500 ml. The product is boiled for a little over a quarter of an hour, then filtered and cooled to 40 degrees, and then 2 large spoons of honey are added.

It is necessary to drink the broth throughout the week, several times a day in small sips. When it comes to treating a child, then the daily dosage should be reduced to 350 ml of the product. The broth in milk is not stored for a long time, it must be prepared anew every day.

Also, when coughing, the benefits of pine honey are well manifested - you can use it with tea.

With diabetes mellitus

The healing properties of pine cones help to permanently lower blood sugar. Treatment is carried out with an ordinary decoction in water, it is drunk three times a day, 70 ml at a time. But alcoholic products based on the kidneys are contraindicated in diabetes - they will harm the body from them.

From pressure

With high blood pressure, the benefits of moonshine on pine cones manifest themselves - the drink should be taken for a couple of weeks. It is best to take red cones for cooking, or women, they are harvested at the very beginning of summer.The finished tincture on such buds should have a reddish brown tint.

With increased pressure, it is customary to add a teaspoon of medicine to warm tea. With regular use of the product, your well-being will quickly improve.

Against tuberculosis

The beneficial properties of pine cones help even with such a serious ailment as tuberculosis. Of particular benefit is the use of a remedy from several parts of pine, mixed with each other.

• An alcoholic product based on red cones is added to the green cone tincture.
• Then the medicine is mixed with an alcoholic agent on the pollen and pine flowers.

All ingredients must be taken in a volume of 500 ml. The finished product is taken three times a day, a large spoonful for 3 weeks.

For asthma

The properties of pine buds are good for allergic or hereditary asthma. For treatment, it is recommended to take a medicinal infusion, but do it as follows:

• green bumps are poured into a thermos and a small piece of resin is added to them, no more than 2 cm wide;
• raw materials are poured into 500 ml of hot milk;
• stirred, covered with a lid and infused for 4 hours.

Then the infusion must be filtered through tightly folded gauze. The benefits of pine cone infusion will appear if you drink a large spoonful of the remedy twice a day, and the entire course of treatment should take 2 months. If asthma is chronic, then after a break for several weeks, it is recommended to repeat the course.

Thyroid treatment

The healing properties of green pine cones help eliminate thyroid ailments. Green buds are finely chopped and poured with alcohol in the same volume, and then the remedy is insisted for a whole month.

The treatment course takes 3 weeks and looks like this:

• in the first three days of treatment, take 1 drop of tincture three times a day;
• on day 4, the dosage is increased to 5 drops and so the drug is taken until the end of therapy.

For joint pain

Pine cones for joints are excellent in relieving inflammation, pain and swelling in arthritis and osteochondrosis. For treatment, they mainly use oil based on the kidneys - rubbing and making healing compresses.

In particular, compresses are recommended for arthritis:

• a clean linen napkin is impregnated in a drug and applied to a sore joint;
• fix it on top with cling film and wrap it with a warm scarf;
• for the first time, the compress is kept for about an hour, then the time is gradually increased to 8 hours.

You need to repeat the beneficial procedure every evening for a couple of weeks. You can also do compresses every 2 days, but then the total duration of therapy increases to a month.

In case of joint ailments, by the way, the benefits of tincture from pine cones turn out to be useful - on its basis, you can also make compresses and rubbing.

With gastritis

The benefits of green pine cones are that they are able to relieve inflammation, improve the condition of the gastric mucosa with gastritis. It is required to finely chop the cones and pour them into a large sterile jar in layers - a layer of cones 1.5 cm thick is placed on the bottom, then the same layer of sugar is made, then the cones are poured again.

The jar is removed in a dark place for several days and the contents are periodically mixed. After all the sugar has dissolved, only healthy syrup will remain, it must be drained into a separate jar.

The tool is taken in 1 large spoon, diluted in a glass of water, three times a day on a full stomach. Treatment should be continued until the symptoms of gastritis disappear.

Harm of pine cones and contraindications

The benefits and harms of pine cones for the body depend on the caution of use. Do not abuse pine buds - especially alcoholic tinctures. If the dosage is exceeded, their properties will be harmful.A contraindication is allergy - both to conifers and turpentine, which is part of the cones.

In addition, because of the possible harm, it is impossible to use medicines when:

• hepatitis and other serious liver diseases;
• renal failure;
• over 60 years of age;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding.

It is recommended to give useful pine products to children only upon reaching 7 years of age - in order to avoid allergic reactions and other harm.

Collection, harvesting and storage of pine cones

The healing properties of green pine cones largely depend on the quality of the raw materials. There are several rules for collecting kidneys.

• For useful young cones it is best to go to adult pine forests, pine begins to abundantly release buds after 30 years.
• The place for collection must be chosen as clean as possible from the point of view of ecology - away from cities, major roads and industrial facilities, otherwise the blanks can be harmful.
• The mass appearance of cones on pines occurs in late May or early June. It is during this period that you need to have time to collect them - soft young cones, which are easy to cut with a knife, contain the most useful properties.
• The size of the buds does not really matter - the buds can reach 1 to 4 cm in length. First of all, you need to look at their structure - the cones should be dense and resinous.

Opinions differ as to whether buds should be washed after harvest and before harvesting. On the one hand, along with the resin, the raw material loses many useful properties, but on the other hand, washing allows you to remove dust and toxins from the kidneys that are harmful. If the cones were not collected in dense Siberian forests, you should still wash them in order to avoid harm to health.

Fresh buds are best for preparing tinctures, decoctions, and syrups - they are most useful. But if desired, the cones can be dried or frozen. At the same time, a lot of valuable properties will also be preserved in them, and there will be no harm.

In terms of shelf life, fresh buds remain usable for only 3 days. Frozen or dried raw materials retain useful properties for up to 2 years.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of pine cones depend on the implementation of the rules of use. If you do not abuse drugs, pine buds will have a healing effect on the body and help in the fight against even the most severe ailments.

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