A Pine Needle Tea

Eastern White Pine needles grow in a cluster, usually 5 needles to a cluster.

I have a terrible cough. I am sure I picked it up at the library, along with my books about early American tombstones and old house construction (center chimney seduction, anyone?). I’m okay, and it seems to happen every year, so its only natural that I have a go-to tea to help me deal with it. Now, please note that I do spend most of my time in my head, and if you are picturing yourself this way- bundled up in your favorite woolens, pack basket on your back, cold cheeks but warm hands, wandering through the forest foraging for the perfect Eastern White Pine bough to harvest some needles from, I totally did too. In all seriousness though, you only need a handful at a time. But all of the other things are still fine and encouraged. A rough chop of the needles (or not), and long steep (5-10 minutes) in hot water, is an evergreen nurse in a mug. It’s perfect for a cough or a cold.

Pine Needle Tea has 4 times the amount of Vitamin C of a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and is high in vitamin A as well. It works as an expectorant, decongestant, and cooked down in potency, as an antiseptic wash. {There are 20 known toxic varieties of pine tree, so do your own research.} I always stick with the Eastern White Pine, because its safe, plentiful, local, and I like the taste.

A Pine Needle Tea