Pine cones: medicinal properties and contraindications

Why are sanatoriums and children's health camps located in pine forests so popular? The air there has powerful healing power, calms the nervous system and increases the body's resistance to disease. Systematic walks in a pine forest cure many diseases without drugs, because pines emit volatile, disinfecting the air. The maximum amount of volatile production is released in summer, in hot sunny weather. At this time, you can take a walk through the forest, breathe in the healing air and at the same time pick up cones, from which you can then prepare medicinal compounds and survive the autumn slush and the winter prickly winds. Cones will also help in the treatment of other diseases.

Chemical composition

Cones are rich in resinous acids, vitamins, minerals and tannins, thanks to which they become a real serious help to a sick and healthy person. First of all, these are vitamins, each of which is responsible for that other function of the body.

So, vitamin A is designed to maintain muscle tone, vision - in order, its lack is fraught with frequent inflammation. Vitamin B1 makes the heart work without interruption, stimulates the activity of the digestive tract and keeps the nervous system normal. If it is not enough, the vessels have a bad time. Vitamin C is known for its active immunity support. Vitamin N also helps their work, adjusts digestion, nervous system and boosts immunity.

Without vitamin E, the metabolic process cannot normally go; it is necessary to maintain the functions of the reproductive system. Vitamin U is “entrusted” with making vessels elastic, eliminating their fragility, and protecting the body in every way from allergy and atherosclerosis. In addition, this component of the cones effectively resists hypertension.

The set of minerals contained in cones is no less rich. So, potassium is considered a good tool to improve the functioning of the respiratory system, heart and blood vessels. From time immemorial, calcium has been recognized as the best building material for bones and muscles. Magnesium is a substance without which brain activity and the nervous system will not withstand everyday stresses. In addition, he is able to protect the body from infections and related diseases.

The normal course of metabolic processes is also associated with phosphorus, which is also a component of the chemical composition of cones. Iron is responsible for the metabolism and delivery of oxygen to organs and tissues.

Mineral salts, iodine, sodium, tannin, organic acids are also contained in cones - all these substances are extremely important for a healthy human being. Thanks to essential oils, cones retain all their beneficial properties.

Phytoncides, which are also called natural antibiotics, have the ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria or even destroy them, and bioflavonoids control the permeability of capillaries, that is, they play their role in the blood supply. Carotene (or provitamin A) is involved in various processes in the body, in particular it supports reproductive function, heart function, and its lack negatively affects the state of immunity.

Resins protect humans from the penetration of fungi and other pathogens, as in nature they protect the pine itself. Turpentine, which is an integral part of the resin, is able to effectively disinfect and heal wounds, stop the blood.

Terpene compounds in the cones are indispensable participants in the metabolic process, they participate in the synthesis of bile acids and cholesterol.

Collection and storage

If the cones are assembled correctly, there will be more benefit from them. In order to preserve the useful properties of medicinal raw materials as much as possible, during collection you need to follow a few simple rules.

1. Firstly, the highest quality cones can be obtained in an adult pine forest, which is already about 30 years old. It is at this age that the trees begin to generously grow buds, from which cones are formed. Moreover, if there are any signs of decay or insect damage on the tree, it is better to bypass it.
2. Secondly, the forest should be located in an ecologically clean and safe place - where there are no cities that can damage nature from emissions from industrial enterprises, and also away from highways and car exhausts.
3. Thirdly, it is necessary to collect raw materials no later than mid-June, because at this time the cones are still young, soft, they are easy to cut with a knife. And the most beneficial substances in them are contained at this particular time.

The cones that can be collected grow on young branches that differ from last year's bright green color. The fruit has ripened or not, you can check by pressing with a fingernail - if it is pierced, then you can collect it. Best for medicinal purposes, cones are intact, juicy, dense, tarry, sticky. They can be of different sizes - from 1 to 5 cm, their length does not affect the quality of the product.

To wash or not to wash the cones before processing, everyone decides for himself. Of course, when washing, some of the useful qualities are lost. But at the same time, you can be sure that neither dust, nor dirt, nor the pollen of other plants, nor anything else like that and undesirable for the human body, will get into the finished medicines.

For the preparation of infusion, broth, syrup, jam or tincture, freshly picked cones are best suited. But they must be used within three days after collection. If longer storage is required, it is better to dry cones. So they are able to maintain healing properties for two years.

Is it possible to freeze pine cones
So that green young cones do not begin to rot, they can also be frozen. Washed and dried raw materials are laid out in portioned bags, using both plastic and made from waxed paper. They are cleaned in the freezer, and, if necessary, removed and thawed on a shelf in the refrigerator. Like dried cones, frozen ones retain their healing properties for two years.

The healing properties of pine cones

Science has studied bumps quite deeply. As a result of research, many drugs are used that are used by medicine. Most often these are syrups or ointments that help to normalize blood pressure. Therefore, funds based on pine cones are prescribed for the treatment of hypertension or as a means of preventing cardiovascular diseases.

1. Due to the presence of special types of tannins, which help stop the processes of neuronal decay and the death of brain regions, cones are used in the treatment of stroke. In addition, tannins are able to thin the blood and thereby prevent the formation of blood clots. The ability of cones to withstand stroke has been proven by conducting large-scale studies. Today, medical science and pharmacy have gone further - the most serious specialists are working on creating tablets from cones that are effective for treating strokes.
2. Compounds based on cones are widely used for various respiratory diseases - they are also used internally, and inhalations are used to relieve coughing attacks in acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections and bronchitis. Also, these compounds gargle with angina.
3. Drugs from the cones have a strong immunostimulating effect. Therefore, they are prescribed for vitamin deficiency, to increase strength after surgery, a serious illness and as a means of preventing scurvy.
4. Digestive system diseases are another area of ​​active use of pine cones.Healing solutions on the cones support the work of the stomach, treat gastritis and ulcers, have a beneficial effect on the activity of the pancreas.
5. Recommended preparations of pine cones in cases where it is necessary to strengthen the walls of blood vessels, in particular with varicose veins. For this purpose, medicinal compounds are taken orally and taken with them to help reduce swelling, heaviness and pain in the legs.
6. Prescribe alcohol tinctures from pine cones for problems with joints, since these drugs have an analgesic effect. Assign them externally - make lotions and rubbing. Also sore spots with rheumatic and radiculitis pain, gout, trigeminal or occipital nerve neuralgia, myositis.

Externally, they use funds based on cones for skin diseases - eczema, scabies, lichen and various allergies.

If you need to heal your nerves - and then the bumps will help. It is possible to strengthen the nervous system with the help of infusions, decoctions, baths from medicinal cone compounds. You can light an aroma lamp with essential oil from pine cones - this procedure is used to relieve stress and restore mental strength after exhausting work.

For women

Women can use bumps to solve different problems. So, they showed themselves well as a painkiller and tonic, so they are recommended to relieve discomfort and pain during menstruation.

1. The ability to anesthetize, coupled with the ability to fight infection, allows the use of decoctions and infusions of cones for cystitis, which are quite common in women. Moreover, cones can be used both alone and in combination with nettles, cinquefoil, cornflower, angelica.
2. For the treatment of inflammatory diseases in gynecology, condiments, wormwood, lavender, nettle, sweet clover, elderberry are added to the cones.
3. Apply compounds based on cones and to solve the issue that always worries all women - weight loss. It is possible to lose weight due to the ability of these medicinal products to control appetite.
4. Well, women would not be women if they had not learned to use bumps for cosmetic purposes.

For men

As practice shows, most men sooner or later have a problem with potency. There is nothing to be surprised at: in addition to purely physiological age-related causes, unhealthy environmental conditions and stress at work also harm men's health. The way out of this situation is baths from decoctions of pine cones. If it is not possible to take a bath, you can replace it with compresses.

To do this, you need to cook the cones for half an hour after boiling and then leave them in the same pan for 12 hours. It should turn out a red-brown extract with a pleasant coniferous smell. You can either pour it into the bath, or make a compress on this basis.

If the choice fell on the bath, then take it should be at least 20 minutes. Water should not be hot. Regular use of this technique at bedtime improves potency and boosts testosterone production.

During pregnancy

It is not worth taking formulations based on pine cones during pregnancy: no one can predict how this will affect the health of the future baby, because it may be allergic to the components of the product.

You can take baths with decoctions or infusions of cones, they are even useful if the future mother has problems with blood circulation, obvious signs of varicose veins, swollen legs. They are also useful as a sedative that can normalize nerves that are upset due to a changed hormonal background. The bath will relax, improve the condition of the legs, relieve swelling. But it is important that the water is not hot.

In the later stages of pregnancy, it is better not to take a bath, as it is difficult for a woman. It is better to apply compresses soaked in a decoction of cones on the swollen legs.

For children

Pine cones will be useful for children as a means of raising immunity and alleviating the condition for colds, acute respiratory infections, SARS, which are quite common in babies. In particular, the healing composition of the cones will help calm the cough, for which they do inhalation, rubbing.Children over 7 years old can be given medicinal decoctions and water infusions, but alcohol tincture is strictly prohibited. With skin irritations, the child can prepare a bath.

It must be remembered that the dose for any drug that is acceptable for children should be half that of an adult.

Pine cones in folk medicine

Cones are used to get rid of various ailments for several centuries. How to use them, in what form, from what diseases - with such questions people turned to ancient healers. They also noticed that walking in a pine forest is useful, as it improves breathing, pacifies a cough, and simply calms the nervous system.

The sorcerers, of course, did not know that the cause of the beneficial effect on breathing was the volatile production of trees. They successfully disinfect the air and strengthen the immunity of strolling through the forest.

Today, traditional medicine still uses medicinal formulations to treat vitamin deficiency, tonsillitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, arthritis, rheumatism, stroke, anemia, bruises, skin diseases, as well as to improve metabolism and increase immunity. Treatment with pine cones is currently one of the most common folk methods.

Types of healing compounds

From cones you can prepare such medicinal compositions as infusion, tincture, broth, tea and jam.

A tincture of alcohol can be prepared immediately in large quantities, since it is stored for a long time without loss of useful properties. The main condition is that the storage location should be dry and dark. But you can’t use such drugs for more than 10-15 days, otherwise it may become addictive.

Decoction or infusion should be prepared as much as is required for one day, a maximum of two, stored in the refrigerator.

Tea is brewed a little to drink at a time. The jam should be stored, like all home preservation: if the jars are tightly screwed - in the kitchen cabinet or in the cellar, if the cap is a nylon cover - in the refrigerator.

Infusion

1. To enhance immunity. This infusion helps well if you need to get rid of a cough, increase immunity and add vitality to the body. For half a liter of water, you need to take 50 g of fresh chopped pine cones. Heat the water to a boil, pour cones over it and insist for two hours, tightly closing the lid and covering it with a towel for heat. Strain and drink.
2. From edema and rheumatism. Such an infusion of green cones is recommended if there are swelling, joint pain from rheumatism or arthritis. In these cases, you can drink the infusion and apply compresses with it. They recommend such an infusion as a hemostatic agent. To prepare the daily norm of infusion, scalp with two glasses of boiling water the cones in the pan (tablespoon). Cover the composition with a lid, which is additionally insulated on top with a small blanket or towel. Insist in this form for 12 hours. Drink during the day, dividing the resulting composition by 3-4 times.
3. For the thyroid gland. Collect pine cones, cut into slices and pour vodka (if any - with medical alcohol) in such a volume that it is equal to the volume of raw materials. Let it brew for a month. Keep it out of the sun. Drink for three weeks: three days by drop, then increase the rate to 5 drops. It is recommended for diseases of the pancreas and thyroid gland, but with nodes on the thyroid gland its use is contraindicated.

Tincture

Alcohol tincture
This tincture is suitable for both pain relief for joint pain and colds. It is necessary to pour a glass of chopped green cones into a liter jar, pour a glass of liquid honey there and after 24 hours add to the top vodka. To bring the healing composition to readiness, remove the can for 10-12 days in a dark place - in the closet. Compresses based on it can be applied to joints.

It is permissible to take orally by a teaspoon, no more.

If you insist on cones not 10-12 days, but three weeks - with a ready-made composition, it is good to clean the vessels and fight cholesterol plaques. To strengthen the vessels, it is enough to drink once a day in the morning, on an empty stomach, to get rid of plaques, 3 times a day.

Tincture from a stroke No. 1
Grind 6 cones, fill them with a glass of good vodka and insist for two weeks in a dark place, shaking from time to time. Filter and take this tool for a long time, at least six months. Drink a teaspoon three times a day. If used for prevention - enough once a day.

Tincture from a stroke No. 2
Fill a liter jar with washed cones, pour vodka. Insist in the dark for 40 days, filter and drink, diluting a teaspoon with tea or warm water. You can rub tincture of the paralyzed part of the body. Use this tool should only be part of a comprehensive treatment, after consulting with a doctor.

Tincture on cahors
Fill a liter jar with cones. 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar are poured into the same and removed for a couple of days to settle. Then the jar with cones is filled to the top with Cahors. Close tightly and clean in a cool dark place for a month. Filtering the finished tincture is optional. Take 3 times a day before meals - a tablespoon if tormenting a cough or sore throat.

Decoction

1. Universal broth. They drink this remedy for colds, to solve male or female problems, get rid of coughing, tidy up digestion, work the gall bladder, add it to healing baths, etc. To prepare a decoction, take a liter pan and fill it with chopped cones on a third of its volume. Pour water to the top, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, no more. After turning off the fire, cover the pan with a lid and wait for the broth to cool. They drink after straining, adding honey or sugar to the broth. The resulting volume is drunk in two days.
2. Decoction for inhalation. Half a liter of water is filled with 4 large spoons of cones, brought to a boil under a lid and kept on fire for another two minutes. Then they take cover with a head and a saucepan in which the broth is located, with a towel and breathe over this broth, while there is still steam - about 15-17 minutes. The procedure helps with coughing, bronchitis and even tonsillitis.
3. Broth in milk. The broth is well used for tuberculosis and complex diseases of the respiratory system - but as part of the therapy prescribed by the doctor. To prepare a healing solution, two tablespoons of chopped cones in half a liter of milk are boiled for half an hour. Insist about half an hour or 40 minutes. The resulting milk broth is drunk per day, dividing the resulting rate by three times.

Tea

Pour a teaspoon of crushed cones into an enameled ladle with a glass of water, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. They drink like ordinary tea, with honey or jam.

Butter

For 1 kg of washed and properly dried cones take a liter of finished oil. The ingredients are mixed in a pan, which is then put on an hour in a water bath. During this period, all useful substances pass from the cones to the original vegetable oil. Remove the pan from the water bath and set to cool, then pour it into a glass dish and put it in the refrigerator. After a week, the oil is filtered in another container, after another 7 days the operation is repeated. And only two weeks later, after double straining, the oil is ready for use. Store it in the refrigerator, using to rub the sick joints or chest with bronchitis.

Syrup

Syrup from pine cones is prescribed for colds, to improve immunity, alleviate pain with rheumatism and gout, improve metabolism, men - to increase potency.

Take about 100 young cones, pour a liter of water and boil for about 20 minutes from the beginning of boiling. The fire is turned off, the composition is left to infuse for 24 hours, after which the cones are taken out and thrown out, 1 kg of granulated sugar is poured into the broth and cooked for about an hour and a half over low heat until the syrup thickens. A teaspoon of lemon juice is added, mixed and laid out in small sterilized jars. Store such syrup in the refrigerator.

Application in cosmetology

In cosmetology, the properties of pine cones are used to protect the human body from free radicals due to the combination of vitamins A and C. They inhibit the process of damage to cells, therefore, help the skin stay young longer.In addition, vitamin C accelerates the healing of skin, and A helps to reduce scarring - for example, with lesions such as acne. For healthy hair, pine cones are also good, because thanks to the healing composition, the curls become shiny, stop breaking, and dandruff also disappears. Moreover, for hair it is not necessary to use funds only for medicinal purposes, it can also be used as a preventive measure.

For shiny hair

For this composition, not young and green, but more mature cones are needed. Take 5-6 pieces, cut or break into pieces and put to simmer on a slow fire in a liter of water. When it boils, they hold it on the stove for another 15–20 minutes, then remove it and let it brew for 40–60 minutes. Then apple cider vinegar (7-8 drops) is dripped into this container and it is insisted for the same amount of time. Then the broth is filtered and rubbed into wet clean hair and into the scalp. The product is not washed off, but left on the hair for an hour and a half, while the head should be wrapped in a towel. In the end, just rinse your hair with clean water.

For healthy hair

To prevent the hair from falling out, it was shiny, easy to comb, the structure improved, dandruff disappeared, 3-4 drops of oil from pine cones are added to the finished hair mask. They use this mask as usual: they apply it to the hair and wash off after a couple of minutes.

Ice Wash

Such a tool will work well for those who have problem skin, for example, there are acne or some inflammation is not uncommon. So, for 10 minutes 6 cones are boiled in a liter of water, after this period, pour a tablespoon of chamomile or celandine into the broth and boil for another 3 minutes. Insist the broth for an hour and a half, filter and pour into ice molds. Send molds to the freezer.

Wash these ice cubes in the mornings and evenings, without using water from the water supply. Do not wipe with a towel. Such washing is suitable for women with any type of skin. It is especially good for those who have oily skin.

Mask for aging skin

This mask is a kind of ambulance for the skin, it will help when you need to quickly put yourself in order and, as they say, appear in all its glory. To do this, beat one egg yolk with castor oil and oil from pine cones. Take half a teaspoon of oil. Hold the mask on your face for 5 minutes.

Mask for oily skin

Beat egg white with a teaspoon of infusion of cones, lemon juice (tablespoon) and 3-5 grains of salt. Apply to the skin for 15 minutes. Wash off the mask with warm water, then rinse your face with cool water.

Eyelash Oil

With a cotton swab, pine cones oil is gently applied to the eyelashes. Apply a couple of times a week, the result will be noticeable in 2-3 weeks - eyelashes will become thicker, longer and softer. Even mascara lays on such cilia perfectly.

What is pine jam cones useful for?

The original taste of an unusual forest delicacy, as a rule, is liked by everyone - both children and adults. In addition, pine cone jam is very healthy. Doctors note several of its properties that will help the body more easily tolerate ailments and recover faster.

1. Jam has the ability to stop the development of the common cold - if a person is sick, tea with this product helps to reduce fever or chills, eliminate a runny nose and cough. Thanks to the immunostimulating property, jam will raise vitality, give strength and vitality, and increase efficiency.
2. If you tortured a cough, jam from pine cones will also come in handy. Doctors noticed that its expectorant property is effective not only for a common cold, but also for serious diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, bronchial asthma and even tuberculosis. With a dry cough, jam will contribute to liquefaction and elimination of sputum, for a sweet treatment a week will be enough, in difficult cases - two. In asthma, a two-week intake of jam alternates with a break of a month.
3. Jam from pine cones has a phytoncide effect, that is, the ability to fight viruses and bacteria. In addition, he is able to cope with fungi.Thanks to these qualities, jam is used as a support in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections. With angina, it is not only able to eliminate sore throat, but also cleanse it of pus and bring down the temperature. If you additionally rinse your throat with infusion, recovery will come faster.
4. The presence of B vitamins in the product helps to strengthen the cardiovascular system, as the vessels become more elastic, and in combination with another component of pine cones - tannin - this sweet product prevents the occurrence of a stroke.
5. Jam also has a positive effect on the digestive system - it improves intestinal motility, stimulates the pancreas, and it is also useful for stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers.
6. The antioxidant properties of jam help protect the human body from the effects of dangerous free radicals, which ultimately prevents the development of malignant tumors.
7. For the joints, jam is also useful - if they have ached in earnest, sweet compresses will help. They act painkillers. Therefore, you can put a tampon with jam on the tooth, and on the gum if you suddenly overcame the pain. The main thing is not to joke with your teeth, use sweetness as a method to endure a visit to the dentist, but no more than a couple of days.
8. Do not tolerate such lamblia jam and worms. To drive out the parasites that have settled in the body, you need to start the morning with a tablespoon of sweet product. Jam on an empty stomach, without washing down, and after half an hour breakfast - this is the scheme of dealing with uninvited guests in the body. You can recover from worms in a week, from giardia - in two.
9. You can even improve your appetite with jam from pine cones. A teaspoon with tea - herbal or green - will make you eat not only an adult, but even a capricious baby who refuses normal healthy food. But it is necessary to introduce such jam carefully and gradually into the child’s diet, observing the reaction, since this product can cause allergies.

For all the usefulness of the product, one must remember that it is not worth it to abuse. Two tablespoons a day is enough for an adult, no more than two teaspoons for children. Moreover, this norm needs to be divided several times.

Recipe

Since young cones are sticky, quite often any garbage sticks to them: blades of grass, dust, pollen. To wash all this off, for two hours before washing you need to soak the cones in cold water. It is better to prepare a spacious pan for cooking, not aluminum, as it oxidizes. If you decide to cook in a dousing dish, you must keep in mind that it will darken after jam from the inside.

Classic recipe
Jam according to this recipe is suitable for the treatment of colds, bronchitis, pharyngitis, tuberculosis, and strengthens the immune system.

First, syrup is boiled in a saucepan over low heat: 1.5 kg of granulated sugar are taken in 2 cups of water. When the syrup gets tired and thickens, lower 1 kg of cones cut into small pieces into it. As soon as the syrup with cones boils, the fire under the pan is turned off and covered with a lid for 4 hours. Then again bring to a boil on fire and remove. After 4 hours, this procedure is repeated again, but the jam is already cooked on low heat for an hour, after which it is poured into jars and closed.

Jam at a time
You can cook jam at a time. The sweetness prepared according to this recipe is good for hypertensive patients. Those who have diabetes, after consulting a doctor, can also try this jam.

1 kg of cones is cut into pieces and covered with the same amount of granulated sugar. Cover and wait for the raw materials to give juice. If even after 12 hours the juice does not appear in the pan, a little water is poured into it and the mixture is placed in a water bath. They languish for at least one and a half hours, removing foam as necessary. Then poured into cans.

Jam without cooking
If you do not cook cones, useful substances will remain in their original form, and anti-inflammatory properties will be maximum. This jam is stored only in the refrigerator, using for the treatment of cystitis, prostatitis, ulcers and inflammation in the mouth.

1 kg of young cones is cut into pieces. Take 2 kg of granulated sugar and roll the cones in it. Then lay out in banks and fill with the remaining sugar. Cover the cans with gauze or a clean cloth and put on a sunny windowsill. They are shaken periodically. Continue this procedure until the final sugar is dissolved and syrup takes its place. This jam is ready to eat.

Contraindications

Cones are not absolutely useful to every person, they can do harm to people with certain diseases. This applies to those who suffer from chronic liver diseases, especially hepatitis, as well as kidney failure.

If a person’s gastrointestinal tract is too sensitive, cone-based formulations can cause intestinal irritation, especially if they are insisted on alcohol.

Pine cone drugs are contraindicated for allergies to needles or turpentine. To detect a possible negative reaction, you need to start taking the drugs with small portions, paying attention to the well-being and skin manifestations.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under seven years of age should not take decoctions, infusions, tea and preserves inside. You can not recklessly eat foods from cones and those who are over 60 years old. Cones are also contraindicated in patients who abuse alcohol.

Like any other drug, pine cone formulations can only be taken at the recommended dosage strictly. Abuse is harmful even to a person who does not have contraindications. Before proceeding with treatment, you must always consult your doctor. He will choose the right composition and calculate the dosage.

Photo of pine cones