Pine Oil
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The pine species is believed to originate from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Austria, Yugoslavia, northern Italy and the Balkans. Deriving its name from the Latin “sylva”, meaning forest - the pine oil (Pinus sylvestris) belongs to the family of evergreen conifers which includes about 90 species.The tree has needle-like gray-green leaves that grow in pairs and pointed brown cones. Pine tree blooms in spring. The needles, twigs and bark of all pine species contain a sticky, fragrant resin from which the essential oil is extracted. |
Essential oil
Pine essential oil is steam distilled from the fresh twigs and needles, of different species of pine tree, mainly Scotch Pine. The twigs and needles impart a sweet-evergreen aroma to the essential oil, which also has a turpentine-like or terebinthe aroma. The essential oil has a crisp, fresh, sweet, forest like aroma resembling that of caraway or juniper oil. It is more resinous and warm smelling than the regular pine oil, with a lower content of turpentines. The main chemical compounds of pine oil are: sylvestrene, pinene, bornyl acetate, dipentene, cardinene and phellandrene. The oil blends particularly well with cedarwood, lavandin, rosemary, sage, tea tree, sage, lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, marjoram, juniper, and other oils.
Medical use
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Skin Care: Pine essential oil is used for the treatment of various skin conditions such as psoriasis, itching, pimples, eczema, skin diseases, scabies, sores, and fleas. It gives you a smooth and shinny skin.
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Metabolism: Pine essential oil is considered to increases metabolism.
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Digestion: It is helpful in treating intestinal problems and in cases of food poisoning. Pine essential oil is a good remedy in reducing the inflammation of gall bladder and incidence of gallstones.
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Pain: Pine essential oil has analgesic properties and it is a good remedy for people suffering joint pain, arthritis, and rheumatism.
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Stress Disorder: It gives an energizing feeling and it is effective in removing mental stress, anxiety and nervous tension. It is also used as a medicine for removing adrenal fatigue and is an excellent mood elevator. Pine essential oil can help people suffering from loss of concentration and memory.
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Infections: It is an effective disinfectant and germ killer, excellent for viral infections.. It is generally effective against numerous bacterial strains and enveloped viruses, but not against non-enveloped ones.
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Respiratory Problems: It is often combined with еucalyptus oil for inhalations during the winter when there are a lot of cold germs around.
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Cosmetics
Pine essential oil has a wonderful earthy and forest-like aroma and is used in making perfumes and scents. In aromatherapy, pine is used in saunas, steam baths and massage blends. With its fresh, resinous, camphor-like aroma the oil is also added in many household and personal care products like room sprays, volatile liquids, detergents and room fresheners.
Recipes for aromatherapy
Never apply concentrated essential oil blends directly to skin without diluting them first irritation may develop. |
Sauna Blend
Create your own personal sauna by adding several drops of this blend to a large bowl of boiling water. Make a tent over your head with a soft towel, and then lean over the bowl and inhale.
Soothing Muscle Rub
To make penetrating massage oil for overworked muscles, dilute 12 drops of this concentrated blend in 100 ml grape seed oil. This fragrant muscle rub is especially nice the day after a strenuous workout when muscles may be tight and sore.
Precautions
Though pine oil is considered non-toxic and non-irritant in low dosage, yet it should be used with sufficient care on the skin. Swallowing pine oil can have severe effects on many parts of the body. It should also not be given to people who are suffering from kidney disorders. It should always be diluted with a suitable carrier oil before applying to the skin. Keep it away from children and pets.
If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner.
Other uses
Among his interesting applications is his usage in copper extraction. It’s used as a lubricant in small and expensive clockwork instruments. Pine oil has been largely used for making paints which dry without gloss. It flows well under the brush and is a powerful solvent. Pine resins are largely employed by the soap-maker for the manufacture of brown soaps.
History
When cave men discovered fire, it was such a hot commodity that in order to keep their precious new discovery burning throughout the night, they would collect pine cones from the forests of towering pine trees and place them on the smoldering embers. The resin would act with the moisture of the pine cones and burn for hours. The ancient Egyptians used the pine kernels for culinary purposes. The Romans used pine nuts for food, and the trees were used for sailing masts. The pine needles were popularly stuffed into mattresses to repel lice and fleas.
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