If there is anything that this year has really proven to me it is that we Americans are an unhealthy lot. We regularly disregard basic tenets of healthy living, such as exercise, daily fresh air and most importantly eating healthy to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy immune system. So while I would love to write about all of those things so that my friends and family stay safe, I will instead focus on this one little drink that keeps my family healthy and generally not sick if we drink it regularly. The drink is White Pine bark tea. I implore you to get to know this drink as it is not only healthy, but damned refreshing!
Vitamin C, Oh My!
Ill health is brought on by a number of factors, one of which is lower levels of Vitamin C. Just look here if you need more reason to be shoveling this amazing Vitamin into your body! White Pine Bark is an excellent source of C containing a whopping 200mg per 100 grams. The needles, which are often touted as a source of C only contained 32mg/100g. source
Interestingly enough, Vitamin C shelf life in the body is increased by the other antioxidants found in the tea. This synergistic effect is one of the main reasons I generally find herbal healing protocols to be far superior to our current western medicine dynamic which isolates chemicals and fails to treat patients holistically.
2. Eastern White Pine is Extremely Abundant.
This species is exceedingly common, so common in fact that it is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN.
The biggest downfall however is that the natural range of this species is not widespread in the country, being predominant in the northeast. If you live in a region in which you cannot find Pinus strobus, I suggest doing research on some of your local pines or other evergreens, as many if not all contain beneficial compounds as well as a potent dose of Vitamin C.
For those of us that live in its range however, the tree is so common as to be nearly a universal species. When I do plant walks I can almost always count on finding White Pine nearby. If you decide to go forward with harvesting bark makes sure you have permission first and foremost, second harvest only from clean, non-polluted areas, and third make sure you are never harvesting a complete ring around the trees bark as this will kill the tree.
Damage is going to happen when you take bark from a tree, so make sure you are doing your best to respect the fact that you are damaging a tree and keep the damage to a minimum. My favorite thing to find in the winter months is freshly fallen pine branches as these still contain tons of medicine but the tree can’t lose the limb again from you taking the bark. Win-Win.
3. Pine Bark Tea is Surprisingly Delicious
After years of drinking that god awful pine needle tea I am ecstatic to report that not only is Pine bark tea good for you, but it is tasty as well. The flavor is very piney, but in an incredibly refreshing way. You will have to try it to find out. It is so good in fact that I am confused as to why this tea is not talked about more often.
To make pine bark tea it is as simple as following these steps:
Take a sharp blade and remove the thin layer of bark from an Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) or split up your bark removal from a few different trees to minimize the damage. You need approximately a big handful of bark. This is imprecise but your practice will hone you in on how much bark equals the flavor profile you enjoy,.
Grab a cutting board and chop up the bark into chunks (I don’t always follow this step to be honest)
Place chunks or uncut strips into a half gallon mason jar or another container of similar size and cover with water.
Allow to steep, unheated, overnight.
Enjoy.
If you do cut into chunks, they should look like this.
It really is as easy as that! Beyond those basic steps this should last a few days, and if you are into the flavor possibly less. Remember to always be thankful for the medicine you receive from Mother Earth and make sure you take care of the habitats that take care of you. This means you might pull up some Buckthorn, or plant a cool native species that is both useful to us humans, but also the animals! It is a reciprocal relationship, not just a relationship of taking!
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