Kitchen Medicine: Pine Needle Salve

Pine trees are trees that are very familiar especially because of their long thin needles and pine cones. But they seem overlooked for their culinary and herbal remedy benefits. In this episode, I am back in my kitchen with elegant pine needles brewing a tea blended with warming spices and preparing a skin healing salve. I’ll talk you through all the steps. 

Thank you for joining me!

Pine Needle Chai:

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon dried ginger

2 teaspoons dried orange peel or zest of 1 orange

1 allspice berry

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons chopped fresh pine needles or 2 teaspoons dried

1½ cups (12 ounces) water

Combine all spices (not pine needles)  and water in a small saucepan covered with a lid.. Bring water to a gentle boil on medium heat. Turn down to the lowest setting, simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, add pine needles, continue to steep covered with lid for at least 30 minutes. Strain into a tea mug, add milk and honey to taste. Reheat as desired. 

Pine Needle Infused Oil:

2 tablespoons dried, powdered pine needles

8 ounces olive oil

Heat 2 inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler to simmer. Combine dried pine needles and olive oil in the top of the double boiler and place on the bottom portion of simmering water. Place a paper towel on top of the pot and then cover with a  lid. Heat oil and pine needles just to warm for 30 minutes, do not allow to simmer. Remove from heat and infuse for 30-60 minutes. Repeat the warming and infusing process three times. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth and squeeze out as much oil as possible. 

Pine Needle Salve:

1 ounce (28 grams or ⅛ cup) beeswax pastilles

4 ounces (120ml) pine needle infused oil

20-30 drops pine essential oil

Stainless steel tins with lids or other heat proof containers.

Heat 2 inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler to simmer. If using beeswax in the form a a block, grate or pound with a hammer to break into small pieces. Add beeswax pastilles or small pieces from a block into the top of the double boiler with hot water in the bottom portion. Continue to heat on lowest setting until beeswax is melted. Add infused pine needle oil, this will cause beeswax to slightly solidify again, stir with oil until melted again. Remove from heat, add essential oil. Ladle mixture into the tins and leave at room temperature until salve has hardened. Cover with lids and label. 

Source for Dried Pine Needles and Beeswax:

Beeswax pastilles: Mountain Rose Herbs

Beeswax block: Mountain Rose Herbs

Pine needles: Foraged

---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com. 

Original music by Dylan Rice

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To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherb