Pine Needle Tea for Vitamin C!

Enjoying the Benefits of Tree Medicine

January Deep Freeze here in New England! A great time to take a stroll (or snowshoe)  to your nearest White Pine tree for everything you need to made a delicious cup of tea! Pine needle tea benefits are many and many of us here in New England have this medicinal powerhouse growing right outside our door.  It has more vitamin C than 5 large lemons, makes a lovely mild tasting tea full of Vitamin A and K, helps clear the lungs as a tea or steam and actually helps form collagen!  The color when steeped for 20 minutes can be a light to deep red color.  It will still be good the next day too if you put extra amounts in a tight fitting jar and place in the fridge.

How do you tell which one is white pine? Take a branch and look at each node you will find a tuft of 5 needles at each node.  I usually cut a small branch giving me up to 4 tufts of 5 needles each, plenty to make a delicious batch of tea for two or a pot of aromatic steam for clearing your sinus and mucus build up in the thick of a cold.  I hope you have a chance to try this - really fun to do with kids too.
May the rest of your winter be full of healthy red cheeks in from the cold with a glow to warm up with a cuppa Pine Needle Tea.


Stay Warm and Be Well,
Big Heart Greetings to you,

Marie

HOW TO BREW PINE NEEDLE TEA

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a stainless steel saucepan. Break apart the pine needles with your fingers and cut them up in small pieces. Add the pine needles and turn off the burner after 3-4 minutes. Let steep around 10-15 minutes. When at least 5 minutes has passed, stir in honey if you like to sweeten. Honey has the added benefit of helping with sore throats and is also a mild antibiotic. Strain into a mug and enjoy. (Not recommended for pregnant women)

  

 If this recipe inspires you to run outside and collect pine needles, AND you live near or in Vermont, YOU are invited to join us to learn way more TREE MEDICINE with 3 Naturalist Vermonters  here at my home on March 8, a third in a series of Seasonal Sunday retreats for health and well being.

A TREE MEDICINE WORKSHOP MARCH 8

Snowshoe with us to explore the woodland, connect to certain trees and identify medicine for health, healing and soul food. We will make, taste and try salves, teas, tonics and more. Join Hosts Marie Frohlich, Joann Darling along with Sandra Lory on March 8, 2015 10-4  Learn more and register here

Marie is a certified health coach and herbalist - available to you for workplace wellness workshops, individual and group health coaching, designing special health and wellness retreats and consultations for health and herbal support. She also offers free half-hour health consultations to explore engaging your own personal health coach for 1-3 or 6 month programs.  Contact her here