A tincture is a simple and powerful way to experience an herb’s benefits and energies. I’ve brewed up a batch of pine needle tincture to enjoy the taste and effects this winter season!
Pine has so many benefits to body and mind. Medicinally, it can help aid the immune system with its high vitamin C content and antimicrobial qualities, it can help with pain and inflammation, and it can offer relief to colds and coughs. Energetically, pine is said to encourage peace, harmony, wisdom, intuition, grounding, and courage.
Here is the simple recipe for making your own pine tincture!
Materials
- Glass canning jar
- BPA-free plastic lid
- Wooden spoon or chopstick
- Mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth
- Dropper bottles, optional
- Vodka or other clear alcohol of high proof
- Pine needles, clean and dried
To make a pine tincture, fill a clean glass jar about ¾ full with dried pine needles (make sure you’ve sourced from a safe-to-consume species!) and top with high-proof alcohol such as vodka, filling to about an inch over the plant material. Stir with a wooden spoon or chopstick, and cap tightly with a bpa-free plastic lid. Store in a cool, dark place and shake daily for about 4-6 weeks. Strain and rebottle in a clean jar / dropper jars.
This can be taken medicinally by drops or dropperful in water or under the tongue…but it can also be enjoyed by the dropperful as an addition to tea or juice—or even used as fancy bitters in cocktails and mocktails! (I am envisioning it as a very cool wintry addition to an Irish whisky with gin & lime!) You can also mix a bit with a carrier oil and use it externally for minor pains and inflammation.
For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.
The Herbology Faerie 
3 replies on “Pine Needle Tincture”
Hiya, I was wondering if the pine needles should be green or can they be brown? Thank you so much!
Christina *I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples~ *Mother Teresa
LikeLike
Hi I’d inquired as to whether the needles can be brown? Thank you!
Christina *I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples~ *Mother Teresa
LikeLike
Hi there! It would be best and you’d get the most medicinal benefits from using dried pine needles that are still somewhat green. They do lose some of their green color when drying, however. If you’ve collected them from the tree and not the ground, dried them at home, and they’ve turned a bit brown they are still usable, though! (Does this help? Let me know if you have further questions!)
LikeLike