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Pinus sylvestris
CautionWaldkiefer · (Pinus sylvestris)
Pine family (Pinaceae)
Description
With its distinctive orange-red bark on the upper trunk, Scots pine (Pinaceae) is one of the defining trees of European coniferous forests. Young shoots gathered in spring and the needle oil distilled from them — rich in alpha- and beta-pinene plus bornyl acetate — are recognised by the German Commission E for inhalation and baths to relieve respiratory catarrh and rheumatic complaints, their secretolytic, mildly antiseptic action easing expectoration. In Transylvanian folk medicine, a cough syrup has been simmered from the shoots for generations. Diluted and rubbed in externally, the oil is said to warm and ease muscle and nerve pain, while the resin was traditionally used as a wound dressing. The essential oil must never be used internally in asthma or whooping cough, and must be kept away from young children's faces due to the risk of laryngospasm.
CONTRAINDICATED for children
Pine needle essential oil must not be applied near the nose, mouth, or throat of children under 2 years (risk of laryngospasm). Not generally recommended for children under 4 years.
Inhalation of pine needle oil (Pini aetheroleum) or an infusion of young shoots traditionally relieves catarrh of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Alpha-pinene and bornyl acetate act as secretolytics and mild antiseptics on the bronchial mucosa.
Preparation & dosage
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 2 years — Pine needle essential oil must not be applied near the face of children under 2 years — risk of laryngospasm leading to respiratory arrest.
Pine needle oil baths are traditionally used for colds and rheumatic complaints. The essential oil is absorbed through the skin and exerts circulation-promoting and muscle-relaxing effects.
Preparation & dosage
Tea from young pine shoots (Pini turiones) acts as an expectorant and mild antiseptic. Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol) and vitamin C contribute to immune-supporting effects, used in folk medicine for colds and bronchitis.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 250 ml boiling water over 2–3 g dried young pine shoots, steep 10 min, strain. Drink 3 times daily.
- Dry amount
- 2–3 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
Externally applied pine needle oil (diluted in fatty carrier oil) is traditionally rubbed in for mild muscle and nerve pain and rheumatic complaints. The circulation-promoting effect of alpha-pinene supports local warming.
Preparation & dosage
In Transylvanian folk medicine, syrup from fresh pine shoots (Pini turiones) has been used for generations for asthma, coughs, catarrh, and laryngitis. The preparation — shoots boiled with water, then cooked down with sugar in a 1:1 ratio — corresponds to a mucosa-soothing cough remedy.
Preparation & dosage
Sources: [4]
Resin compresses from pine resin (Resina Pini) are used in folk medicine for wounds, furuncles, and skin infections. Resin acids and phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal effects.
Preparation & dosage
Do not use pine needle essential oil in bronchial asthma or whooping cough. Keep away from eyes and mucous membranes. Do not apply near the face of children under 2 years — risk of laryngospasm with respiratory arrest. Do not apply to large skin injuries, inflamed skin, in case of fever, heart failure, or severe hypertension.
Internal use of pine shoots in medicinal doses not recommended during pregnancy — insufficient data. External use in very small amounts traditionally accepted.
No sufficient safety data for breastfeeding. External use with caution.
Pine needle essential oil must not be applied near the nose, mouth, or throat of children under 2 years (risk of laryngospasm). Not generally recommended for children under 4 years.
Drug interactions
Keine bekannten Wechselwirkungen dokumentiert
No clinically relevant drug interactions have been described for Pinus sylvestris preparations to date.
Contraindications
- Bronchial asthma and spastic bronchitis (external and internal)
- Heart failure and severe hypertension (for baths)
- Chronic glomerulonephritis and severe kidney disease (for internal use)
- Large skin injuries, inflammatory skin diseases (external use)
Harvested part: young shoots (spring), needles
- Time of day:
- Morning, when shoots are still fresh and resin-rich; before midday sun heating.
- Drying:
- Young shoots (Pini turiones) use fresh or dry gently at max. 35°C; excessive drying temperature causes essential oil to evaporate.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Dried shoots in dark, airtight glass containers, cool and dry. Fresh shoots up to 1 week in refrigerator.
- Time of day:
- Pine needles collectible year-round; autumn and winter preferred for tea distillates as oil content is then consistent.
- Drying:
- Strip needles from branches, air-dry at room temperature or use fresh for steam inhalation.
- Storage:
- 18 months — Dried needles in paper or linen bags, cool, dry, and dark.
- α-Pinen (alpha-Pinen)Essential oilContent: 20-40 % (ätherisches Nadelöl)Aerial parts
Main constituent of the essential oil from needles and shoots; bronchosecretolytic and antibacterial in laboratory studies.
- β-Pinen (beta-Pinen)Essential oilContent: 2-15 % (ätherisches Nadelöl)Aerial parts
Monoterpene with antimicrobial activity; second most frequent monoterpene hydrocarbon after alpha-pinene.
- BornylacetatEssential oilContent: 2-8 % (ätherisches Nadelöl)Aerial parts
Oxygenated monoterpene; contributes to the characteristic needle scent and acts mildly secretolytic and circulation-promoting.
- Δ3-Caren, Limonen, CamphenEssential oilContent: 5-20 % (Summe, ätherisches Nadelöl)Aerial parts
Further monoterpene hydrocarbons in the essential oil of pine needles and shoots; contributing to the minor compound profile and overall aroma.
- Quercetin und Kämpferol (Flavonoide)FlavonoidContent: Spuren bis 0,5 %Aerial parts
Flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity; contribute to capillary-sealing effects.
- Harzsäuren (Abietinsäure, Pimarsäure)OtherContent: 1-5 % (Harz)Whole plant
Diterpene acids in pine resin; antibacterial and antifungal. Basis of the folk medicinal use of pine resin for wounds.
- Vitamin C (Ascorbinsäure)VitaminContent: bis 20 mg % (Frischgewicht Nadeln)Aerial parts
Relatively high ascorbic acid content in fresh pine needles — historically used as an antiscorbutic remedy in Northern Europe and Canada.
- [1]MonographKommission E Monographie Pini sylvestris aetheroleum / Pini turiones — Bundesanzeiger(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [2]MonographArzneipflanzenlexikon — Pine (Pinus sylvestris): medicinal use, indications, dosage, safety(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [3]MonographAltmeyers Enzyklopädie — Pini turiones: phytotherapy profile, Commission E, indications(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [4]MonographThe Importance of Pine Species in the Ethnomedicine of Transylvania (PMC9506106)(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [5]MonographPine Buds: Medicinal Properties, Use and Contraindications — Violapharm(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [6]MonographScots Pine (Pinus sylvestris): How to Grow Your Own Medicine — Permaculture(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [7]MonographCliniTox Giftpflanzen — Pinus sylvestris L.: schwach giftig (+) (Institut für Veterinärpharmakologie und -toxikologie, Universität Zürich)(accessed: 2026-08-10)