Pine pollen is indeed one of nature’s top superfoods.
It has a vast array of health-giving properties and is available to us in Nature. While it is available commercially, many of us could realistically harvest it in the Wild, probably within steps of our front doors.
In this article, I cover:
Health Benefits of Pine Pollen
By many, pine pollen is considered a “potent tonic medicine,” and “powerful adaptogen” that “supports regeneration and longevity” in animals, including humans. (1)
Here are some of the key characteristics of pine pollen:
- contains all 8 eight of the essential amino acids or proteins (“essential” meaning that they must come from diet, and are not manufactured by the body), as well as a wide variety of the non-essential amino acids
- contains nearly all of the B-complex vitamins
- contains both Vitamin D2 and D3, with D3 being a rare find in the plant kingdom
- rich in polysaccharides
- contains ALA, a plant-source of Omega 3
- a good source of MSM with detoxifying properties, offering the ability both decalcify the body and improve the flexibility of joints and connective tissues
- has an impact on the improvement of the immune system
- supportive of the endocrine system, and of hormone balancing and the reproductive hormones
- can decrease sensitivity to pain
- highly anti-inflammatory
- has radiation protective properties, offering assistance to the damaging effects of EMFs (think– mobile technology, WiFi), and other such radioactive concerns
- strong antioxidant properties allowing for the interruption of oxidation within the body
- contains many plant steroid hormones, which help to increase the amount of androgenic hormones, such as testosterone and DHEA, in the bloodstream
- has the ability to signal more progesterone in women
- libido increasing benefits
(1)
The commercially available forms of pine pollen generally come in powder form, or as a tincture.
The tincture is said to have more of a profound affect at elevating the androgenic hormones in the bloodstream, in fact, within just a couple of minutes of intake. (1)
Short of those having a pine allergy, which is rare, the powder form of pine pollen is said to be safe to be consumed by any gender of any age. The tincture, though, may best be avoided by those with an allergy, the young, and those that already possess elevated hormones. (1)
Like with bee pollen, it’s generally good advice to start small and build up slowly over time if choosing to consume pine pollen.
How To Harvest Pine Pollen
You can save a bundle by harvesting your own pine pollen.
There is “suggestion” that commercially available pine pollen is more digestible because of some the processing and breaking of the cells, but, hmmm… Anyway…
Step 1
Remove the soft catkins from the tree.
Step 2
Set aside in a large bowl to allow to dry completely.
It is recommended to keep them in a warm place for drying, to allow for quick and thorough drying.
Step 3
Put some of the catkins into a sifter and shake out the pollen into a large empty bowl.
It is recommended to either compost the spent catkins, or to feed them to chickens.
Step 4
Sift the powder using a fine mesh sifter into another bowl.
Step 5
It is recommended to keep the pollen in the freezer in a glass container.
Here’s another very good video on pine pollen harvesting:
Recipe: Spruce Tree and Pine Pollen Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Fresh spruce tree needles
- Water (enough to cover the spruce needles)
- 1/4 cup of Pine pollen powder
- 2 tablespoons of Butter (or coconut oil)
- 2 tablespoons of Xylose or other sugar (one of the essential sugars, derived from birch trees)
- 1/3 cup of flour
Pre-prep Steps:
- Get some new growth off a spruce tree, and soak it in water.
- Drain off the water (set aside).
- Finely chop the spruce needles.
- Get some fresh wild harvested pine pollen.
Directions:
- Mix the butter and sugar.
- Mix in the flour.
- Mix in pine pollen powder.
- Mix in the spruce needles.
- Stir in just enough of the soak water to create a “cookie dough consistency.”
- Put about 1 Tablespoon of the batter onto an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes.
(2)
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. SUBSCRIBE here to get more from Raw Michelle!
Sources for this article include:
(1) Health Benefits Of Pine Pollen, by Nyishar
(2) How to Make Spruce Tree and Pine Pollen Cookies, by Haphazard Homestead
( http://www.rawfoodhealthwatch.com/ )
