Pine needle syrup experiment

During one of my recent walks, I found a large branch of Scots Pine that must have broken off the tree during one of the recent storms. The pine needles probably will not have been as full of nutrients as they would have been still attached to the tree, but I was keen to experiment. So I picked a few branches that still looked healthy and brought them home.

Last year I tried to dry pine needles unsuccessfully… They grew mould! I think they might be challenging to dry due to the sap inside the pine needles. I read that pine needles are better infused fresh or as a decoction. So this time I thought I would try and make a syrup from the fresh pine needles. I hope this experiment works as I would love to have a pine needle syrup to hand regularly to boost my immune system (pine needles can be foraged all year round)!

My notes on pine: it has so many medicinal benefits!

The steps I followed were:

1. I washed the pine needles to remove any mud and debris.

2. I removed the needles from the stems

3. I whisked 1 teaspoon of pure stevia leaf powder into a pan of water and added the pine needles to the pan. I made sure the pine needles were fully covered with water and covered the pan with a lid.

4. I then brought the water slowly to the boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. I allowed the mixture to cool slightly in the pan before pouring it into a jug through a muslin cloth.

6. I then poured the liquid into my sterilised bottle.

7. I stored it in the fridge and took about 3 teaspoons per day to give my immune system a boost.

Bringing the pine needles to the boil in water with stevia leaf extract powder

My first observations were that the liquid was a yellow colour which I would expect. The liquid was quite clear too, so I was happy with that. I was not expecting it to taste very good due to the stevia leaf extract, it would probably have tasted a lot better with raw honey. But I am always on the look out for candida friendly recipes due to having candida overgrowth so I thought I would try it with stevia.

The timing of my finding the pine needles and making this recipe was actually quite perfect because I was in the luteal phase of my period and wanted to give my body some extra immune support. I often find during this phase, the closer I get to my period, I start to feel run down and as though I’m about to come down with something.

Final notes: The taste on its own was not enjoyable, the stevia completely took over the flavour. Instead I added a tsp of pine needle syrup to a glass of water and it was much improved. It gave the water a slight flavour of pine and I didn’t notice the stevia. I had about 3 teaspoons per day in a glass of water for 2 weeks. I actually didn’t feel run down at all while I was taking it. Interestingly, I felt it affected me more emotionally, I felt comforted by it and found it soothing. The other thing I will take away for next time is that I felt I made more than I needed. As pine can be foraged all year round, I want to remember that I can use less next time. My 500ml bottle would have lasted me much longer than 2 weeks, but ideally you wouldn’t want to keep it for longer than that. As far as my first herbal remedy recipe goes, I’m really happy I gave it a try, I benefited from taking it and I’m looking forward to experimenting more.