Foragers like to make tea from White pine. It is reported that a cup of pine needle tea has the same amount of vitamin C as half a dozen lemons. It also contains a healthy dose of Vitamin A.
Several other varieties of pine work just as well. Each does have its own flavor. I use honey or sugar as a sweetener.
A couple of warnings:
Some people may be allergic to this tea..
Pregnant women should avoid this tea. It can cause abortions to take place within a day.
Some evergreens like yews are poisonous. Make sure you have the right tree's needles. The people working at health stores are trained to sell the products they have on their shelves. Or if you hook up with a forager, they'll know about this pine needle tea. They'll know plenty of places nearby to pick more than you could drink in a life time.
Too much vitamin C causes some people to have loose bowels.
Source(s): Forager. Master Gardener. Metzger, Gibbons or the Foxfire books should contain some additional information..
How to Make Tea From Pine Needles
Grab some fresh pine needles. You do not need very many needles for one cup, just one small bundle will do. Make sure that you grab needles that are fresh and green; the brown needles will not have many nutrients left in them. (Depending how many needles you used in your water the tea will range any where from a yellow to reddish tinge. The darker the more vitamin C.)
Boil water and place the pine needles in the tea pot. Allow it to steep for 30 minutes. The more that the pine needles steep, the more nutrients will leech out into the tea.
Pour your pine needle tea and enjoy. You now have a cup of herbal tea that is high in vitamin C and other beneficial nutrients, tasty, and free.
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