Content
- 1 Medicinal properties of pine cone tincture
- 2 How and when to collect cones for pine tincture with vodka
- 3 Recipes for medicinal tinctures with pine cones
- 4 Using pine cone vodka tincture
- 5 Precautionary measures
- 6 Contraindications to the use of pine cone tincture
- 7 Terms and conditions of storage
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews of pine vodka tincture
The healing properties of vodka tincture made from pine cones are widely used in folk medicine. The power of influence of biologically active substances of pine on the human body is also studied by pharmacology and official medicine. Making preparations from pine cones at home is quite simple. As a result, at low cost you can get an effective medicine that solves a variety of health problems.
Medicinal properties of pine cone tincture
Pine has long been revered by our ancestors. They always believed that there was no disease that could not be overcome with the help of this tree. Indeed, all parts of the plant contain many useful substances. Not only cones, but also needles, bark, and buds were used for medicinal purposes.
Especially during the ripening period, many useful substances accumulate in the cones. Chemical composition:
- lipids;
- lenolic and oleic acids;
- iron;
- monoterpene hydrocarbons;
- bioflavonoids;
- vitamins (C, A, K, P);
- tannin.
These substances can maintain their activity for a long period if pine cone extract is properly prepared and stored. The tannins contained in the preparations prevent the death of brain cells, prevent the development of a stroke or promote recovery after it. Cones also have an immune-stimulating, tonic effect on the entire body during this period.
How and when to collect cones for pine tincture with vodka
Pine trees always have fruits of different periods of appearance. There are young cones and old, two-year-old ones. Not all of them have equal beneficial properties. It is important to understand which cones need to be collected to make an alcohol tincture.
Green cones
Cones are mainly harvested when they are green and young. They should be closed and easy to cut with a knife. Also, you should not harvest large, oblong pine cones. Their length should not exceed 4 cm. When collecting, you need to remember that this should be done in an environmentally friendly and safe place. The benefits of tincture on green pine cones in this case will be many times greater.
Having decided to start collecting young green cones, you need to focus on the region in which this will take place. If in central Russia harvesting is usually carried out from the end of June to mid-July, then in Ukraine - from the last days of May and the entire subsequent month.
Brown buds
You can also make a tincture on mature brown cones (with seeds), which also have therapeutic activity. They need to be harvested from late autumn to mid-January. From February they begin to throw out seeds and open up. Among the mature cones, not every one can be harvested. You need to take those that are younger, unopened.As a rule, they are strong, heavy, sit tightly on the branch, and can hardly be torn off.
Old, two-year-old cones have a dry tail that easily breaks off with the slightest pressure on it. Such cones have long since opened, lost all their seeds, and dried out. Their scales are not pressed tightly together; they can be easily moved apart. If the cone can be torn off the branch without the slightest effort, it should be concluded that it is either wormy or old, and in any case is not suitable for preparing a tincture.
How to collect
Old buds are very sensitive to the concentration of humidity in the air. In dry weather they open, and in wet weather they contract their scales. In order not to accumulate useless raw materials, you need to harvest during a stable period of sun and absence of precipitation.
You should not collect cones from the ground. Usually these are old fruits that fall off at the slightest gust of wind. It is better to harvest them directly from the branches. But since pines are usually tall and sometimes getting to the fruits is very problematic, this can be done after strong hurricane winds or heavy snowfall. As a rule, large branches remain on the ground, broken off from the top and abundantly strewn with young, strong cones.
How to dry
Arriving home, the collected cones need to be dried for several days, spread out in a thin layer. To prevent the resin from the cones from sticking to the mesh, you need to lay down a cotton cloth. You can find out that the process has started by the characteristic clicks made by the cone as it opens. This sound is especially loud at night.
To speed up this process, you can put the cones in a cardboard box and leave them on the radiator. Here they will dry much faster.As a result, the cones will open a little, and the seeds from them will settle to the bottom of the box. These are the bumps that are suitable for treating patients with cerebrovascular accidents.
Not everyone understands why it is necessary to dry the cones so that they open. The fact is that when you bring them from the forest, they are very tightly sealed and covered with a thin layer of resin so that moisture does not get inside. If you try to extract useful substances from such cones, then nothing will work. With open cones it is much easier in this regard; beneficial substances are easily extracted from them.
If you pour vodka solution over the cones, they will still try to close their scales, but there will no longer be a film of resin on them. That is, the process of extracting useful elements can be fully realized. The infusion time for such cones is at least 2 weeks.
Recipes for medicinal tinctures with pine cones
Before you start making and using pine tincture, you need to thoroughly sort out the cones. Remove insects, pine needles, leaves, and other adhering dirt and dust. Only after this can you add vodka or alcohol solution (70%). During infusion, in order to obtain a high-quality medicine, it is necessary to shake the jar of buds as often as possible. Thanks to this, the medicinal substances will more completely pass into solution.
The therapeutic dose is considered to be 1 teaspoon three times a day. Depending on the patient’s condition, this volume can be either reduced or increased. If we are talking about preventive use, then you can limit yourself to one portion of the medicine per day.
Recipe 1
The raw material must be crushed into separate flakes using pliers. It is very difficult to do this by hand. If the buds are slightly damp, they should be dried. You shouldn’t over-dry it either, as it will be difficult to crush them. When the material for the tincture is ready, transfer it to a clean liter jar and add 0.5 liters of vodka. Close the lid and shake well.
Ingredients:
- vodka – 0.25 l;
- mature cones (medium size) – 5-6 pcs.
Can be placed in a black bag to prevent exposure to sunlight. Store in a cool place. Every day the jar must be taken out and shaken. This needs to be done so that the cone better provides its beneficial properties. When 21 days have passed, strain the tincture and pour into a convenient container. It should be tightly closed and stored in a cool, dark place.
For prevention, use 1 tsp on an empty stomach. twice a day. Before taking the tincture and after that, you need to drink a few sips of warm water. It happens that the infusion is very difficult to drink undiluted. Then you need to do this: add a spoonful of infusion to 50 ml of lukewarm water, mix the solution and drink. Do this 30 minutes before meals.
For irritated stomach mucosa or diseases of the intestinal tract, you can take the tincture as follows. In the morning, eat a portion of oatmeal as breakfast, and then 20 minutes later drink a spoonful of tincture diluted in water.
If there is a patient in the family who has suffered a heart attack or stroke, then take the infusion of pine cones as follows: 1 tablespoon 2 times a day. Also drink on an empty stomach with some water or after a light breakfast. For preventive purposes, such treatment is used for a month once every six months.
If anyone suffers from high blood pressure, use the infusion for 30 days with a break of 3 months. For people who have had a heart attack or stroke, the infusion should be used until the condition improves as an additional treatment to the main one.
Recipe 2
It's worth checking out a lesser-known recipe, but one that's also extremely healthy. This tincture will help cure a sore throat, severe cough, and pain in the lungs.
Ingredients:
- green cones – 6-7 pcs.;
- sugar – 5 tbsp. l.;
- cahors.
Fill a liter jar with small green cones and fill the empty spaces with sugar. Leave for 2 days, then pour in Cahors. Keep somewhere in a dark, cool place. Take a tablespoon after meals.
Recipe 3
For hypertension, a medicinal tincture of pine cones is prepared according to this recipe.
Ingredients:
- green cones – 1 l;
- honey - 1 tbsp.;
- vodka.
Fill the jar with green pine fruits. Pour a cup of honey, leave for several days and top up with vodka. After a week of infusion, you can use a tablespoon twice a day.
Using pine cone vodka tincture
Over time, the human body ages, causing the immune system to deteriorate. Pine cones contain substances that can reverse this seemingly irreversible process, not only mobilize the body’s defenses, but also rejuvenate and renew it.
Scientists have discovered that pine cone extract causes the transformation of white blood cells into dendritic cells. Thanks to this process, immune regulatory functions are activated, the division of cancer cells and the development of other pathological processes in the body are stopped.
Treatment of diseases:
- pneumonia;
- pulmonary tuberculosis;
- bronchitis;
- recovery after stroke, heart attack;
- cold;
- scurvy;
- cough;
- joint diseases;
- anemia.
Pine cones have all the healing properties necessary to restore dying nerve cells in the brain, they tone and strengthen the human immune system, and improve blood circulation. Pine tincture is beneficial for blood vessels, restores their elasticity and strengthens the walls, thins the blood, restores blood flow, helps with headaches, and also has a diuretic, mild choleretic and antiseptic effect.
To treat diseases of the bronchopulmonary system, a tincture of young pine cones is mainly used. This product has antibacterial, disinfectant activity, has an expectorant and tonic effect. It is used for colds, flu, bronchitis, as well as more serious and complex diseases of the respiratory system, such as tuberculosis, asthma, pneumonia. The product also helps with damage to the inner mucous membrane of the stomach and digestive tract.
The benefits of tincture of pine cones with vodka are manifested in the treatment of patients with post-stroke conditions, and in the prevention of this disease. Official medicine does not yet recognize the beneficial properties of the tincture during this period, but numerous reviews and experience accumulated over centuries by traditional healers eloquently testify to this.
Precautionary measures
In some cases, an allergic reaction may occur in response to taking pine preparations. First of all, those people who have already had manifestations of a similar nature fall into the risk group. Therefore, at the beginning of treatment, it is recommended to conduct a small test that will help recognize the presence or absence of a hypersensitive reaction of the body.
Before taking the infusion for the first time, it is necessary to carry out a control test for allergies and general condition after using the medicine. To do this, take 0.5 teaspoon once a day for 3 days. You should carefully monitor yourself to see if an allergic rash has appeared or if the condition has worsened. It is very important to consult with your doctor before taking it.
For persons for whom the use of alcohol tinctures is contraindicated, you can prepare a decoction of pine cones. The aqueous extract also has a number of benefits, but is safer due to the absence of alcohol. In terms of their effect on the human body, the decoction and tincture are equivalent. The main active ingredient is equally soluble in both hot water and alcohol solution.
The only difference is that the tincture is more convenient to use. With a decoction there is always a lot of hassle both during production and during storage. It can only be stored in the refrigerator and also for a very short time. It needs to be warmed up before each dose, and also periodically updated, that is, prepare a fresh solution.
You must always remember that pine tincture does not play the main role in getting rid of a stroke. It serves as an effective addition to medications prescribed to patients. It is very important to start taking medicinal preparations from pine cones in a timely manner, preferably on the first day after the onset of an acute circulatory disorder. After 24 hours, structural changes begin in the brain, from which recovery will be problematic or even impossible.
Contraindications to the use of pine cone tincture
In folk medicine, preparations made from pine cones are treated as medicine.It is believed that they can only be used during illness, for medicinal purposes. Pine preparations have a certain toxicity and can cause harm even to healthy people if used for a long time.
Contraindications:
- acute hepatitis;
- kidney diseases;
- pregnancy;
- lactation period;
- children under 7 years of age;
- allergic reactions.
It should also be remembered that in large doses, preparations from pine cones can cause headaches.
Terms and conditions of storage
Harvested and dried pine cones retain their healing properties for 5 years. The tincture can be stored for quite a long time, at least 3 years. The container with the medicinal product should be kept in the dark somewhere in a cool place. This could be a balcony, a basement or just a storage room.
Conclusion
The healing properties of vodka tincture made from pine cones have been known for a long time. Although official medicine has not yet adopted this remedy in the fight against stroke, it helps many people suffering from impaired brain function who have had a heart attack.
