White Pine Bark

Species Name: Pinus strobes

Also Known As: Eastern White Pine, Northern White Pine, Pumpkin Pine, Soft Pine, Deal Pine, Weymouth Pine, Pin du Lord, and Pinus Alba.

The White Pine Tree is an evergreen conifer that is native to eastern North America and has been cultivated throughout Europe.

These trees can grow over two hundred feet tall in the US and about half that in Europe. The White Pine Tree bark is very smooth, the leaves of the tree grow in small bundles of five, and there are cylindrical cones that are a little longer than leaf bundles.

Historically used for ships masts, today the White Pine is primarily used for lumber, paper pulp, and telephone poles. The resin is used for medicinal purposes.

What is White Pine Bark? Medicinal White Pine Bark comes from the inner bark of the White Pine tree, or from young shoots and twigs. The bark is dried, and then used in powdered form, tea, syrups, as a poultice, and in capsules.

Home Remedies Using White Pine Bark:

Benefits of White Pine Bark:

Historically White Pine Bark was ground into flour and used by Native Americans to make bread. Some tribes used the inner bark and sap as a poultice or dressing for wounds and sores.

White Pine Bark increases circulation and has a slight “warming” effect. It carries away toxins, increasing secretion of fluids, and loosens phlegm.

It is used to treat a stuffy, not runny nose, and helps make coughing and sneezing productive, which will clear air passages. It is an excellent expectorant, helping to reduce mucus secretions and works to stimulate mucus elimination. White Pine Bark is also a very powerful antioxidant.

White Pine Bark can be used for the following:

  • Anti-oxidant
  • Expectorant
  • Demulcent
  • Diuretic
  • Strengthens Urinary Tract
  • Coughs
  • Colds
  • Bronchitis
  • Influenza
  • Sore Throats
  • Stuffy nose
  • Laryngitis
  • Muscle pain
  • To strengthen bladder and kidneys

Topically a paste made from Pine Bark can be made into a poultice to treat wounds, or may help with headaches.

Used in a combination with uva ursi (bearberry), marshmallow, and poplar bark, it is used as a treatment for diabetes.

Side Effects of White Pine Bark:

There are no known side effects for White Pine Bark. Check for allergic reaction which might include a skin rash, headache, or nausea.