Young pine needle tips are exceptionally high in vitamin C — early American settlers and Indigenous communities relied on pine needle tea specifically to prevent scurvy through winters with no fresh produce available.
Ingredients (makes 1 quart)
- 1/2 cup young pine needle tips, chopped (Eastern White Pine, Ponderosa, or Douglas fir only — avoid yew entirely, it is toxic)
- 1 quart water
- Raw honey, to taste
Method
- Rinse pine needles well and chop roughly.
- Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat — do not let it continue boiling once the needles go in, as prolonged boiling destroys vitamin C.
- Add the needles, cover, and steep 10 to 15 minutes.
- Strain and sweeten with honey to taste.
Correct tree identification is essential before harvesting — confirm your variety before making this one. Best enjoyed fresh, hot, on a cold winter day.
This recipe is one of twenty in The Forgotten Apothecary — our full digital cookbook of pharmacy-counter tonics, switchels, oxymels, and healing syrups.