Photo: Mickaël Delcey (Silverkey), CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris

Also known as Scotch Pine, Scots Fir, Baltic Pine, European Redwood

At a glance

Family

Pinaceae

Type

Evergreen coniferous tree

Parts used

Needles, young green shoots and buds, resin (pitch)

Size

60 to 100 feet tall in the wild, smaller cultivated forms available for gardens

Bloom

Male pollen cones shed golden clouds of pollen in late spring; female cones mature slowly over two years

Habitat

Native to the boreal and temperate forests of Europe and northern Asia, from Scotland's Caledonian pinewoods to the taiga of Siberia; favors cool climates and open, sunlit ground

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditional respiratory support

Rich in vitamin C

Soothing to minor skin irritation

Warming, resinous aromatic

Traditional uses

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Long before citrus fruit could travel north, sailors and forest-dwelling peoples across Scandinavia, Russia, and the Baltic brewed pine needle tea to fend off scurvy through the dark winter months, prizing its sharp vitamin C content. In folk practice from the Sami to the Slavic countryside, the tender spring shoots were simmered into syrups traditionally used to soothe coughs and sore throats, while the sticky resin that beads on the bark was pressed into salves for cuts, chilblains, and rough skin. Pine boughs thrown onto hot sauna stones released a steam long believed to clear the lungs and lift the spirits, a custom still practiced in Finland today. The tree itself, standing sentinel in the old Caledonian Forest, has been woven into Northern European life for thousands of years as timber, tar, and medicine alike.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Thyme
✦Elderberry
✦Peppermint

Substitutes

✦Spruce needles
✦Fir needles

Choose it when

“For a bracing breath of the northern forest when winter colds settle in.”

Did you know?

Scots pine is the only pine native to Scotland, where ancient survivors of the old Caledonian Forest still stand, and some individual trees in Scandinavia have been documented living well past 700 years, making it one of the longest-lived trees in Europe.

Safety

Scots pine needles make a safe traditional tea in normal amounts, but the tree must not be confused with yew, a toxic look-alike evergreen whose needles and seeds can be fatal. Concentrated pine essential oil is not meant to be taken internally, and fresh resin can irritate the skin.