The Magic of Pine Tree Resin

What is Pine Resin

Ever see sticky liquid dripping off of a Pine tree or fallen pieces, of what appear to be bird poop to the untrained eye, on the ground? It's nature's medicine! It’s Pine resin! It acts like a bandaid for the tree and aids in its healing process. Pine resin has the ability to fight off infection by sealing off superficial wounds and preventing insects from entering and creating more damage to the tree internally. Much like for the trees, the ancient people discovered that the uses of Pine resin worked the same on human bodies.

fresh pine tree resin wildcrafted 6-18-23

Givers of Medicine and Wisdom

Pine trees are evergreen trees mostly known for their iconic role during the holiday season, but to the indigenous people, they were givers of medicine and wisdom. Pine trees have much to offer starting with their cones being used as Pine Cone Syrup, or needles for Pine Needle Tea. Pine tree resin, in particular, was used for making incense, topical ointments, fragrances, and internal medicines, and served greatly in rituals and spiritual practices. Botanical resins have been treasured for thousands of years accross many cultures and religions, but little do people know how multitalented they really are.

Many resins such as Frankincense and Myrrh are the more well-known aromatics that were gifted along with gold by the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus. Many of my favorite childhood memories growing up

in Mexico took place around Christmas not only because I was born on Winter Solstice, but because getting to celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos (day of the Epiphany) meant it was an extension of more celebrating, more eating, and more presents.

From Resin to Rosin

Growing up as an artist, I worked with resin through the form of “rosin.” Ballet dancers and violin players would know exactly what I’m talking about because these dried chunks of tree resins were used to create friction for pointe shoes against the marley floor and bows against the strings of violins. I have grown up with them one way or another and never even knew about its origins until I discovered Herbalism in 2022. The funny thing is that at the time, I just remember these pieces, of what looked like amber, having a pleasant smell and me being drawn to the tackiness of it. Little did I know I was actually working with a gift from the trees!

My dog, Luna, playing in the snow and posing in front of resinous conifer trees :)

The Importance of Sustainable Foraging

Herbalists, gardeners and foragers with ethical practices will tell you the art of waiting. Waiting for the seeds to sprout and be deemed planteable. Patiently waiting for the seasons to change from a long and wet winter into a colorful and lively Spring. Nature does what nature does at its own pace and sometimes with minimal quantities.

Sometimes the meadows don’t produce enough Plantain leaf to make a salve or the beehives hold little honey to be bottled for one’s enjoyment. In order for us to be representatives and stewards of the land, we must treat our land with respect by taking no more than what is given.

I’ve referenced Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer time and time again because I see it as my bible for living in tune with mother nature. In the chapter of The Honorable Harvest, Kimmerer writes…

“When my basket holds enough leeks for dinner, I head home… one of the cardinal rules of gathering plants:

‘Never take the first plant you find, as it might be the last - and you want that first one to speak well of you to the others of her kind.’

That’s not too hard to do when you come upon a whole stream bank of colsfoot, when there’s a third and a fourth right behind the first, but it’s harder when the plants are few and the disire is great.”

A beautiful passage explaining that we must be responsible with our harvests especially if a certain species of plant has been overharvested over the years and is at risk. Wildcrafting is one of my favorite things to do on hikes with my dog (as pictured above.) The best part is being able to observe nature and feel how alive our plant brothers and sisters are through their dancing leaves.

As a sustainable wildcrafter, nine times out of ten, you leave with nothing in your basket and wait until the harvest of pine resin falls willingly at your feet. If you practice the art of patience, surely the plants will take notice and will gift you the right amount that you were looking for. Plant conservation and responsible harvesting can only coexist with intention and reciprocity. If we take we must offer the land a gift of thank you and a way for it to grow bigger and better each year. Start a garden today so that we can see fruits tomorrow.

hardened pine tree resin wildcrafted on summer solstice

6-21-23

Plant Medicine as a Holistic Practice

Everything in my life has always pointed its way back to the gifts of nature and since finding my path to herbalism and studying with Herbal Academy, it feels like I’ve unlocked a superpower that many have yet to discover for themselves. The gift of ancestral knowledge in a modern technological world is a blessing when you are able to be self sufficient and look after your own health with natural solutions. Thanks to The Northwest School of Aromatic Medicine, being able to rediscover a forgotten way of living has drawn me deeper into the arts and sciences of plant medicine in a holistic practice. Wether it’s making a topical ointment or brewing a cup tea, Herbalism has allowed me to express my passion for plants along with my gardening journey.

Dancing Bee Blends is a botanically inspired skincare business that stemed from my love of gardening and my curiosity to learn more about the plants I was growing. Though I have formulated my topical preparations with the highest potency of nourishing plants, oils, and butters, one’s skin health always starts from the inside taking care of your liver, gut, and finding alterative support. The inside-out approach to skin health is really the key to one’s overall health because being that the skin is the largest organ of our body, it is also a huge indicator of how healthy our other organs are on the inside of us.

In Conclusion

After discovering that Pine tree resin was used by the indigenous people to make countless preperations such as tinctures, mouthwashes, salves, incense, and perfumes for enjoyment and to address ailments throughout the body, I have formulated my own recipe of a well balanced Pine tree resin in my shop known as the Evergreen Salve.

The Evergreen Salve features my sustainably harvested Pine resin and a few drops of Fir essential oil blended with beeswax from my local beekeeper here in the Bay Area, California. Consider supporting my shop filled with herbal products all handmade in small batches. I love being able to pass down what I have been learning in my own herbal studies, and share them through my writing and herbal creations.

What was something I shared that you didn’t know about Pine resin? I would love to hear from you below! :)