What are pine cones for? To spread the seed? Not just for these purposes. It turns out that they can be used for other purposes. Almost everyone knows that walking in a pine forest is very useful, but not everyone knows why. And hardly anyone thought about the benefits of pine honey. From this article you can learn about the beneficial properties of pine cones and shoots, as well as how honey from pine cones, recipes for its preparation are useful .
Application
Pine cones are a highly effective remedy for coughing, so tasty, sweet, healing honey from pine buds (a step-by-step recipe is presented below) will be welcomed even by babies. It has not only expectorant, but also immunomodulatory, diaphoretic properties. On its basis, various tinctures and decoctions are made for ingestion, compresses and external rubbing.
The resin, cones, buds and needles contain many useful substances: ascorbic acid, panipicrine, tannins, resins, essential oils and many others. This helps them to be used in the treatment of colds, rheumatism, gout and a number of others.
Beneficial features
There are many recipes for honey from pine cones , however, they all have healing properties and are used in traditional medicine under the following circumstances:
- Diseases of the throat and gums.
- Pneumonia.
- Influenza, colds.
- Low hemoglobin.
- Pulmonary tuberculosis.
- Polyarthritis.
- Vitaminosis.
- Respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma and bronchitis.
- Pleurisy.
Green pine cones are, first of all, a source of iron and many other useful elements. They contain oleic and linolenic acids, bioflavonoids, tannins, lipids, monoterpene hydrocarbons and many other nutrients and nutrients.
Pine needles and buds also contain a lot of useful elements. Pine buds contain a large number of tannins, essential oils and all kinds of vitamins. In needles - vitamin C, ascorbic acid, carotene, resins. Thanks to these components, cones have been widely used in the treatment of many diseases. But for this you need to collect young and very green cones.
When do you need to collect cones?
In this case, you should remember that you need to collect undisclosed pine cones. The collection time may vary slightly, it all depends on climatic conditions. In our country, they can be collected from June 21 to 25. In this case, the cones in width should be about 4 cm.
In the process of collecting young cones, special attention must be paid to the state of the tree on which they grow and to the appearance of the shoot. On trees affected by insects, it is advisable not to collect cones. The tree and cones should look beautiful, without any signs of decay and not eaten by insects.
Pine cone honey: recipes
This is not just honey in the full sense of the word, it is a drug that helps a lot with polyarthritis. It would be great to stock up on them for a whole year, because it is perfectly stored in the refrigerator. There are several ways to make such honey.
First way
Ingredients
- Pine cones - 1 kg.
- Sugar - 1 kg.
- Water - 10 glasses (200 ml).
Pine honey - cooking recipe
Cones must be washed well and soaked for a day in cold water. Mix sugar with water and boil the syrup. Then the cones are added to the hot syrup, and everything boils with constant stirring until they open. The black scale formed during the cooking process does not need to be removed. If the honey is too thick, it can be diluted with boiled water. The finished product has a pleasant taste, has a dark brown tint.
Second way
Young pine cones (1 can of 0.5 l), about the size of a hazelnut, are poured with cold water and boiled for 15-20 minutes so that they become soft and do not boil. Take out the cones with a slotted spoon and transfer to a pre-prepared syrup (2 tbsp of water, 1 kg of sugar) and boil for another 20-25 minutes.
Third way
Pine honey recipe can be prepared in this way. Young pine cones must be washed, torn off roots, cut into quarters or half, depending on size, after which everything is covered with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1. Then, during the day, it is infused, the cones start the juice, and then they are boiled for about 30-40 minutes, after which they are rolled up in jars.
Fourth way
Introducing another pine honey recipe. Have to take:
- Young cones - for 1 liter of water 75-80 pcs.
- Sugar - per 1 liter of infusion 1 kg.
For honey, you need fresh cones, still green. The collected shoots must be sorted, washed and filled with water so that it overlaps them by about 1-2 cm. Then boil with the lid closed for 20 minutes, then the broth should be allowed to brew for about a day.
The next day, pour the infusion into another container, add sugar in the ratio of 1 kg of sugar per 1 liter of infusion, and then cook, as usual jam. Do not forget to remove the foam during cooking. Cook for at least 1.5 hours. It should turn out a composition of raspberry color, which must be poured into heated cans and tightly closed with lids. To avoid sugaring, citric acid can be added to honey (1 teaspoon incomplete).
Pine Elixir
Consider another pine honey recipe. Young cones collected from June 21 to 25 are placed in a transparent container, densely sprinkled with sugar (1 kg per 1 can of 3 l). The neck of the container is covered with gauze, and the can is placed in direct sunlight (for example, on the windowsill) for the period until September 21-24. If mold suddenly began to appear on the surface of the cones, then these fruits must be discarded, and those located under a layer of liquid should be sprinkled with a layer of sugar.
The resulting honey elixir must be poured into a container, closed tightly with a lid and removed in a cool and preferably dark place. The shelf life of this honey is 1 year. It can be added to tea. For prevention, it is consumed 20 minutes before breakfast and before bedtime, 1 tablespoon.
Pine pollen
As a rule, pine pollen is used with honey. With pulmonary tuberculosis, a composition such as milk and pine pollen with honey is very useful. The recipe is as follows.
Pine pollen (1 teaspoon) is ground in a mortar and poured into hot milk, and then honey (1 teaspoon) is added.
With prostate adenoma, prostatitis, the use of pollen with honey helps to improve blood flow and reduce the tumor in the tissues of the prostate. Consider recipes for making pine pollen with honey.
- Natural candied honey (1 liter) is heated in a water bath, the temperature should not exceed 60 ° C. Then added pine pollen (1 tbsp.spoon) and mix thoroughly. It is necessary to take for 2 months 3 times a day for 30 minutes before eating 2 teaspoons. Further, it is recommended to take a break for a couple of weeks, and then repeat the course again. And so on until a complete cure.
- Pine pollen and honey are mixed in equal amounts (1 teaspoon each) and taken twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. You can drink it with a small amount of milk or water.
Pine shoots
The juiciest shoots in length can be no more than 12 cm. From longer shoots, much less juice can be collected. In order not to damage the tree, you do not need to collect branches on only one side, you should choose the most lush and from different trees.
But here's how to make honey from pine shoots (recipe):
- Young shoots of pine - 500 g.
- Water - 1 l.
- Sugar - 500 g.
Cooking:
- Pine shoots are thoroughly washed with water and transferred to a pan.
- Then water is added. Cook for 2 hours over low heat. Then you need to cool and leave for a day.
- After 24 hours, strain and squeeze. Then a broth is poured into a clean pan and sugar is added.
- You need to cook without a lid on low heat for 2-3 hours.
- The resulting hot honey is poured into dry, clean jars. Next, you need to tightly close the lid and place in a cool place.
- This pine honey recipe is designed for 2 banks of 200 ml.
Contraindications
Despite the beneficial properties of pine honey, this product has contraindications. First of all, people suffering from kidney diseases should be treated carefully with cone treatment. In acute hepatitis, there are also contraindications. With great care, honey and tinctures from pine cones should be used for elderly people, as well as for pregnant women. In addition, honey from cones can cause allergic reactions in children.
The main thing is to remember that drugs that include pine cones cannot be consumed in large quantities, as this can provoke not only headaches, but also inflammatory processes in the stomach.