Tea From Pine Needles

As with anything please take what you read about this with a " grain of salt" because I am NOT claiming this all to be true. It's just what I've read and learned, so take it for what it's worth.

Have you ever heard of pine needle tea? I hadn't, but was very intrigued so I set out to learn more.

It is reportedly VERY, very good for the body when you drink tea made from pine needles. Yes, everyday ordinary pine needles. Your Christmas tree! LOL

Supposedly, one cup of pine needle tea has more vitamin C than 6 lemons! and is good for treating mild depression, strengthening the nerves in your eyes, muscle fatigue, heart ailments, kidney ailments, to treat coughs, allergies, and many other things.

I wanted to give it a try so I pulled up this recipe:
Chop up the needles..
Meantime, boil a pot of water.
Place pine in boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep from 20 minutes to all night.
What you don't drink hot, refrigerate for a cold, refreshing drink.Experiment with proportions of pine needles to water.
The best tea will be a nice reddish color, and a small amount of oil will rise to the top.

This recipe makes a beautiful red tea, with a mild, pleasant taste. You can sweeten with honey if desired.

The boys and I went out to the front yard - I live in the forest ya know! :) And we gathered some needles and made a cup. It was actually very yummy. I think we should have gotten needles that were a bit younger as ours didn't turn out exactly orange but more of a pale peach shade.
It was as good as any processed teas I've ever bought though and next time I want to chill some because I just prefer my tea cold. LOL It was positively good enough to have again and if even one of those health benefits is true then all the better. It's just too bad that it doesn't treat insomnia. If it did I would not be here posting in the middle of the night so often. LOL

I love learning about this kind of stuff!