The burning of tree resins has been known as a sacred activity, an offering to the gods, ancestors, land and the great spirit as a way of seeking communion and blessing.

After a short hike from Tineo to Borres, Asturias, Spain on Camino Primitivo in preparation for a next day elevation to the Hospitales route, some real magic has happened. 

I arrived to albergue early on the 8 of July and decided to go out for a walk hoping to find a spot to write and meditate. First, a wooden fence called for me, but I found its concrete floor perhaps for parking unwelcoming, I then deviated to a side path that took me onto a small field of a freshly cut grass surrounded by pine trees. 

I came up to the first pine but then heard the call of the neighbouring one. Sat down underneath its might called for help of my family ancestors behind me, dragons to the left and right hand sides, invited my guides, angels, archangels, fairies 🧚🏼‍♂️to help me heal and overcome limiting patterns installed in my system, as things were heating up for me on Camino. Like a dormant virus that flares up unexpected, when you thought it has been 

I wrote, amazed by the ever beautiful landscape being changed before my eyes- the returned farmer kept rolling the hay into stacks one by one.

After a few good hours I was about to leave, when medicine was revealed to me. It was not coincidental that I choose to sit under that tree. First, it spoke to me, actually since being on Camino, I have deeply connected to trees and started seeing them differently, feeling their nature, particularity of their character. The next day I even started to ask the right of passage from the trees as they stood at the entrance and exit gates of the Hospitales way. Second, the medicine was in easy reach on this specimen compared to the first one and most importantly, I grew up surrounded by Siberian firs, pines and cedars, my ancestors clearly heard and guided me.

The giveaway was at the bottom of the pine where it meets the soil. Two feet-like roots were covered in yellow gooey substance. I followed it with my eyes up the trunk to find several spots where the pine was ‘licking its wounds’ by exuding protective resin, a response to injury, insect assault, and fungal or bacterial stress typical to all evergreens. In Russian it is called ‘живица’, direct translation of which is gallipot or sap/resin but the meaning is the ‘one that heals’. 

Medicinal women when collecting resin would speak to it in a rhyme: «Живица, живица, помоги исцелиться: от огня, от воды, от любой беды, от злобы, от сглазу и от всех хворей сразу» - Resin, resin help to heal from fire, from water, from any trouble, from negativity, evil eye and all ailments at once. They believed that within it contains all power and might of the majestical conifer that can cure. Siberian healers claim that is able to quickly heal purulent wounds, boils, ulcers and burns. The locals brewed gum cakes from the turpentine sap that perfectly coped with the treatment of inflamed and bleeding gums.

Amazed that I could collect it there and then without getting a flight to Russia or cutting the bark, I took enough for my individual use.

This miraculous resin contains many biologically active substances that work as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents. It is these substances that give the sap a bitter taste. This bitterness stimulates the activity of the spleen, and the oil consistency increases the formation of bile secretions. All this helps the body to effectively deal with parasites, that settle in the human body and suppress immunity and much more.

Salve Recipe 

After making it over the mountains the next day and as soon as we passed the hydroelectric dam across the Navia River to the Gradas de Salime I fell down the cliff rolling, only to be stopped by the 3 trees. My right leg was seriously damaged, scratches everywhere- not a pretty sight. Doctors said I pulled the ligament which would take at least 2 weeks to heal. 

Guess what used for my swollen knee. Here is the remedy:

Place your collected resin into the jar inside the boiling pan of water. Add beeswax + oils (one carrier and combination of essentials) It was a last-minute situation for me, so I added what I had. Keep the lid to hold in the terpinene vapour. Stir, letting for it melt. You will see how it will separate. Leave any crud in the original jar.
Pour into a container. Keep the jar with leftovers for further use. Apply as needed and stay healthy.

Historical reference: It has been used as a traditional healing remedy for centuries. Human use of plant resins has been documented in Ancient Greece and Rome for digestive disorders, it also treated kidney and lung diseases, rheumatism, and much more. In China, it was a universal remedy for almost all diseases, most often it was used for headaches and toothaches when in Egypt mummy was completely wrapped, it was coated in a resin in order to keep the threat of moist air away. The resin was also applied to the coffin in order to seal it. In the sixteenth century, Ancient Egypt turpentine was widely used to treat the plague, when frankincense and myrrh were highly prized and are still used in religious rites as incense across the world.

For the first time, industrial harvesting of resin in Russia began in 1932 in Altai. In 1947, there were already several large farms engaged in the collection and processing of this valuable raw material. A bandage moistened with sap was applied to snake bites, a pine resin diluted with alcohol was used for back pain and lumbar pain. Burning gum was smoked at home, helping the disinfection of the room.

Cedar resin is the strongest natural antioxidant of all known to date. Recent scientific experiments have shown that crystallized resin is capable of regenerating damaged tissues at the cellular level. This discovery only confirms the intuition of our ancestors, who used the resin of coniferous trees as a natural remedy for many diseases. If you are suffering from rheumatism, radiculitis, neuralgia, gout, frequent upper respiratory tract diseases, kidney diseases or digestive organs, you can use it.

By the way, the well-known amber is also a pine resin, which has crystallized over millions of years. Amber belongs to semiprecious minerals and has a rich colour range - from golden and red to black.  Not only jewellery is made from it: rings, bracelets and necklaces, but also various decorative objects.  Remember the world-famous amber room in Tsarskoye Selo, which was lost during the years of the Second World War. Everything in it, from the decoration of the walls to the small casket, was made of amber.

Examples of wonderful plant resins:

• Amber/ Ambergris

• Dragons blood

• Myrrh and Frankincense

• Balm of Gilead

The easiest thing you can do is use resin or needles as an incense, by placing your harvest on a charcoal stick and letting it burn. 

Here are the energies that these magical plants exude:

• Pines: Considered a “tree of peace” by some Native American tribes, it also represents longevity, life, immortality. It can be burned for purification, healing work, and divination.

• Spruces: Considered a versatility tree that survives well in northern, cold environments; it can represent constancy, versatility, and determination. Burn spruce for getting things going and keeping them going.

Make your own smudge with your Christmas Tree instead of throwing it away

Harvest branches in your local area or recycle your Christmas tree into a smudge. To do so, align them to one length, wrap in a vintage linen thread for the cleaner energetic result ( any other thread you have handy) in a bundle. Let it dry, use to purify ritual space.

Or have a cup of tea!

It is s full of vitamin C. Take fresh pine needles and make a decoction by pouring boiled water over the needles. Allow steeping for 15 minutes.  Drink 3 times daily as a tonic.

Health benefits:

Pine is broadly antimicrobial. It is warming, stimulating, and increases blood flow.  It is valuable as a chest rub for chest congestion.  It can help with localized pain, inflammation, and infection.  It’s also beneficial for old injuries and chronic inflammation. It is safe to take internally for sore throat and congestion.

Pine sap properties include: antiseptic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial

Remedies from the resin of coniferous trees calm the nervous system, reduce asthmatic, strengthen the cardiovascular system.

Digestive system: ulcer, gastritis, dysbacteriosis, colitis - this is not a complete list of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that can be cured with sap.  It restores normal balance in the stomach, improves the pancreas and liver.  To do this, it is most effective to use the sap dissolved in sea buckthorn oil.

Cardiovascular system: Gum oil reduces blood viscosity, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure and improves venous outflow.  It helps to fight diseases such as angina, tachycardia, varicose veins and dystonia.

Skin: We have already talked about the antiseptic properties of the resin.  Because of this, it is able to treat many skin diseases: boils, dry calluses, acne, herpes, psoriasis, bedsores and burns.  Healing of the skin in the treatment of the resin occurs without the formation of scars.

Endocrine system: Succinic acid, which is contained in the resin, helps to reduce blood sugar, which can be used in the treatment of diabetes.  It brings great benefits in the treatment of the thyroid gland.

Reproductive system: The resin is used to treat various diseases of the female genitalia, for example, colpitis, vaginitis, cervical erosion.

Gum oil is recommended to take to enhance lactation, as well as in the premenstrual period to get rid of psychological discomfort and pain.

Summary: 

• Treat wounds – apply it to cuts as you would super glue

• Stop bleeding – apply a soft glob (heat if necessary) to help stop bleeding.

• Treat skin rashes and eczema with ointments, tinctures, and salves. See the example below

• Chew softer sap straight off the tree like gum for sore throats and colds. Ingredients: bees-wax, pine sap, and honey.

• Use it on painful joints, cuts, abrasions, or swollen injuries

Some recipes I found on Russian websites. All for home treatments.

 - Cold, herpes. Soak a cotton swab in a mixture of turpentine + any vegetable oil. Hold it on herpes sores for 20-25 minutes. Repeat the procedure every 2-4 hours. Spruce, cedar, pine - any will suit.

- Colds and sore throat. 2-3 times a day dissolve half a teaspoon of sap.  Don’t drink and eat for 2 hours.

 - Peptic ulcer disease. In the morning, before eating, put a small piece of pine or cedar gum under the tongue, hold for 8-10 minutes. The course of treatment is 1-1.5 months.

-Polyarthritis. A mixture of turpentine and any vegetable oil (1:1) rub the sore joints several times a day. The course of treatment is 2 weeks, then rest for a week, and again rub for 2 weeks.

-Fractures. In a saucepan, put onion, grated on a coarse grater, 4 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil. Add a spoon of copper sulphate and a spoon of gum. Put the mixture on the fire and bring to a boil. Cool and apply the mixture in the form of a compress on a fracture.

-Man’s Health. A teaspoon of gum, pour 500g of vodka and put in a dark place for 5 days. Use 3 tbsp. Spoon twice a day before meals. 

Get creative:

Weave coiled basketry:

The needles of the Ponderosa Pine are used in coil basketry. These are the longest growing pine needles in Western Canada. The needles on different trees of the same species will vary in length, so if you find a tree with especially long needles you will want to remember where you found it.

Collect this old medicine for personal use with no harm to the tree, only what is accessible and necessary, shows care and gratitude for the treasures it gives us. Ask for permission to collect the pine’s gold. Speak to the tree. It will respond and your healing will be tenfold better.

Stay healthy