Pine resin (кедровая живица in Russian) is a versatile natural remedy that has been well known to Siberian (and not only Siberian) traditional healers and doctors for centuries. Today we will look at some interesting and little-known facts about this unique gift of Siberian nature:

In pharmacology, pine resin has a different name.

Another name for the resin of pine is turpentine. The remedy sometimes sold in pharmacies is pine gum, an aromatic substance released naturally after bark damage.

Resin is the main protection of pine trees from the harsh Siberian conditions.

The benefit of tree resin is that it creates a protective barrier on a damaged trunk. It protects the tree from the penetration of harmful bacteria and microorganisms that harm the plant.

The pine resin, like the human circulatory system, permeates all parts of the tree and protrudes outward when the bark is damaged. Getting on the trunk surface, under the influence of sunlight, moisture, oxygen, the resin changes color from golden to brown. Freezing on the surface of the plant, thanks to its bactericidal and disinfecting properties, the resin protects the tree from damage by spores of fungi, bacteria, pests, and other harmful effects.

Siberian Pine resin is a completely calorie-free product.

The calorie content of cedar resin is Zero calories. Accordingly, there are absolutely no proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in it. Such indicators are retained only when it comes to pure resin.

The resin was the main component of mummification in Ancient Egypt.

The most striking historical example of the use of pine resin is body embalming in the era of the Egyptian pharaohs.

The result of mummification with resin amazed not only our ancestors but also surprises modern people. Hundreds and thousands of years pass, and the bodies remain untouched by decay. Indeed, one gets the impression that the body continues to live, waiting for the return of the soul. Of course, now this can be explained by the strong antimicrobial properties of the resin, but then, several millennia ago, it seemed like a miracle!

In Kievan Rus', pine resin was the main sanitizer for peasants.

9-10 centuries ago in Rus` people fumigated their huts with burning resin, using the smoke as a disinfectant to destroy unpleasant odors. Pine resin was mixed with beeswax and set on fire, night blindness and chronic cough were treated with smoke, the resin relieved purulent wounds.

Pine resin has a long history in the military field of medicine.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the famous Russian surgeon Pirogov actively used pine resin to treat poorly healing wounds after amputation. This method of treatment even became the main topic of his scientific work.

During World War II, the medicinal and anesthetic properties of the resin were successfully used in field hospitals. Cuts and wounds, up to the most severe and chronic, and even gangrene, were filled with sap or balsam from pine resin. Pieces of tissue soaked in pine nut balm were applied to the abscesses as a softening, stretching, and healing agent.

The best time to take pine resin is morning or afternoon.

Taking remedies based on Siberian pine nut resin is recommended only during daylight hours. This can be explained by the fact that resin and medical products derived from it interact best with the waking human body. At the same time, the pine resin, without arranging stressful situations for the body, gently and slowly turns on the regeneration process at the cellular level. As a result of this, the chromosome number begins to be restored in the human body.

Pine resin has a semi-mythical and religious aura.

It is a scientifically proven fact that pine resin treats toothache well, but sometimes this treatment takes on strange forms. For example, on the territory of one of the monasteries of the Arkhangelsk region, a huge centuries-old pine nut tree grows. Its bark is badly damaged, but this does not interfere with its growth. Local people say that monastery visitors (deeply religious persons), suffering from dental diseases, gnawed the trunk of this pine tree.

Siberian Pine resin collector is one of the highest-paid jobs in Siberia.

Resin pickers in a season can earn 13 million rubles ($180 K) a month. In addition, the resin harvester is an ideal profession for a person who wants to escape the bustle of the city. Just imagine, there is a pine forest all around… You walk all day from tree to tree, and no one bothers you with their endless problems and requests...

Pine resin can be stored forever - it has no expiration date.

The pine resin has an amazing quality: it does not age. Once harvested, it retains its healing properties for centuries! The only thing that happens to it is that in the air it crystallizes and hardens over time, turning into amber-like golden or dark brown pieces that melt well when heated.