Vitamins and antioxidants in trees / forests

www.perfectsupplements.com...

www.quora.com...

www.quora.com...

So...I've recently learned about pine bark / pycnogenol as a supplement and have just begun. It occurred to me that this might be a good thing after I reflected on recently, a week long stay / camping in a forested area (Central Washington State) a couple of years ago that was quite healing.

I originally attributed the health benefits to just being away from indoor toxins, no wireless radiation exposure, more sunlight (Vitamin D), minimal computer time, and earthing. But then it dawned on me that there might have been something else.

As in the air is physically different, because the air has vitamins in it - as in the above links referencing tree bark. Dead trees decomposing or living trees just "shedding / emanating" vitamins / antioxidants in the air.

So...curious to see how the supplementation will work out. I'm going with 100-200mg of Pycnogenol now per day. Still reading a book about it.

I've also put on my reading list various books about "Forest Bathing" to see if there are any insights there.

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

Has anyone ever measured the ratio of vitamins / antioxidants in the air?

a reply to: dontneedaname

People that spend too much time in deep forest areas can develop a lung disease.
So too much of anything (even a good thing) is not good.

a reply to: dontneedaname
Your observation is spot on with that "there is something in the air in forests".

Besides all the different molecules released by plants to warn each other and communicate... You wrote about pine trees. Pine tree, or needle tree forest generally, are very good for the lungs. They release etheric oils into the air that you breath in in tiny doses.

IDK about "Forest bathing" but I spend a lot of my free time, often with my daughter, too in the forest. In summer we sometimes pack our stuff and go sleep in the forest, because it's about 10°C cooler there at night. I recommend everyone to go more into the forest but respectfully. I suggest doing a barefoot walk. For one, you will walk slower and more aware, spend more time and be careful. The other reason is "earthing". Bringing the body frequencies in alignment with the Earth again.

I never tried measuring anything in the air, but being outside at the fresh air and around trees can never hurt

We are supposed to live WITH nature, not destroy it as we do.

There are so many benefits from trees and plants, that our bodies need, along with just the calm we can get from being emersed in it.

While I haven't studied the air in forests, I know it sure works just spending time in it.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: dontneedaname

People that spend too much time in deep forest areas can develop a lung disease.
So too much of anything (even a good thing) is not good.

That depends on what plants are growing in the area they are in. I have spent a lot of time in the woods over my lifetime, I liked camping, fishing, and hiking. Yes, certain times of the year the stuff floating around in the air can screw up your lungs around here, but most times it is not a problem.

Another thing is that some people are intolerant to chemicals in Pine, so they can get some pretty nasty reactions from the smell of pine which can cause damage to the lungs. I have known a half dozen people who had severe reactions to pine chemistry and way more that are intolerant of ragweed and other weeds out in the wild. It used to be that people knew about this and advised friends that had problems to stay away from certain things, now the knowledge of the elders is pretty lost, people go to doctors for expensive tests instead of just paying attention and talking to others who know. There is the internet that still has people with knowledge of this who spread their knowledge, but often someone who does not witness the reaction cannot properly diagnose the problem properly. I don't have a problem with trees but do have some issues with mowing leaves. Rotting leaves smell so good, but sometimes the thing that rots them can cause a problem if you breath it in.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: dontneedaname

People that spend too much time in deep forest areas can develop a lung disease.
So too much of anything (even a good thing) is not good.

huh?

a reply to: dontneedaname

Pine needles have four potent medicinal chemicals in them plus of course the tea from them is high in vitamin C too. I like an occasional cup of it in the winter, but I just boil water with the needles in it for a few minutes, then let them steep in it for about five minutes before drinking it. The recipes that say to boil it for like twenty minutes are too strong for me, I like it mellow and it does seem to work well with a tad bit of honey in it without feeling that you just chomped down on a cluster of white pine needles.

I have never tried the chemistry from that tree you talked about, I doubt if my ancestors did either. I'll stick to chemistry around here which also was around where my ancestors came from in Finland. My grandmother knew a lot about plant chemistry and when I was a kid my parents and uncles and aunts had already been brainwashed to believe in Pharmaceudicals. So they thought she was nuts, but I checked out a lot of what she was saying from memories of what she had talked about and found lots of them had powerful medical properties. Her only problem is that she did not know which medicine to give for which ailment very well when she was old. Maybe she knew when she wasn't dementiated, but I did not know her that well till she came to live with us and my uncle when she was in her mid seventies. She was pretty normal till the doctor put her on some long term meds I guess, then she got worse. I think they were some kind of water pill or maybe a heart pill, that was back in the sixties, I only know what I was told...why my mother and her siblings didn't take her off that med I don't know, they were brainwashed to believe that medicines were perfectly safe.

a reply to: dontneedaname

I would like to know too, because I searched for it and came up empty handed. Only stuff about firefighters in forest fires getting lung issues, but that's kind of obvious.

I could imagine fog being a problem as in, many women who worked in laundry with lot's of steam develop lung issues. I am curious as well.

a reply to: rickymouse

Be careful, pine needles from the wrong family are toxic.

farmtheworld.org...

It's best to use it moderate.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: rickymouse

Be careful, pine needles from the wrong family are toxic.

farmtheworld.org...

It's best to use it moderate.

I only do white pine needles, we have a lot of that here and they have five long needles to a cluster so are easy to tell from the jackpine and other types of pine. And too much is no good, considering white pine needle tea has way more vitamin C than oranges, you really do not need it strong. I never got to evaluate it properly to tell how effective it is, my go to is the Hot toddy and chicken soup usually, both work well. I do put quite a bit of veggies in the chicken soup when I make it so it does have plenty of vitamin C. Contrary to what people believe, vitamin c is usually pretty heat stable at boiling temps, but it does leach into the water, but when making soup, you drink the broth anyway. It even goes into the noodles that are made directly in the soup at the end.

originally posted by: chiefsmom
We are supposed to live WITH nature, not destroy it as we do.

There are so many benefits from trees and plants, that our bodies need, along with just the calm we can get from being emersed in it.

While I haven't studied the air in forests, I know it sure works just spending time in it.

But dandilions are evil plants, probably a rumor started by the pharmaceudical industry to get medicine out of people's yards. People have been conditioned to pull them or poison them.

a reply to: rickymouse

It was more a comment for the rest, from reading your posts over time, I expected you to know it but that you just didn't think about it. Because you know what you do but it's off your awareness scale.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: rickymouse

It was more a comment for the rest, from reading your posts over time, I expected you to know it but that you just didn't think about it. Because you know what you do but it's off your awareness scale.

Yeah, I probably should have noted white pine in my original post, I actually did not realize I didn't specify white pine. I messed up with that because some pine trees do have toxic properties. I need to be more careful in the future. I guess it was a good thing that you commented, sometimes I forget to include important info.

When you know a lot about something, sometimes you take things for granted that others already know the basics of what you are talking about...that is actually not good, I am guilty of doing that sometimes. It is like a mechanic trying to explain to a guy how to change brakes yet doesn't know the guy doesn't know how the proper and safe way to jack the car or take off the tire or torque the lug nuts when finished..

a reply to: rickymouse

I know, it's all good. I sometimes forget to relay stuff in my expertise too. Like telling someone who is on the track inside a garage, via phone, that can't see an oil leak, to go use his hands.

Forgetting that oil is like 90°C or more at that point in time...."Yes of course you need to wait until it cooled down, sorry I forgot, it's kind of obvious to me". That was what my "off the awareness scale" sentence was about. Trivial things to us become common sense and sometimes we forget that it isn't.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: dontneedaname

I would like to know too, because I searched for it and came up empty handed. Only stuff about firefighters in forest fires getting lung issues, but that's kind of obvious.

I could imagine fog being a problem as in, many women who worked in laundry with lot's of steam develop lung issues. I am curious as well.

Maybe the cryptococcus gattii that surfaced here where I live a few years back. Extremely rare, but found in the rotting logs and duff.

wwwnc.cdc.gov...

a reply to: igloo

Thought about some kind of fungus too strangely. Besides air born toxic hairs from the Oak Processionary Moth and some toxic pollen, a fungus is the only thing I can imagine having to do with the air / lungs.

But all three are very locally, although it doesn't matter really. If you get it one time you have a problem. Similar to Ambrosia plant pollen, just a few pollen particles are enough to make you allergic to everything you can imagine, for a lifetime.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: rickymouse

Be careful, pine needles from the wrong family are toxic.

farmtheworld.org...

It's best to use it moderate.

I was going to say that.
Pine needle tea is healthy in small doses only.
It is also an anti parasitic/dewormer, I've read

a reply to: Mandroid7
Woodruff is another good remedy easy to process, store and use.

Outside: anti septic, anti bacterial, anti inflammatory, opens the pores and helps blood flow and I did not know before but now looking for a list so I do not forget anything: anti viral against herpes even!

Inside: cleanses the blood, helps with menstrual pain, helps the bladder and liver, antioxidantic, calms down, helps getting to sleep but also can help against spring-exhaustment.

And it tastes awesome, but there is Cumarin inside. It can lead to headaches and liver problems, so it is best used moderate. As with everything, it's the amount that determines the toxicity.

Take one dried tea spoon of leaves per cup, two cups a day for maximum a week. Stop when you get any headache. I was conservative on the amount, I take two tea spoons and my liver is good. Have to test regular blood because of some organ injuries in my past, so for me two are fine. It keeps my inflammatory levels down, since I do it regular, the doctor stopped bugging me about inflammations and bad liver values after blood tests. Among some things the liver was damaged and a part had to be removed after an accident.

Since I do this it really helped me so I believe in the stuff, out of own experience.

But start with one if you want to try it.

I do this two weeks after my yearly fasting. I am day 2 of 12 now without food. Might explain my moodyness currently

originally posted by: dontneedaname

I've also put on my reading list various books about "Forest Bathing" to see if there are any insights there.

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

Dang freaky hippies getting ripped sniffing pine & running nekkid through the forest.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain

Similar to Ambrosia plant pollen, just a few pollen particles are enough to make you allergic to everything you can imagine, for a lifetime.

Oh my...I'm not sure I should know this...