What Is Pine Pollen? The Latest Detailed Analysis
Pine pollen is a pollen variety used both as medicine and food in the treasure house of Chinese medicine. As a traditional Chinese medicinal material, its history of dual use as medicine and food spans more than several thousand years, recorded in medical classics of successive dynasties from the Shennong Bencao Jing 2400 years ago to today's Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, and among the people it is revered as a “fairy medicine” for its remarkable effects. Now let us take a look together at what pine pollen actually is!
What Is Pine Pollen?
Pine pollen is the dried pollen of plants of the Pinaceae family, such as Masson pine (Pinus massoniana), Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis), or several species of the same genus; it is in fact the sperm cells of the pine tree's flower stamens. The third month of spring is the season when pine pollen matures; at this time the air sacs automatically inflate and drift away with the wind. Harvesting must be done within the two or three days when the flower spikes turn from green to yellow, picked by hand, and the processing technique is extremely complex. Pine pollen gathers a large number of life elements and is full of rich nutrients and active substances.
The Medicinal Value of Pine Pollen
[Nature and Flavor] Sweet in taste, warm in nature.
[Meridian Tropism] Liver and spleen meridians.
[Effects] Astringes and stops bleeding, dries dampness and promotes healing of sores.
[Indications] Traumatic bleeding, eczema, impetigo, skin erosion, and oozing pus.
1. Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica): Moistens the heart and lungs, boosts qi, dispels wind and stops bleeding.
2. Bencao Fengyuan: Pine pollen moistens the heart and lungs, boosts qi and dispels wind-dampness. Today's physicians treat weeping and macerated smallpox sores with it, taking advantage of its cooling and drying properties.
3. Bencao Congxin: Moistens the heart and lungs and boosts qi. Stops bleeding and dispels wind.
How to Consume Pine Pollen
1. Pine pollen can be made into many products that help with beauty care. Pine pollen can be made into many beauty foods, such as pine pollen cake, pine pollen honey, pine pollen tablets, pine pollen sugar crisps, pine pollen crystals, pine pollen chocolate, pine pollen biscuits, pine pollen cola, pine pollen oral liquid, and so on. Cell-wall-broken pine pollen can be eaten directly, generally taken once each morning and evening, 3 grams to 10 grams each time, taken directly with warm boiled water, or mixed with warm boiled water, milk, or honey water. At the same time, note that pollen eaten directly does not necessarily need to be cell-wall-broken, because whether the cell wall is broken affects the human body's absorption and utilization of the pollen's nutrients. Studies show that pollen grains have a hard outer shell that can affect the human body's absorption.
2. Pine pollen egg sugar soup: Use 1 spoon of pine pollen, 1 egg, and an appropriate amount of white sugar, put into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water to the pot; after it boils, remove the eggshell and put the egg into the pot; once the egg is cooked, add the white sugar and pine pollen, stir well, and it is ready to drink. Pine pollen is the yellow pollen of the male cone inflorescence of Masson pine or other pines. The yellow pollen that grows on pine trees between spring and summer each year should be collected on a clear day near noon; prepare a paper bag and shake the yellow inflorescences so that the pollen falls into the paper bag, then sun-dry it, store it in a bottle, and keep it for later use. Take it once each night before bed, all at one time; it can nourish yin and moisten dryness, and calm the heart and soothe the nerves. It is used for impotence with reduced sexual desire.
3. Pine pollen wine: 100 grams of pine pollen, 1000 milliliters of baijiu (Chinese liquor); put the pollen into a silk cloth bag, tie the bag tightly, immerse it in the liquor, seal and soak for 10 days, shaking it frequently; open the seal and remove the medicine bag. Drink 10 to 15 milliliters after each meal; it can nourish blood and dispel wind, boost qi and calm the liver. It is suitable for wind dizziness, high blood pressure, and other conditions. At the same time, pine pollen can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, increase appetite, and help digestion, and it has a clear regulating effect on gastrointestinal dysfunction. Pine pollen also has a good auxiliary therapeutic effect on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, constipation, and so on.