What is pine pollen? A comprehensive guide to pine pollen
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. It is recorded in medical classics through the ages, from the 2400-year-old Shennong Bencao Jing to today's Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, and among the people it is revered as a "fairy medicine" for its miraculous effects. Let us take a look below at what pine pollen actually is!
What is pine pollen?
Pine pollen is the dried pollen of plants in the Pinaceae family, such as Masson pine (Pinus massoniana), Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis), or several species of the same genus; it is essentially the sperm cells of the pine tree's flower stamen. March of early 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 by hand within the two or three days when the flower spikes turn from green to yellow, 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.
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 closes 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 flower moistens the heart and lungs, boosts qi and dispels wind-dampness. Today's physicians treat weepy, eroded 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. Broken-wall pine pollen can be eaten directly, generally 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 broken-wall, because whether or not the 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, and put them into a pot. Add an appropriate amount of water to the pot. After it boils, shell the egg and put it into the pot. After the egg is cooked, add the white sugar and pine pollen, stir well, and 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 gathered by preparing a paper bag near noon on a sunny day, shaking the yellow inflorescences so the pollen falls into the paper bag, then drying it in the sun and storing it in a bottle for later use. Every night before bed, take it all at once in a single dose. It can nourish yin and moisten dryness, and calm the heart and soothe the nerves. It is used for impotence with diminished sexual desire.
3. Pine pollen wine: Take 100 grams of pine pollen and 1000 milliliters of baijiu (white liquor). Put them into a silk cloth bag, tie the bag tightly, soak it in the liquor, seal and soak for 10 days, shaking 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 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 other conditions.