The holiday season brings with it the smell of pine. Christian and pagan traditions alike utilize the “evergreen” nature of pine trees and boughs during the winter holidays. There is symbolism and tradition tied to these decorations. Historically there was also healing.
Pine trees were a very important source of medicine in times past. The aromatic oils of the pine tree were used in herbal traditions throughout the world. The distillate of the pine oils is known as turpentine. Modern handymen know this as a useful organic solvent. Historically that solvent nature of pine oils made it useful.
Pine oils were mixed with various greases and herbs to be applied to the skin to treat lice and other parasites. Pine oils are also used to produce pine tar soap which is still used by some to this day to treat various skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
Pine oils have an aromatic nature that reduces pain. The solvent nature of the oil meant that it was useful as a carrier medium to dissolve resinous herbs that were good for pain and tissue repair. Many topical (and some internal) herbal formulas for trauma and for healing ulcerated wounds utilize pine oils or turpentine as a base.
In some traditions pine wood was cooked with various herbs to decrease the pain of arthritis. In the Chinese herbal tradition it was specifically indicated in cases where the pain in the joints was worse when the body was exposed to wind and cold. It may be that the tradition of having fresh pine boughs in the house during the holiday season started for purely practical reasons. Arthritic elderly relatives who visit during the cold windy holiday season would benefit from some freshly made pain relieving pine based medicine.
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