By Zane Boronowski
The Healing Properties of Pine Cones
Pine cones help to boost your immune system
During the course of human evolution, it was discovered that many plants contained substances which prevented or cured disease. Knowledge regarding the curative powers of plants and plant extracts became enshrined in what is now known as “traditional medicine,” even though the way these substances worked was not known.
Today it is common knowledge that plant-derived products, such as vitamin C (derived from fruits and vegetables), aspirin (made from the bark of the willow tree), and taxol (a potent anti-cancer drug derived from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree) are important tools of modern medicine. More recently, it has become highly publicized that plants like the one producing green tea are great sources of antioxidants.
Pinecones also offer health benefits. They have a long history of medicinal use dating back to the Greek physician Dioscorides in 514 AD. The Japanese discovered the medicinal benefits of pinecone extract 500 years ago, and its extract is still used in Japan for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer (Sakagami et al, 1991). Ingestion of pinecones, called “matsu,” or drinking tea brewed from them has long been associated with increased health and longevity in Japan, and since that population has the longest lifespan in the world, there is evidence that the immune system may benefit from pinecones.
Over 20 years of research and 35 peer-reviewed scientific studies in the US reveal the pinecone’s antibacterial, antiviral and anti-tumour properties. There is compelling evidence pinecone extract has very strong immunologic effects.
One experiment on cancerous tumours in mice (Jaroszeski et al 2006) combined electrochemotherapy (ECT) with pinecone extract. Success in this experiment was defined as the complete absence of the tumour at the end of 50 days. The results were remarkable. Groups of animals that received oral pinecone extract after ECT had complete response rates (absence of tumour) ranging from 50 to 64 percent 50 days after initial treatment. In contrast, animals in these same experiments that received only ECT had a 31 percent complete response rate. This represents a doubling of the complete response rate attributed to pinecone extract. Similarly, animals treated with intratumoral (inside the tumour) pinecone extract after ECT had complete response rates ranging from 81.8 to 100 percent. Animals treated with ECT alone had a 25 percent complete response. Thus intratumoral PCE administered for five days post treatment increased the complete response rate at day 50 three to fourfold.
What’s in a pinecone that promotes healing?
Current studies show that a highly concentrated extract derived from pinecones called PPC (polyphenylpropenoid-polysaccharide complex) acts to bolster the immune system, and significant progress is being made in understanding the way it works.
How do its substances heal?
Pinecone extract promotes immune cell development. It has been demonstrated (Bradley et al, 2003) that the active component of pinecone extract is capable of promoting immature dendritic cells into mature dendritic cells. Dendritic cells in turn stimulate killer T-cells (super fighters that protect the immune system) that are then able to respond to bacteria and foreign invaders that the immune system has not yet encountered. That makes dendritic cells central to the body’s defense against viruses, bacteria and destructive cells involved in illnesses including cancer.
As soon as dendritic cells recognize a foreign invader such as infectious agents, cancer or an immune disorder, they send “troops” (other immune cells) to eradicate the problem. This process is enhanced by PPC (polyphenylpropenoid-polysaccharide complex). The way it works is still under investigation. At this time, research is being conducted to gain a fuller understanding of the specific interactions occurring between the dendritic cells and the troops under their command (macrophages, natural killer cells) and the way PPC exerts its effect.
We all know that lifestyle decisions impact the health of our immune system. There are occasions, however, when our immune system requires a boost to fight illness. This is when supplements become an important component of health. Pinecone extract is proving to be an effective herbal remedy to support our body’s defenses. Scientific research into the medical use of pinecone extract is ongoing, and results continue to increase researchers’ understanding of how this natural remedy can help the body to heal itself.
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Zane Boronowski
Zane Boronowski is a certified nutritionist.
