Witnessed by: Western
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), of the Pinaceae family. Tall straight fire-adapted pine with very long needles in threes and large spiny cones; native range: the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Texas, on dry sandy soils kept open by fire. Globally recognized as longleaf pine · southern yellow pine · pitch pine · Georgia pine in English, and Pix Liquida (the tar) · Terebinthina (the turpentine) in Latin. The part used is the tar (pix liquida) distilled from the wood, and the oleoresin (turpentine) drawn from the living trunk. The tar is a thick, blackish-brown, granular liquid, heavier than water and stringing out in threads; the smell is strongly empyreumatic and smoky, the taste sharp, burnt and bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
LONGLEAF PINE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- longleaf pine
- Scientific name
- Pinus palustris Mill.
- Family
- Pinaceae
Form
- Part used
- the tar (pix liquida) distilled from the wood, and the oleoresin (turpentine) drawn from the living trunk
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- acrid · pungent (burnt, smoky, bitterish)
Temperature
- Western
- hot
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- lungs · skin · kidneys
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- antiseptic, stimulant expectorant, parasiticide, and a stimulating alterative to chronic skin disease; the oil of turpentine is besides diuretic and rubefacient
Cautions
- Contraindications
- acute inflammation of the kidneys; sensitive or broken skin under prolonged application
- Toxicity
- long or extensive use irritates the kidneys and may bring on strangury and bloody urine; the tar-stained skin may erupt in tar acne or dermatitis, and the constituent phenols are absorbed through raw surfaces
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