“Although the Western world has been undergoing its greatest herbal renaissance in over a century, the medicinal actions of trees are often overlooked, perhaps none more so than pine,” writes Stephen Harrod Buhner in his book Pine Pollen: Ancient Medicine for a New Millennium.
Before clear-cutting, the men of the earth respected the trees and benefited from their medicinal powers. For instance, in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, the pine tree has been viewed as both a food and particularly as a powerful tonic and adaptogen, especially for older adults. Overall, adaptogens are awesome because they quite literally “adapt” to your body’s particular needs and respond to them, creating balance, as opposed to blasting your system into disease.
Pine Pollen: Testosterone
According to Buhner, the tree that contains the most powerful phytoandrogens known so far is pine, especially its pollen. Phyto-what? Yeah, we know, just another weird term you’ve likely never heard of. When consumed, pine pollen binds with testosterone receptors in your body and helps stimulate androgenic activity, which naturally boosts your testosterone, Buhner writes.
Raw pine pollen is said to be the richest seedbed of testosterone derived from plants. Since it is the male sperm of pine trees, it fosters plush growth in all living creatures, from trees and plants to animals to humans. Pine pollen can raise low testosterone in men, address prostate issues, and eliminate sexual dysfunction brought on by low androgen levels. Move over, Viagra! Even Tim Ferris (“superhuman” author of The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Work Week) recommends it in his new book, The 4-Hour Chef.
Phytoandrogens in pine pollen other than testosterone include androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and androsterone. With a complex source of androgens, it is an incredible source of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Meanwhile, pine pollen is packed with more than 200 natural bioactive nutrients.
Pine Pollen For Women
For women, pine pollen is an equal-opportunity remedy. Pine pollen helps balance women’s estrogen and acts as a cellular detoxification that aids in all aspects of anti-aging, including skin elasticity. It even helps dissolve age spots. It improves muscle tone, regulates the metabolism, and may even aid in weight loss.
“The menopausal years bring on a serious decline in women’s testosterone levels, which is generally why women tend to lack a sex drive. Pine pollen can serve as an aid to decrease the discomfort that menopause can bring,” Buhner writes.
Pine pollen is easily absorbed by the body when taken in powder or tincture form. If the powder taste is not palatable, pine pollen can be mixed in drinks. The tincture form is considered more potent and uses organic grape alcohol as its liquid base.
Surthrival Pine Pollen
HoneyColony gives the seal of approval to the Surthrival Pine Pollen Powder. Throw it in a smoothie and you’re great to go!
To learn more, here’s a video by Surthrival about pine pollen.