The Black Spruce (Picea mariana) produces an essential oil that is thought to have compounds with tonifying effects on the hypothalamic-adrenal (HPA) axis, used for balancing hormones and reducing stress.
Its essential oil is also used for its antiseptic quality, as well as for aiding in respiratory health and aches and pains.
Although it is too small for being valuable for timber, it is a primary pulping tree and it is one of the most common sources for fast food chopsticks!
It has the smallest cones of all the spruces which are reddish-brown, with matching reddish-brown bark and short needles. This evergreen tree species is native across Canada and the northern US.
The young male catkins and roasted immature cones are edible, while the inner bark can be dried and ground as a thickener or bread additive in emergencies. The seeds are edible but small. A tea rich in vitamin C is made from young shoot tips, needles, or bark, and spruce beer is brewed from the twigs.
The resin has been collected as “spruce gum” for chewing and has been used as a wound dressing.
Black Spruce has a history of medicinal and spiritual use by Native Americans, as it was used for cleansing, purification, digestive health, sore mouths and throats, toothaches and skin health.
For example, the resin was chewed on for aiding digestion, a decoction used as a gargle for sore throats, and the resin mixed with oil to rub on skin for wounds, burns and inflammations.
As it is also thought to be antispasmodic Black Spruce is used in warming saunas and baths for relaxing the muscles.
Through scientific investigation, the Black Spruce has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, expectorant, astringent, circulatory stimulant, and potential antifungal and anti-cancer properties.
Black Spruce has been found to contain a number of polyphenols, highly bioactive stilbenes, including trans-resveratrol.
*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
Of Chopsticks & Essential Oil.
