Fir Tips Medicine and Fir Needle Tea

One of the spring rituals around here is harvesting fir tips, or the young needles of the fir tree. Check out this two-minute video where I show you how to harvest and use fir tips.

When to Harvest Fir Tips

You have to harvest fir tips at the onset of spring, because as soon as you get a couple of warm and sunny days, they’ll pop open with the heat. I like to harvest them while they’re still really tight and before they splay out. When they’re tight, they hold on to their oils longer and taste so much better.

Health Benefits of Fir Needle Tea

If you want to impress somebody, serve them fir tips tea! Fir needles are edible and high in vitamin C. They make a delicious tasting tea.

As an expectorant for the lungs, fir needles help expel excess mucus from the respiratory system. Inhaling the steam and drinking the tea can help loosen mucus so you can more easily cough it up.

You could substitute fir needles in this recipe for Pine Needle Tea.

What Else You Can Do With Fir Needles

I like to dry fir needles and make little bath or aromatherapy pouches with them. Make sure your needles are dry, and then put them into a little pouch or you can wrap them in a little piece of cloth and put a rubber band around them.

I store the pouches in a jar in the bathroom. I’ll put these in my bathtub to increase circulation. They really get your blood moving and open your pores. You could also combine the fir tips with rosemary to make this warming Tub Tea recipe.

I also like to keep these pouches in my car or next to my desk or in any room in the house. They smell so good!

Enjoy!