Like many seasonal celebrations, decorating a Christmas tree is an ancient tradition rooted in our relationship with the earth and the plants. As we bring evergreen trees into our homes and enjoy their beautiful colors and aromas, we can also be grateful for the many Christmas tree medicinal uses, from teas that help with winter colds to baths that relax and warm us.
One thing, you need to know the source of your tree. Most trees that you buy out of a parking lot are sprayed with all kinds of things. Of course, you don’t want that in your herbal medicines! Many trees are sprayed with chemicals, so make sure your tree dealer is committed to earth friendly tree care. No pesticide/herbicide trees. There are many tree farms that don’t treat their trees. Support your organic Christmas tree farm!
What Are the Medicinal Benefits of Christmas Trees?
Evergreen Christmas trees have many medicinal uses. Various preparations of the leaves or needles can help:
- Relieve sinus congestion
- Expectorate chest congestion
- Provide vitamin C
- Stimulate circulation
- Warm up cold and sore joints
- Bring mental clarity
- Promote relaxation
Before using your Christmas tree for medicine, food, or drinks, make sure that you can identify it, the species is safe to eat, and the tree has not been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals. Christmas tree types like Pine (Pinus spp.), fir (Abies spp.), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and spruce (Picea spp.) are generally edible. Cedar (Thuja plicata) may be used in small doses for short periods of time. Avoid yew (Taxus spp.), which can be deadly.
Below are five of my favorite Christmas tree medicinal uses.
#1 Christmas Tree Tea
Pine needle tea is high in vitamin C and is a great remedy for winter colds and coughs. The tea helps to loosen mucus in the respiratory system and reduce phlegm from a runny nose or head cold. Depending on the pine tree, it might have a resinous or citrusy taste. You can also make a similarly delicious and healing tea with fir needles.
Get the recipe: Christmas Tree Tea
#2 Healing Herbal Steam
All that extra feasting and holiday treats can add up to congestion or foggy-headedness this time of year. Clear it out with an aromatic, healing herbal steam! Cedar, pine, and fir needles are all amazing herbal steam ingredients that loosen sinus and lung congestion and promote relaxation.
Get the recipe: Healing Herbal Steam
#3 Pine Needle Bath
In addition to clearing sinus congestion, pine needles stimulate mental clarity and circulation and help with cold and sore joints. If you are feeling cold, a pine needle bath can get your blood flowing and warm you up. You can also use other evergreen trees like fir or cedar in this bath tub tea.
Get the recipe: Rosemary Pine Needle Bath Tub Tea
#4 Stovetop Potpourri for Every Season
Winter: Evergreen sprigs, cloves, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon sticks
Get the recipe: Stovetop Potpourri
#5 Disinfecting Cedar Steam
Cedar (Thuja plicata) helps to cleanse the energy field of your house. Simmering the leaves in a pot of water fills your home with a pleasant aroma. People love the crisp, clean smell, and the antibacterial properties of the cedar will disinfect the house and help keep everyone well.
Get the recipe: Disinfecting Cedar Steam
I would love to hear from you! What Christmas tree medicinal uses interest you? Please share in the comments below.
Thank you so much for this article! I knew “evergreens” had medicinal uses but have never seen such plant-specific uses. Gives me confidence to try some (actually most) of them. Do the needles have to be fresh off a living tree or can I wait ’til the end of the Christmas holidays and harvest the needles (or whatever) then?
All herbs are best harvested when the plant (tree, in this case) is at its peak. You can dry the herbs after harvest for longer storage. That said, you can give the recipes a try, especially #3-5, any time.
If I could share, as an Ojibwe woman, cedar is a scared medicine to us and to many other indigenous people and I would kindly ask to harvest gently and in a good way. It is always good to spend time with the medicine relative and leave an offering. Try to find your ancestors cultural plant relatives, they will resonate with you own body. If you do harvest certain plant medicines, please just harvest 1/3 of what is present and leave the the rest. It is so important not to over harvest medicine that is not of your culture. We… Read more »
Thank you for this gentle reminder.
Love all these ideas!
Our neighbor has a mature Cedar tree which overhangs our garden. I’ve never thought of simmering some of its leaves as aromatherapy and to make the house smell great. Thank you for this idea—I’ll try it tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing this important information as I am trying to fight a respiratory infection. I will go outback and pick me some evergreens to help me relieve the congestion. I am excited. Happy New Year and may God rain down His Blessings upon you and family.
Hi Mary
Hope you ok
I know its not a very nice feeling being sick like that I have been suffering the same many times since I been in nursing and now its been 5yrs iam feeling great. Been using narural remedies too
All the best
Thank you for sharing which species are safe and which to avoid! I have never used any conifer medicinally because I haven’t been sure which are edible. These are helpful and versatile recipes.
Enjoy!
Mmmm…I like the idea of making Bath tea! I made a tasty elixir with Balsam fir, pine with honey and Brandy. Also an oxymel with Doug and Balsam fir along with cinnamon and orange peel. I love salves and creams with Balsam and pine needles and pine resin melted in. Delicious and refreshing scent! Yum!
This is brilliant, Kami!
These are wonderful ideas and recipes. I have used pine and cedar pieces or bows with backyard/camping fires which add a beautiful aroma. With cedar I add it to a smudge mix of sage, cedar and lavender. The cedar offers it’s energetic virtues of cleansing and balancing.
Hi Kami thanks again for sharing this information I would take some leaf off before decorating the tree 🌲 next year good information I didn’t think about that.
Just want you to know how much I appreciate what you share and how you teach. Your passion is splendidly infectious to me. You make herbal medicine easy, fun and effective. Thank you and Happy New Year to you and yours.
This is wonderful! We have a cabin in Cloudcroft. Last year I collected pine resin off the trees. I have been curious about the medicinal use of pine needles. Thank you for sharing!!
PLEASE DON’T USE COMMERCIAL CHRISTMAS TREES FOR THESE RECIPES. GO INTO THE FOREST AND COLLECT PINE. I lived on an abandoned christmas tree farm. The chemicals used to spray the trees caused the owner/grower to become paralyzed as he used the chemicals. He had to leave his farm and go into 24 hr care facility. He was the inventor of the pogo stick and his farm was in Oregon.
Wonderful ideas. Knowing the source of your tree and that it was not sprayed with chemicals is important to know.
I was told thatNative Americans would drink White Pine tea for bereavement. I think it really helped me when my mother passed.
Love the fresh smell of pine and will surely try these recipes now especially for congestion. Thank you for sharing and caring! Blessings, Sandy O.
Love the fresh smell of pine and will surely try these recipes now especially for congestion. Thank you for sharing and caring! Blessings, Sandy O.
The best email iv opened in ages. Things to do with your Christmas tree….. Fab.!
Great post! Thank you Kami!
I love working with Pine, Fir, Spruce and Western Red Cedar. Teas, steams and infused oils are used if not daily, then pretty close to every day.
Last week my husband handed me a lovely cup of White pine and Lemon Verbena tea, divine flavor! White pine and cedar is pretty tasty too, kind of naturally sweet.
Good day. I love pine trees. The way they smell. The long life they live. I love your articles