Why Pine Pollen is a Favourite Superfood
For more than two thousand years, pine pollen has been revered as somewhat of a nutritional powerhouse. In traditional Chinese medicine, pine pollen has been considered a tonic that promotes longevity, by supporting the immune system and how we manage stress in our bodies.
Today, the use of pine pollen for its various health benefits has spread worldwide – fast becoming one of the most popular superfoods out there.
But is pine pollen really what you think it is? And what makes it so good? Well, we’re going to answer these questions and more in this piece.
Keep reading to learn more about the amazing health properties of pine pollen.
What is pine pollen?
Pine pollen is tonic powder that is an adaptogen. It comes from pinecones, more specifically, male pine cones. If you’re not aware, all flowering plants, trees, grass and weeds have male and female reproductive parts. Pollen is the male reproductive part of plants and it helps the reproductive cycle by being easily transferred from plant to plant. This can occur when the flowers fall from the trees, when the wind picks up the pollen, or when animals and insects carry pollen on their feet and bodies to other plants.
When it comes to pine pollen, every little tiny grain of pollen contains everything it needs to actually grow a new pine tree. It’s not surprising that pine pollen contains over 200 nutrients such as enzymes, amino acids, minerals and vitamins.
Pine pollen comes from a variety of species of pine tree, just a few of which include:
- Masson’s pine (Pinus massoniana)
- Chinese red pine (Pinus tabulaeformis)
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
So, if every little bit of pine pollen could sprout a pine tree, what can it do for you?
Benefits and uses of pine pollen
Pine pollen has long been used for a variety of health-related purposes, such as:
- supplementing the diet or adding to foods
- slowing aging
- reducing fatigue
- boosting testosterone
- treating a variety of conditions, including colds, constipation, and prostate disease
Some of the health benefits that were stated with regards to pine pollen are anecdotal, which means they were taken from personal statements instead of research studies.
However, as scientists continue to further research on pine pollen, they have discovered its benefits for your health. Let's take a look at the findings.
Nutritional value
As we touched on earlier, pine pollen contains more than 200 different nutrients – which is why it is often labelled as a nutritional powerhouse. Some of the nutrients found in pine pollen include:
- protein
- fatty acids
- carbohydrates
- minerals, such as calcium and magnesium
- vitamins, such as B vitamins and vitamin E
These various nutrients can have positive impacts on wide range of bodily functions, promoting long term health. Let’s take a look at antioxidants:
Antioxidant properties
There are compounds called antioxidants that can decrease the damage to your cells, which are performed by molecules called radicals. Antioxidants are known to prevent aging and various other conditions. This eventually led to research being developed on antioxidants in pine pollen.
The results of a study showed that there are anti-inflammatory properties in pine pollen extract due to its antioxidant activity to control antioxidant compounds. This can reduce the effects of inflammation by stimulating molecules associated with it.
A recent study showed that pollen-derived carbohydrates can prevent the liver from being damaged. This was discovered when researchers experimented on cultured cells and rats, while exposing it to toxic compounds, and discovered its antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants, Anti-aging and Pine Pollen
An experiment in 2012 was able to prove the anti-aging effects of pine pollen in cultured human cells and mice.
Cells divide a certain number of times that is usually limited. This process is defined as replicative senescence. According to researchers, pine pollen can detain the replication process in cultured human cells.
The neurological activity was examined in mice, and they found out that pine pollen can prevent memory errors. It was also discovered that there was a boost in antioxidant molecules and a decline in molecules associated with inflammation.
Antioxidants, Increased Immunity and Pine Pollen
The dense level of antioxidants in pine pollen can help improve and strengthen your body’s overall immunity. The immune system is the body’s first line of defence against illness, infection, and germs, however, if we don’t take care of ourselves, including getting enough of these different nutrients in our diets, we can find ourselves getting sick on a more regular basis.
This is particularly important as we age because our body’s do slow down and naturally reduce the functioning of all systems, which too can impact your immunity, particularly due to the slowing of hormone creation. Testosterone is one of the most important hormones that we lose as we age as it can have a large impact on our immunity.
Pine pollen and testosterone
It was discovered that an estimated 10 grams of pollen found in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) contains 0.8 micrograms of testosterone.
Due to these facts, pine pollen is said to increase testosterone levels in the body, however, more research is required to be able to fully understand the effects pine pollen could have on testosterone levels.
The adaptogenic nature of pine pollen
We mentioned earlier that pine pollen is an adaptogen, which means that it contains unique plant sterols that help it to provide support in the area of the body where it is most needed.
Adaptogens reduce the negative impact of stress on the body. In times of stress, particularly high levels of stress or prolonged stress, the body has a difficult time healing, which is why a sniffle can feel like it goes on forever.
Adaptogens have the ability to “adapt” to the individual and find what the person is lacking in their body and help to combat stress, increase energy and boost the immune system.
You can learn more about adaptogens here.
How to add pine pollen to your routine
If you would like to try pine pollen for yourself, at Superfoods Australia, we offer a variety of different pine pollen products. Our range includes pine pollen tincture, pine pollen extract powder and pine pollen capsules, which can each be easily added to your daily routine.
If you wanted to try out the pine pollen extract or tincture, one of our favourite ways to do so is by adding 30 drops (if using the tincture) or half of a teaspoon if using the powdered extract, to either hot water or your milk/mylk of choice. This is an instant tonic elixir. You can also add drops or sprinkles of pine pollen to various dishes and other beverages too.
Our range of pine pollen products are available for purchase from anywhere in Australia. We ship Australia-wide and offer free express shipping for orders over $100.
If you’re looking for your next superfood, give pine pollen a go.
