Pine Resin

[Meguiar]

I've been looking around the net for a few hours and there seems to be to many differing opinions, thought might as well ask here. . .

Is pine resin ok to eat? Or will it effect liver and kidneys?

I read you can eat the nuts and inner bark and needles, someone also said to eat the sap another person says dont :/

Anybody done it? Going camping next week and want to try something new. . .

Also, with all the bits you can eat, is that from any pine tree in England?

Cheers.

 

[hertsboy]

I had a taste of some pine resin a couple of weeks ago. My wife thought I was crazy.

It actually tasted horrible. I doubt if it has any nutritional value.

 

[pinerevolver]

Ive heard of people making chewing gum out of it. I don't think it would be harmful don't take my word on it though .

 

[Toddy]

Even the Greeks water it down with wine

For the little resin you might manage to eat I seriously doubt it'll do you any harm. Indeed we have very early evidence of it being chewed and then spat out like chewing gum.

Pines and firs, be certain which one your're dealing with.

The only toxic pine I know of is the Norfolk Island Pine (ironically used as cut christmas trees, they don't survive in the cold ) which won't grow here anyway.

Why pines ? There's masses of wild food out there just now, and pine nuts (stone pine, again it won't grow here) aside, they're all pretty much starvation food only.

Pine essential oil, and pinene -- an extraction, turpentine and Stockholm tar, however, are not to be consumed. Might be where this idea they're toxic is coming from.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Bush_Man]

Never heard anything about resin being harmful to humans...

In my country stone pines are part of the landscape in some areas. My parent's have 4 on their garden and after almost 15 years 4 they're starting to give cones (that contain the nuts).

I heard about those pine resin gums but ironically with a great tradition of resin extraction I can't find anywhere that sells that in this country. I would love to know how they're done to try make them if it's not to difficult...

 

[Ogri the trog]

When I find any dry enough, I always have some as chewing gum!
Mind you though - it has to be properly dry, otherwise it turns to glue and coats your teeth for days!

To use it as gum, find some that crumbles as you break it apart. Select a suitable sized piece and start to chew - but keep with it - at first it will feel and taste powdery and bland. But once it melts and forms into a thick gum, it'll last for hours and freshen your breath. I find it best to begin chewing only with your front teeth until you are sure that it forms the correct consistancy lump.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Nagual]

I've tried it, and found it to be like eating a lump of 'flash'.. No idea if different conifers taste different from each other. Only word of warning, is make sure you have no allergies to pine trees, which isn't as daft as it sounds I know of several people who come out in hives, bumps and all kinds of itchy lumps. Can't imagine what would happen if they put some resin in their mouths. If in doubt do a 24hour test - rub a small amount on a soft bit of skin, like the inside of your arm, and wait 24 hours to see if you have any reaction. Better yet, consult a more profesional source to check out proper testing of wild stuff.

 

[Bush_Man]

When I find any dry enough, I always have some as chewing gum!
Mind you though - it has to be properly dry, otherwise it turns to glue and coats your teeth for days!

To use it as gum, find some that crumbles as you break it apart. Select a suitable sized piece and start to chew - but keep with it - at first it will feel and taste powdery and bland. But once it melts and forms into a thick gum, it'll last for hours and freshen your breath. I find it best to begin chewing only with your front teeth until you are sure that it forms the correct consistancy lump.

ATB

Ogri the trog

Thanks for the advice mate. I'll keep that in mind and try it on the next time I go out. My parents house is near several pine forest so I think I'll have no trouble finding resin like that...

 

[Meguiar]

Even the Greeks water it down with wine

Pines and firs, be certain which one your're dealing with.

Why pines ? There's masses of wild food out there just now, and pine nuts (stone pine, again it won't grow here) aside, they're all pretty much starvation food only.

Cheers

I'll look up the difference between pine and firs. . .

I havent really picked wild food before, wild strawberrys, black berrys and rasberrys are about it, so I'm trying to find easy to identify species, plus, pine smells so good I'm hoping it tastes just as good

cheers

When I find any dry enough, I always have some as chewing gum!
Mind you though - it has to be properly dry, otherwise it turns to glue and coats your teeth for days!

To use it as gum, find some that crumbles as you break it apart. Select a suitable sized piece and start to chew - but keep with it - at first it will feel and taste powdery and bland. But once it melts and forms into a thick gum, it'll last for hours and freshen your breath. I find it best to begin chewing only with your front teeth until you are sure that it forms the correct consistancy lump.

ATB

Ogri the trog

Cheers, will try that

 

[Meguiar]

Also I came accross this :/

Pine sap contains turpentine, a natural solvent, which can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes.

 

[doublecritch]

Nearly all conifers in North America (especially pines, and spruces) are good for making resin gum. The Yew tree is not. The native peoples there have been using resin as gum for millennia. I don't know about all European conifers...

The key here is resin gun, not sap gum.
There are a whole host of reasons it can only be done with resin, starting at the sap will never turn to gum and you'll just sped 3 hours clearing it off your teeth, to more volatile compounds.
You want the resin to be so dry if you try to bend it, it just shatters.

There are many people the commercially sell Resin gum, especially in Canada... If you don't mind the shipping charges from a rural northern town over the Atlantic.
Personally, I buy "Alberta WildCraft Pine and Spruce Chewing Gum".
Their gum, like many modern, high quality resin gum, is usually mixed with organic beeswax to soften the chew and reduce stickiness.
They claim the gum can be used for three days which I've found to be true, assuming you have one hour long chew a day; the flavor never really reduces, since the flavor is inherent to the material. It changes a bit, over time, but barely. Eventually it will lose its gummy structure and start to degrade - that's when to throw it out.
I used it to quick smoking without sugar or artificial sweeteners, but still keep some around.

I keep meaning to do a bit more research, and forage for some myself... maybe see which combinations are best!

 

[Tengu]

The thought of putting resin in your mouth doesnt bear thinking....

 

[doublecritch]

The thought of putting resin in your mouth doesnt bear thinking....

idk, its pretty good.