Pinus sylvestris

Pinus sylvestris, “Scots pine” ou “Scotch pine” in English, “Pin sylvestre” in French, belongs to the Pinaceae botanical family.

Native to Europe, from Scandinavia to temperate Asia, it is a tree growing to 25m in mountaneous forests. The wood, used for general construction work, is a source of tar, resin and turpentine.

Pinus sylvestris has quite a wide range of medicinal uses but is mostly used against bronchitis, its leaves and young shoots being antiseptic, diuretic and expectorant. The turpentine obtained from the resin also has several medicinal uses.

The constituents of the young shoots are mostly oleoresin, flavonoids, monoterpenes, terpenic esters and maltols. The essential oil’s main components are monoterpenes (alpha- and beta-pinene, limonene), longifolene, monoterpenols, sesquiterpenols and bornyl acetate.

• English name Pine sylvestris
• French name Pin sylvestre