SPRUCE OINTMENT AND OIL SPRUCE SALVE AND FOLK MEDICINE SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND ARTICLES ACTIVES AND INGREDIENTS USAGE INSTRUCTION BUY ONLINE
 

SPRUCE RESIN

Spruce resin is a very thick, liquid organic mixture (almost solid) containing essential oils (turpentine) and resin acids. It is produced in the special glands of the tree and is then secreted in the resin canals. It's main purposes are to protect the tree, heal it's wounds which are caused by external influences or animals (wind, hail, insects, rodents, etc.), and to prevent drainage of the tree.
 


Naturaly secreted spruce resin on the lumber.

 


Gathered spruce resin with lumber parts.

     

More about Oblak's spruce resin salve ingredients can be read here

     
     
     
TRADITIONAL FOLK MEDICINE

Healing effects of spruce resin are well known all around the globe for centuries. Remedies from spruce resin are used in traditional folk medicine to treat a wide variety of pathological symptoms, particularly for healing wounds, ulcers, inflammations and other injuries on the skin. Spruce resin was also widely used to treat respiratory problems. Spruce essential oils, which are contained in resin, helps to disinfect and purify lungs and respiratory passages, which is why they were used in cases of asthma, cold, cough and tuberculosis (J.A. Duke and K.K. Wain, 1981).

The American Indians were using spruce resin for centuries by combining it with other herbals to treat wounds and cuts. Very often they also used other parts of the spruce, for example they were making a so called spruce beer and a known syrup from spruce foliage that contained a lot of vitamin C (C. Erichsen-Brown, 1989).

Most European records on the use of spruce resin ointment can be found in the Scandinavian countries. A homemade ointment from spruce resin and unsalted butter, which is used for healing wounds and ulcers, is even today very popular in Finland (A. Sipponen, et al., 2008).
 

 




Resin gathering, beginning
of the 19. century.

Ointment made from spruce resin was also known in some areas of central Europe. People were mostly making it themselves for purposes of treating wounds, inflammations of joints and other similar pathological symptoms. It was also used for treating livestock, especially for treating the inflammation of cows udder. A known Slovenian herbalist, friar-priest Simon Ašič, also wrote about a wide variety of healing effects of spruce and spruce resin (P. Simon Ašič, 1992). In his book we can read that remedies from spruce resin stimulate stiff muscles, increase our immunity and efficiency and that they are also very effective for treating skin diseases, scabs, skin eruptions, ulcers and wound healing.

 

 
 
Literature:

Duke, J.A. and Wain, K.K. 1981. Medicinal plants of the world. Computer index with more than 85,000 entries.
Charlotte Erichsen-Brown, Medicinal and other uses of North American plants Courier, Dover Publications, 1989
A. Sipponen, et al., British Journal of Dermatology 2008;158:1055-1062.
P. Simon Ašič, Priročnik za nabiranje zdravilnih rastlin, Mohorjeva družba, 1992