Medical Uses Of Pine Nuts
The pine family is one of North America’s most familiar groups of evergreen trees. It is known for furnishing most of our traditional Christmas trees. It also provides the softwood timber that forms the foundation of many homes. It is an essential source of turpentine and rosin. Additionally, North Americans have recognized many medical uses for pine nuts.
Less well known is that the genus Pinus also bears edible seeds, commonly referred to as nuts. Worldwide, approximately 100 different species of true pines are recognized. About a dozen varieties in the northern hemisphere produce nuts of sufficiently high quality and desirable flavor to make them worth gathering.
Different Names Used For Pine Nuts
“Pine nut” can denote any of these edible nuts. The most common designation for pine nuts in Europe is “pignolia,” a term that refers to pine nuts from the Italian stone pine, grown primarily in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and North Africa. Nuts of a different species called “piñon,” a name for the Spanish word for the pine nut, are produced in the western United States. These piñon nuts come mainly from the Colorado piñon tree, a two-needle pine that grows wild in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Pine nuts of lesser importance are harvested from other nut pines, including the single-leaf piñon, which occurs in mountainous regions of the West and Southwest, even down into some of the states of Northwest Mexico.
Well before the domestication of other food plants, the pine nut was a valuable food source for many Native American tribes inhabiting the present-day southwestern United States. In 1540, for example, the chronicler for Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the man who discovered the Grand Canyon, described how the Zuni Indians gathered and stored large quantities of these nuts. The piñon pine provided food and fuel for many Native Americans of the Southwest, including the Navajo, Pueblo, Zuni, Hopi, Shoshone, Goshiute, and Cahuilla.
Southwest Indian Remedy For Head Colds And Coughs
The Hopi Indian Reservation is located in northeastern Arizona, about 185 miles north of Phoenix and 230 miles west of Albuquerque. On a map, one can see that the Hopi Reservation is an area smaller than the state of Rhode Island. They are located amid the much larger and well-known New England-sized Navajo Reservation.
The women of the Hopi society would prepare for the tribe. A woman would take one cup of piñon nuts, shell them between her teeth, and then spit them back into another empty tin cup. After this, she spread them out on the table between two sheets of waxed paper and rolled them vigorously with a rolling pin. You can gather up the flattened nut meal and pour it into a quart-sized jar, filling it three-fourths full with hot water.
Screw on a lid, shake the contents well, and let the mixture steep for an hour. Then strain out one and a half cups of liquid at a time and reheat it slightly over the fire. Then it is given to family or tribal members to ease the effects of colds and flu. The claim is that after four cups, it will help to clear up head colds and coughs in one day.
Infant Colic And Diarrhea Cured With Havasupai Remedy
At the bottom of the Grand Canyon lies the Havasupai village. They are best known today for Havasupai Falls, a spectacular waterfall on their reservation. Tourism has become a significant economic support for the tribe of about 750. Real Estate development and the mining industry are depleting their water supply.
One Indian woman gives a simple remedy that she had often used for treating colic and diarrhea in both Indian and white infants. She would first shell and then grind ¼ cup of raw piñon nuts before combining them with 1/ cup of water in a small saucepan. She covered this with a lid and boiled it for 7 minutes. Then she added one tablespoon of honey. This amount could be doubled if necessary.
When sufficiently cooled to a lukewarm temperature, it would be fed to the sick infant. This potion is called the ‘Havasupai Remedy’. Colic and diarrhea would completely disappear within less than an hour. Any amount the baby didn’t eat, she would add to regular pancake batter and cook pancakes for the rest of her family.
Uses Of Pine Nuts For Cholesterol
The composition and nutrients present in it may vary depending on the geographical location and climatic conditions. However, they contain vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that support human health. An animal study showed that pine nuts may lower blood lipid levels. It was also stated that pine nuts affect lipoprotein metabolism.
Vitamins For The Medical Uses Of Pine Nuts
Vitamins present in pine nuts are as follows:
- Vitamin A (retinol)
- Vitamin B1(thiamine)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Vitamin B3 (niacin)
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
Pine nuts have the following properties:
- Pine nuts help lower lipid levels in the blood
- Pine nuts help reduce the risk of heart diseases
- They are an antioxidant
- Pine nuts help manage weight
- They lower blood pressure
- Pine nuts support liver function
- Pine nuts support kidney function
More Medical Uses Of Pine Nuts
Scientists have also found many additional medical uses for pine nuts. They studied the nuts and reached four common conclusions. The four conclusions show benefits in heart health, blood sugar, weight balance, and brain health.
Heart Health
Pine nuts can do a great job of reducing cholesterol in your blood. Pinolenic acid is the nutrient in pine nuts that does this. Pinolenic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid exclusively in pine nut oil. This acid helps lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, with proven benefits for heart health.
LDL cholesterol can clog arteries and lead to heart and blood problems in the long term. Being able to lower your LDL cholesterol offers significant health benefits across all walks of life, including cardio and physical fitness.
Blood Sugar
Studies also show a benefit of pine nuts for blood sugar. It can lower fasting blood glucose levels, which benefits people with diabetes as well as those with weight-management needs. In a study, diabetics ate pine nuts daily for 8 weeks, and all experienced improvements in fasting blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity.
Just an ounce of pine nuts also provides 109% of the average daily need for manganese. This is an essential nutrient in balancing insulin and blood sugar resistance. Doctors have recommended manganese to diabetics to support symptom management. The unsaturated fats in pine nuts have proven to be an ideal way to obtain manganese compared with other methods. Diabetics who eat lower-carb and higher-unsaturated-fat diets report several signs of health benefits and physical wellness.
Pine nuts also contain antioxidants, which help lower blood sugar as well. Antioxidants improve glucose control and support insulin resistance in patients. This is a great reason for anyone to include pine nuts in their daily diet. Less than an ounce of nuts per day can contribute to these numerous health benefits in blood sugar and support well-being.
Weight Management
Pine nuts contain all three benefits for a healthy body: protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Fitness specialists promote the nuts for their diverse nutrient profile and ease of access. Individuals who are trying to lose weight or gain muscle can benefit from eating pine nuts.
The nutrient profile of pine nuts allows those concerned with weight loss to get a high amount of nutrients in a small volume, contributing to easier dieting. Pine nuts also help those looking to gain weight and add muscle. You can blend pine nuts into smoothies or mash them into a sauce to add dense calories and protein in bulk. Both of these avenues are suitable for whatever your goals may be.
People who eat pine nuts as a snack have reported reduced hunger and increased overall energy.
Brain Health
Pine nuts contain omega-3s, which are proven to be great for boosting brain health. Omega-3s preserve brain health by decreasing mental decline and reducing the probability of dementia or depressive symptoms.
Pine nuts are a rich source of omega-3s, containing 28 grams per ounce. A healthy ratio of omega-3 to other fatty acids, such as omega-6, is usually 1:4. This can also decrease inflammation in the body, which promotes overall healing. Pine nuts are an easy source to balance the fats and include them in your day-to-day diet.
A simple way to include pine nuts is to add them to a salad or top your dinner with them. Pine nuts are a great complement to many kinds of fish, beans, pasta, and other dishes that anyone can eat as part of a consistently healthy diet.
