My wife and I just spent an inordinate amount of money on a genuine Christmas tree. This, naturally, sent me to the Internet in search of scientific proof that genuine Christmas trees are superior to artificial trees–and guess what? I found it!
Well, sort of.
It seems that researchers in Finland have discovered that that bark of the Scotch pine–one of the most popular types of Christmas tree–contain anti-inflammatory compounds they believe could be developed into food supplements or drugs for treating arthritis and pain. Not only that, they believe the compounds are likely to be found in other pine species, as well.
Now, it’s not uncommon to find anti-inflammatory compounds in plants. Aspirin, after all, is closely related to a substance found in willow bark. However, this is the first time something like this has turned up in species used for Christmas trees.
Specifically, the compounds discovered in Scotch pine were phenolics. Plants have a lot of phenolics, as a rule. They serve a number of functions, from pigmentation to fighting fungi, but within humans, some of them have been increasingly tied to beneficial health effects.
The researchers, led by Kalevi Pihlaja, a chemistry professor at the University of Turku in Finland, studied several different preparations of extract taken from the bark of the Scotch pine. They identified as many as 28 phenolic compounds, some already well-known, others not yet characterized.
To test the extracts’ anti-inflammatory properties, they used inflammatory cells from mice, focusing on their production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin. (Excess nitric oxide production, due to disease or injury, has been linked to arthritis and circulatory problems; excess prostaglandin production has been linked to arthritis and pain.) The researchers exposed the cells to the compounds from the pine bark, and compared their response to cells that weren’t exposed.
They found the most highly purified extract worked the best, inhibiting nitric oxide production by up to 63 percent and prostaglandin production by up to 77 percent. (In the latter case, the researchers figure the extract worked by blocking COX-2 enzyme activity–making it a COX-2 inhibitor, just like the existing arthritis medicine Celebrex–and the recently withdrawn Vioxx.)
The fact that pine bark extract might have some health benefits won’t come as a surprise to practitioners of traditional and complementary medicine. In 19th century North America, Scotch pine was well-known as a medicinal plant. It was used as a diuretic and to induce perspiration (to help bring down fever). It was considered a remedy for constipation and chronic bronchitis. Its tar was used as an ointment for psiorisis and eczema and open sores. Its pitch (distilled tar) was used for skin problems and even hemorrhoids.
Other pine species were also well-known for supposed medicinal benefits. For example, the aboriginal people of northeastern North America used the widespread white pine extensively, soaking the bark and applying it to wounds, boiling the inner bark to make cough remedies, boiling the gum to make a pain reliever for rheumatism; and making a syrup for colds from the resin. Early European settlers adopted many of these same practices.
In the past ten years or so, some scientific evidence has accumulated for the benefits of substances called proanthocyanidins, found in pine bark (as well as grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, black currant, tea and many other plants). These antioxidants play a role in the stabilization of two of the critical proteins that make up connective tissue. There is very good evidence that proanthocyanidins can reduce the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (the most common of which is varicose veins). Preliminary studies have also shown that they may reduce the duration of swelling after face-lift surgery, prevent chromosomal mutation, strengthen capillaries, improve visual performance in the dark and after exposure to glare, and prevent and reverse abnormal blood clotting in smokers, among other things.
Does this mean that you can forego disposing of your Christmas tree in the usual manner and simply either (a) steep it in a giant kettle to make a medicinal tea or (b) eat it?
Well, no (duh). In the case of the new study of Scotch pine bark extract, although it didn’t appear toxic to the mouse cells, a lot more study will be required to see if it’s really safe for human consumption.
It’s always worth remembering that just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe. Just ask Socrates, forced to commit suicide by drinking a suffusion of hemlock–a plant so innocuous-looking it’s often mistaken for parsley.
