What is Pine Essential Oil?

Essential oils are used for a variety of reasons, primarily in aromatherapy to help create or alter your mood. Scent can be used to calm, relax, revitalize or invigorate. Pine essential oil is distilled from the needles, bark and sometimes the pine cone of various species of the pine tree. It is commonly used for relaxation, but it also has medicinal properties and has been used to treat such conditions as skin disorders, urinary tract infections and respiratory illnesses. Pine essential oil is often found in soaps and perfumes, and can be found in its pure state to add to aromatherapy tools, such as burners and diffusers or to dilute in a bath. It is commonly available at health food stores and a variety of online merchant stores.

Pine essential oil has a wide range of uses. When placed on an oil burner, it can create a fresh, clean scent to accent the home. It also can be used in a bath or sauna to help sore muscles. Some companies add it to deodorant as well because of its antibacterial qualities. The species of pine generally used for these purposes is the Scotch Pine, which emits a sweet, clean, fresh scent.

The essential oils of certain species of pine are also used to make turpentine oil as well. Turpentine oil is made by extracting the raw resin, a sticky, viscous fluid, from the cut bark and is then heated in a still until the volatile turpentine compound is extracted. It can be use to treat arthritis or painful bruises or strains. It's antibiotic properties also can be useful for infections or to kill parasites.

The pine essential oil scent also blends well with other essential oils. It is popularly combined with lavender or lemon oil for relaxation. Eucalyptus and pine essential oils share many properties and when combined, the two can be used in a bath or sauna to treat aching muscles and joints or relieve headaches. It also blends well with such oils as bergamot and rosemary to use in a diffuser or oil burner to scent the home.

Pine essential oil should only be used externally. Internal ingestion can cause dangerous health issues, including kidney damage and hypertension. If pine oil is ingested and symptoms, such as nausea or headache occur, a trip to the doctor or a phone call to a poison control center is warranted. Pine essential oil can also cause skin irritation in those with sensitive skin. Diluting the oil before use is recommended.