Self-aid is important when you're bugging out, especially if you were to get sick or feel a cold coming on. A cold can slow you down and eventually turn into something worse if you're not careful. This is why a pine tree can help you when you're out in the woods. Find one and learn how to make pine needle tea, a tea that's packed full of powerful antioxidants that'll heal you during a collapse.

There are other powerful ways a pine tree can aid you in self-aid below, too:

Self-Aid
Medicinal Properties include: antiseptic, astringent, inflammatory, antioxidant, expectorant, high in Vitamin C for colds – flu – coughs, congestion, and even scurvy. Shikimic acid, the main ingredient in Tamiflu, is harvested from pine needles in Asia.

A.) Pine Needle Tea: Drink a cup of pine needle tea to extract the useful stuff when you feel flu-like symptoms in your body. More research can be found here.

How to Make Pine Needle Tea
Add a few pine needles to a cup of boiled water (Don’t boil the needles in the water as this will release un-tasty turpenes). Allow to steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Add natural sweetener if you like. I prefer pine needles only for a Vitamin C boost!

B.) Pine Bark Band Aid: The inner bark can be fashioned as an antiseptic Band Aid for cuts and scraps. Apply to wound and secure with duct tape, bandana, or cordage.

C.) Pine Sap/Resin: This sticky sap can also be used to cover wounds, blisters, and burns. Collect hardened sap from a wounded tree and heat it to make it pliable.

D.) Pine Pollen: The yellow pine pollen that blankets the south in the spring is actually beneficial, not only for pine tree reproduction, but also for boosting our energy levels with small levels of testosterone.

Who knew within a pine tree were so many properties that can be used to help you get better from an illness! Even though you're bugging out doesn't  mean you won't get sick from time to time, and there's only so much medicine you can stockpile. When you run out or even before you run out, remember a pine tree can help you combat illness and keep you healthy and strong.

For learn more about powerful uses a pine tree can provide you, visit Survival Sherpa.

The pine tree is the king of vitamin C, after all!