The oil is obtained by steam distillation of the comminuted leaves (needles). It has a characteristic turpentine odor. It
is produced mainly in Tyrol, Russia and the former Yugoslavia.
Scotch pine tree grows to 20 to 25 m (66 to 82 ft) in height. It has a reddish-brown bark (rough or cracked) that detaches
readily; long, blue-green needles (twined) forming a terminal cluster; and flowers from April to May. The staminiferous flowers are
clustered at the branch tips, while the pistiliferous flowers are singular and reddish-purple in color, and they later yield scaly cones.
The tree is widespread throughout Europe, Asia and North America. The parts used are the needles and twigs. Scotch Pine has a
strong pine–turpentine odor.
Pine-needle oil is produced primarily in Eastern (Hungary)
and Southeastern (Bulgaria) Europe by steam distillation of the needles of
the Norwegian or Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L. var. sylvestris or Pinus
nigra Arnold ssp. nigra. It is a colorless or yellowish liquid with an aromatic,
turpentine-like odor. In China, pine-needle oil is also obtained from Pinus massoniana Lamb.
d25 0.857–0.885; n20D 1.4730–1.4785; α20D ?4 ° to +10 °; solubility: 1 vol in 6 vol of 90% ethanol, sometimes slightly opalescent; ester content (calculated as bornyl acetate): 1.5–5%.
The oil is a clear, colorless or yellow-green, volatile liquid. It is soluble in most fixed oils,
mineral oil (with opalescence). It is slightly soluble in propylene glycol and practically insoluble in glycerin. The physical–chemical
constants vary widely, depending on the plant source.
Found in the leaves (needles) of Pinus sylvestris L. (Fam. Pinaceae).
By steam-distillation of the leaves (needles) of P. sylvestris L.
Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Pinus sylvestris, Pinaceae.
Essential oil composition
Main constituents include α- and β-pinene, d- and l-limonene, aldehydes, dl-borneol, alcohols, terpene
alcohols, bornyl acetate, phenols and fatty acids.
The barks were analyzed to biomonitor the pollution by estimating the following inorganic and organic substances:
Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, NH4
+, Ni, NO3
-, PO4(3)-, Pb, Sr, SO4(2)-, Ti, V, W, Zr, Zn, benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene,
pyrene, α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).* The German oil contains dextro-pinene,
d-sylvestrene, cadinene, and probably bornyl- or terpinyl-acetate (about 3.5%).
Both the acute oral LD50 value in rats and the acute dermal LD50 value in rabbits exceeded 5 g/kg (Levenstein, 1975). The acute oral LD50 for rats was determined by von Skramlik (1959) as 6.88 g/kg body weight, calculated to correspond to approximately 482g/70kg body weight in man.
