About Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™

A Legacy of Change, a Legacy of Growth

For us, Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ isn’t simply an ingredient, an herb, a supplement, or the newest superfood trend. Pine Pollen is the reason why we’re here.

It stands as the keystone of our mission to reconnect people with the quiet intelligence of the natural world, with the rhythms of the seasons, and the innate knowing of the body. Pine Pollen stands as the keystone of our mission to reconnect people with what we refer to as forest wisdom.

For us, Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ is the bridge between the presence of right now, the place of our ancestral knowledge, and the to in where we’re going. It is the articulation of what’s been part of RAW Forest Foods since day one: the invitation to discover the infinite power within.

Out of Necessity We Find a Path Forward

Our journey into Pine Pollen was born out of necessity—not out of a business plan. A necessity that began before we even knew what it was.

In 2010, our founder—Ryan Wade—was debilitated by the aftermath of Lyme disease. While proclaimed healed by Western medicine (even by his Lyme-literate MD), his health was the collateral damage between the infection and the war waged against it. His health, to put it simply, was trashed (His full experience is detailed on our About Us and Meet the Founder pages).

At the point where he felt like he’d tried everything, heard everything, and read everything, he came across an out-of-print book by the late herbalist and philosopher Stephen Harrod Buhner. In this text, Buhner wrote of the androgenic properties of Pine Pollen—something almost entirely unknown in the West, and perhaps understood only by Buhner himself at the time. The intelligence of Pine Pollen resonated deeply with Ryan, and he soon began a conversation with Buhner. Together, they felt confident that Pine Pollen would bring about the change Ryan needed.

There was one small issue: Where to source it.

Two things were true at the time:

1. There was nowhere to buy it.
2. As a functional food and phytoandrogenic, heritage is paramount—and the only authentic Pine Pollen comes from the Pinus massoniana species, native to southern China, not North America.

Sourced with Purpose; Sourced with Integrity

Our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ is single origin and site-verified.

Our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ is authentic Pinus massoniana Pine Pollen—strengthened by scientific inquiry and insight while upholding the knowledge of place and time and the terroir of herbalism. This is the heart of Dàodì sourcing.

Our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ is wild-crafted each spring from the same remote mountain forests of Chun’an County, China—where the Pinus massoniana pine tree thrives in its natural, wild home.

• Single origin and site-verified Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™
• Authentic Dàodì-sourcing and wildcrafted during a precise three-day window each spring
• Harvested in partnership with local communities, honoring traditional ecological knowledge
• Carefully processed to preserve integrity, efficacy, and prevent contamination
• Crafted in the USA in a certified organic, FDA-registered, and NSF-certified cGMP facility

In this remote environment, the air is exceptionally pure, the water dramatically clean, and the ecosystem thrives in its ancetry—ensuring that every harvest of Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ reflects the authenticity of its origins.

These untouched, government-protected forests birth the ideal conditions for these ancestral trees to flourish and for wildcrafting their golden pollen—ensuring the purity, authenticity, and potency of every harvest. And we know this, firsthand, because we’ve been there. Because we care.

Through ongoing and direct partnerships with skilled local wildcrafters, our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™—the starting material for all our Pine Pollen—is collected each spring and during a precise three-day window when potency is at its peak. This practice ensures our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ remains single origin and site-verified, upholding our standards of quality, integrity, and transparency.

Sourcing Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™

We don’t see Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ as a product—we see it as a symbol of trust, a legacy of heritage, and a semaphore of enduring, innate transformation that we offer to our family of customers—our trail family.

See Sourcing Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ for more details on sourcing, and the human and ecological impact that intentional wildcrafting makes.

The Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ Product Collection

Everything here begins with pure RAW Pine Pollen™. While the entire pine tree has therapeutic potential, as a phytoandrogenic, adaptogenic, and as a functional food, only the pure pollen matters. This is why we dry and carefully sift the pollen to separate it from the pine catkins, the part of the tree that pollen emerges from. It’s a painstaking extra step that can't be skipped.

Then, because unprocessed pine pollen is almost completely indigestible by the human body, the pure pollen is processed by blowing it over a fine mesh screen, which fractures the individual cell walls of the pollen grains while preserving its delicate full spectrum of compounds, including raw amino acids and coenzymes, vitamins and minerals, and adaptogenic and phytoandrogenic (androgen sex hormone plant sterols)—enhacing digestibility to an impressive 99%.

From here, we create the product collection, and as alchemy begins, we begin processing Pine Pollen based on intended use and intended outcome—because each type of processing brings out different characteristics of the same starting material—the same RAW Pine Pollen™. The preparation descriptions below provide a solid base of knowledge for exploring the different uses of Pine Pollen, and our Pine Pollen Trail Map is a jumping-off point for those new to Pine Pollen.

The preparation descriptions below offer a solid foundation for understanding the various applications of Pine Pollen, while our Pine Pollen Trail Map serves as a guide for those who are just beginning their journey with Pine Pollen.

Forest Manna RAW Pine Pollen™

RAW Pine Pollen™ may be our favorite form of Pine Pollen. This is Pine Pollen in as close to its original state as possible—processed only to enhance digestibility (increasing its rate of digestibility to 99%).

RAW Pine Pollen™ is what we refer to as Original Forest Tonic. It is a functional food suitable for all sexes and genders, rich in raw amino acids (including all essential amino acids), enzymes and coenzymes, vitamins, macro and micro minerals, adaptogenic and phytoandrogenic compounds, and more. Independent analysis has identified over 200 beneficial compounds present within it. See Nutritional Benefits of Pine Pollen for a complete analysis.

From our vantage point, RAW Pine Pollen™ is foundational—offering the broadest potential to support overall vitality and positively influence key markers of health.*

At RAW Forest Foods, we offer our pure Forest Manna RAW Pine Pollen™ in powders, capsules, and tablets, and integrated into select Master Formulas, including our Forest Prana Pine Pollen and Nettle Root Elixir Powder and Capsules.

Pine Pollen Tinctures

Tincturing pure RAW Pine Pollen™ draws out the Yáng qualities of Pine Pollen—the upward momentum, the masculine energy—the bioavailable and concentrated, naturally occurring androgenic phytosterols, analogues of male sex hormones, present in Pine Pollen.*

As RAW Pine Pollen™ is foundational support, Pine Pollen Tincture represents targeted phytotherapy support.*

Unless formulated otherwise—as we do with Mountain Alchemy Pine Pollen Elixir Tincture (a daily adaptogenic tonic suitable for all) or Arrow of Eros Vital Fire Elixir Tincture (a Jīng-Shén aphrodisiac lovers’ elixir)—Pine Pollen Tinctures are intended specifically for those seeking to support testosterone and other androgenic hormone levels.*

Pure Pine Pollen Tinctures are designed for post-pubertal, male-bodied individuals experiencing low testosterone levels or those choosing Pine Pollen as a source of androgenic hormone nourishment and support.* Learn more about Pine Pollen Tinctures and the Phytoandrogenic Hormones and Pine Pollen’s Adaptogenic and Proandrogenic Benefits

Pure Pine Pollen Tincture Formulas

Click the product name to expand the full description.

Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract

Processing RAW Pine Pollen™ into an extract powder concentrates many of its functional nutritional compounds—though not without a trade-off. The raw amino acids, enzymes, and other proteins become denatured during the extraction process, much like cooking any whole food. However, at a 50:1 concentration, other compounds in Pine Pollen are significantly magnified.*

Originally developed in 2012 as a 10:1 extract, Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract has evolved into a 50:1 Chūn Fèn ultra-pure extract. Each 70 gram jar of Pine Pollen Extract Powder begins as 7.5 pounds of RAW Pine Pollen™.

As an extract powder, Pine Pollen’s naturally occurring phytoandrogens are less bioavailable than in tincture form—where alcohol extraction enhances the absorption of these compounds into the bloodstream.* Instead, transforming RAW Pine Pollen™ into an extract powder shifts its role: from functional food to therapeutic herb. In this form, Pine Pollen takes on a broader identity as an adaptogenic and key tonic herb, placing less emphasis on its nutritional value and more on its phytotherapeutic properties.*

We see a strong alignment between Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract and the earliest documented uses of Pine Pollen in traditional Chinese medicine—as recorded in texts like the Xīn Xiū Běn Cǎo and the Shénnóng Běncǎo Jīng, where Pine Pollen was recognized as a Superior Herb.*

Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract is broad appeal.

With a subtler emphasis on its phytoandrogens and functional nutrition, and a stronger focus on its role as a therapeutic herb, Pine Pollen in extract powder form is a return to source—a return to its original use as what we now understand as an adaptogen: supporting multiple systems in the body, promoting adaptogenic resilience, restoring allostasis, and helping the body navigate the effects of stress and time.*

Our Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract is available in capsule and powder form as an isolated pure powder—with a pinch of Piperine added—and in integrated Master Formulas, including the Forest Prana Pine Pollen and Nettle Root Elixir Capsules and Powder and Mountain Alchemy Pine Pollen Elixir Capsules.

Crafted with Care and Experience

In our continued relationship as longstanding stewards of Pine Pollen, we bring over 15 years of experience into the products we craft for you.

At RAW Forest Foods, we integrate tradition with innovation—melding ancestral wisdom with modern scientific approach. All of our products are manufactured in the USA, in certified organic, FDA-registered, and NSF-certified cGMP facilities, where we craft high-integrity, hand-selected Dàodì and globally sourced ingredients into the finest adaptogens and tonics available.*

Collection Milestones

• 2010 – First to offer RAW Pine Pollen™ and Pine Pollen Tinctures.
• 2011 – Developed and released the first Pine Pollen Extract Powder.
• 2012 – Introduced several integrated Pine Pollen Master Formulas.
• 2013 – Established sourcing relationships for Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™—the first collection of single-origin and authentically sourced Pinus massoniana Pine Pollen.
• 2018 – Introduced a proprietary true dual-stage extraction process for Pine Pollen Tinctures, allowing for more RAW Pine Pollen™ to be used in each dropperful, along with a more comprehensive and full-spectrum extraction.
• 2018 – Developed the first Chūn Fèn extract of Pine Pollen—Forest Prana Pine Pollen Extract—a 50:1 ultra-pure concentration of pure RAW Pine Pollen™.
• 2019 – Completed R&D on the first 2:1 true dual-stage extraction Pine Pollen Tincture.
• 2022 – Released the first essential oil–infused Pine Pollen Tinctures.
• 2024 – Commercial release of Forest Aurum Pine Pollen Nectar Tincture, a 2:1 dual-stage extraction of pure RAW Pine Pollen™, infused with phytotherapeutic essential oils.

Take the Path to the Academy

Knowledge is the seed of transformation, a pillar of nourishment, and a central theme of what we do at RAW Forest Foods.

Along with the Knowledge Tree, the Pine Pollen Academy provides a curated educational resource for sharing the traditions, wisdom, and science of Pine Pollen—empowering informed, intentional choices while honoring the legacy of shared learning.

Select Readings from the Pine Pollen Academy

• Pine Pollen Trail Map – Start your journey and find the right form for your needs

• Pine Pollen FAQs – Quick answers to common questions

• Pine Pollen Powders vs. Tinctures – Understand the difference in form and function

• Nutritional Benefits of Pine Pollen – Detailed analysis of Pine Pollen as a functional food

• Western Uses and Benefits of Pine Pollen – See Pine Pollen through a Western understanding

• A Chinese Medicine Perspective on Pine Pollen – See Pine Pollen through the lens of Classical Chinese Herbalism

• Sourcing Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen™ – How and why sourcing matters

Visit the Pine Pollen Academy