Pine Pollen FAQs

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease considers Pine Pollen to be generally safe because its components are less likely to cause an allergic reaction than other seasonal pollens.

However, we strongly advise against using any product if you suspect or know that you are allergic to it. If you have a Pine Pollen allergy (or suspect that you may have one), do not use any products containing Pine Pollen without first consulting with your medical practitioner.

For more information, please refer to Pine Pollen Allergies, Safety, Contraindications, and Drug Interactions. Pay close attention to the discussion regarding allergies and severe allergic responses.

Pine Pollen is not just an herbal medicine; it is primarily a highly nutritious food, which goes beyond being a superfood and provides numerous health benefits. At RAW Forest Foods, we offer Pine Pollen in various forms, such as RAW Pollen Powders, Extract Powders, and Tinctures, to make the benefits of Pine Pollen more accessible to everyone and leverage its specific advantages.

Pine Pollen is utilized to promote testosterone levels, regulate estrogen levels, and improve immune function and overall health throughout the body. According to current research, Pine Pollen provides powerful anti-aging benefits and adaptogenic, tonifying effects on the body, partly due to its unique amino acid profile. In this way, Pine Pollen is the idea functional food.

Moreover, Pine Pollen is a natural stimulant; for many people, it offers more energy than caffeine, without the jittery empty stimulation of coffee. Pine Pollen also reduces exercise recovery time and aids in building lean muscle. As a result, we see an increase in energy, fat loss, and lean muscle, as well as improvements in Type 2 Diabetes, ED, and libido. Furthermore, due to its non-reliance on stimulants, Pine Pollen can increase deep sleep, reducing the need for sleep while waking up feeling refreshed, without relying on caffeine.

It is estimated that 10 grams of Pine Pollen contains 0.8 micrograms of testosterone. Compared to other supplements, Pine Pollen can increase testosterone levels quite rapidly.

At RAW Forest Foods, we have been working with the combination of RAW Pine Pollen and Pine Pollen Tinctures longer than anyone else in the industry. In our opinion, Pine Pollen Tincture is the ideal form to use when the overall goal is to access the phyto-androgens present in Pine Pollen, such as DHEA, androsterone, androstenedione, and testosterone.  Learn more about the benefits of our Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen Tinctures.

Tinctures, being alcohol-based, allow for direct absorption of the phyto-androgens in the tincture without having to pass through the digestive tract. This offers the benefit of a rapid effect, and also means that the hormones are not damaged by the enzymes present in the digestive tract.

For more information, visit The Adaptogenic and Androgenic Effects of Pine Pollen.

Tinctures are herbal extracts made with alcohol. This makes them highly effective for administering the phytochemicals present in pine pollen, but it also means that tinctures come with their own safety concerns.

It is well accepted in the scientific and medical communities that high-proof hard liquor is associated with an increased risk of digestive system cancers. This is due to the high concentration of alcohol.

Similarly, according to the American Cancer Society, alcohol-based mouthwashes are correlated with an increased risk of oral cancer. ( source). We do not see any benefits to taking tinctures sublingually (holding them under the tongue), and we find it irresponsible to advise people to do so. Tinctures can still be readily absorbed without damaging the sensitive sublingual tissue. For more information, read  Debunking the Sublingual Tincture Myth: Understanding the Reality.

A safer way to use tincture is to dilute it in an ounce or two of water and drink it.

Visit our illustrated guide to using all of our products.

Our preferred method for using RAW Pine Pollen Powder is to mix it into water. We suggest using one tablespoon per 32 ounces of water, which is more than the package recommends. You can use a quart mason jar, a large Hydro Flask bottle, or any container you have available. Mix the powder and water together, then shake well. Drink it over the course of an hour or so.

If you are using Pine Pollen or any pro-androgenic supplement to increase testosterone levels, it is recommended to take it first thing in the morning. This is because testosterone naturally peaks in the body around 9:00 a.m. Furthermore, some people find all types of pine pollen to be very stimulating, so taking it late in the day may cause sleep issues for these individuals.

There are various ways to incorporate Pine Pollen Powder into your daily routine, such as:

• Mixing it into your morning oatmeal or cold cereal;
• Baking with it by replacing some of the flour with Pine Pollen;
• Adding it to a smoothie;
• Making chocolates with Pine Pollen as a major ingredient;
• Combining Pine Pollen with other herbs for a tonic elixir;
• Adding it to your morning coffee or tea.

You can also check out an old (but still relevant) video we made that shows how easy it is to use RAW Pine Pollen.

RAW Pine Pollen comes closer to its natural form than any extract, as it is a living food that retains its full spectrum of plant chemicals, including living enzymes. In contrast, extracts have been cooked during the extraction process.

Our unstandardized extracts, which are approximately a 50:1 concentrated extract, concentrate everything in the whole, raw powder of our RAW Pine Pollen. This extract is the same as found in our Pine Pollen Extract Capsules and our Pine Pollen and Nettle Root Extract Powder, but it has been concentrated 50 times.

Alternatively, Pine Pollen Tincture is a 1:2 extract that delivers an equivalent of 1.5 grams of RAW Pine Pollen per serving and provides quick absorption and maximum effect.

We believe that RAW Pine Pollen can lay a good foundation for health, and that supplementing with the extracts or tincture as needed can enhance its benefits.

The overall effect and intention of RAW Pine Pollen and Pine Pollen Extract are different. RAW Pine Pollen aims to promote wellness and hormonal health in a holistic way by acting more nutritionally with the body, while Pine Pollen Extract takes a more supplemental approach.

The protein content of Pine Pollen varies depending on the species, location, time of harvest, and other factors. According to Stephen Buhner, author of  "Pine Pollen: Ancient Medicine for a New Millennium", Pine Pollen can contain anywhere from 6% to 28% protein.

Another study, conducted on pollen from the Chinese Masson Pine (Pinus massoniana), found that it contained 13% protein. This suggests that the protein content of Pine Pollen may vary depending on the specific tree species and other factors.

Because the protein content of Pine Pollen can vary, it is more beneficial to consider the amino acid profile from a nutritional standpoint. If you want to learn more about the amino acid profile of Pine Pollen, we recommend checking out our nutritional analysis of Pine Pollen.

The length of time that Pine Pollen is retained in the body depends on the specific compound being looked at. Generally, it can take anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.

Our Pine Pollen is sourced and harvested in the Yunnan Province of southwestern China, an area approximately the same size as California (152,000 square miles). We have personally traveled to the forest where our Pine Pollen is wild-harvested from and have worked with the mountain villagers who forage our Pine Pollen each spring.

For more information, including details about our site visit, please see our article,  Meet the Source: Mountain Harvest Pine Pollen .

First released in 2011, the Endocrine Strengthening Formula is now known as Mountain Alchemy Pine Pollen Elixir. It is available in both capsule and tincture form.

All of our products are stamped with a "best before" date on the packaging. If stored correctly, our products remain potent long after the "best before" date.

All RAW Pine Pollen (including capsules) should be stored in an air-tight container and in a cool and dry place. The pure pollen and powdered extracts have the potential to attract moisture, and they need to be kept sealed and dry.

Tinctures, however, have shown the ability to retain their potency for several hundred years. So we assume our tinctures will retain their freshness throughout the human lifespan. The main concern with storing tinctures is the rubber stopper at the base of the lid. We keep all of our tinctures in an up-right position in our warehouse, and we urge our customers to do the same.

If you're specifically looking for phyto-androgens, the tincture is the best option. For a more comprehensive approach, the RAW Pine Pollen is ideal. We believe that the two work together synergistically, making the combination the best choice.

During the extraction process, we use a solution of 40% alcohol and 60% water. However, it is difficult to accurately determine the amount of alcohol remaining after extraction, as some of it will evaporate during the process.

The alcohol used in our tincture is certified gluten-free and certified Kosher. While we strive to source all organic ingredients, the alcohol used is not certified GMO-free.

While Pine Pollen may be helpful for men who have high estrogen and/or low testosterone levels, it is not exclusively for men.

Pine Pollen can also benefit women who want to restore healthy hormone levels of estrogen to testosterone. Elevated levels of estrogen in women can lead to bone loss and sexual dysfunction, but pine pollen may help reverse these effects.

For instance, Pine Pollen is fantastic for women at menopause as it is for men at andropause.

We recommend cycling Pine Pollen by taking it for five days followed by two days off, or taking it for four weeks followed by one week off. For more information on how to cycle Pine Pollen to support improved testosterone levels, see our  article on the subject .

To start, consider RAW Pine Pollen (not the tincture) less like medicine and more like the most nutritious food you could ever get your hands on. Your body will respond positively to proper nutrition.

We recommend Pine Pollen Tincture for those targeting the phyto-androgens present in Pine Pollen. It makes a perfect complement alongside RAW Pine Pollen. As a long-term goal, we suggest a combination of the two, eventually stopping the Pine Pollen Tincture and just consuming the whole food—RAW Pine Pollen.

Our Pine Pollen Extract Capsules contain nothing but our full-potency, full-spectrum, unstandardized Pine Pollen Extract Powder.

On the other hand, Mountain Alchemy Pine Pollen Elixir (Endocrine Strengthening Formula) is a formula built around Pine Pollen. In Chinese herbal medicine, a single herb is rarely—if ever—taken alone. Pine Pollen Alchemy is intended to amplify the effects of Pine Pollen, providing ongoing, long-term benefits.

While Pine Pollen Extract Capsules are more focused on the supplemental properties of Pine Pollen, Mountain Alchemy Pine Pollen Elixir Capsules are an adaptogenic (tonic) formula that works with the body to produce changes. This formula is better suited for long-term use, which is exactly what it was developed for.