Herb library · Herb · Pinus strobus
White pine bark
The inner bark of the tall eastern North American pine. It was the lead ingredient of a popular 19th-century American cough syrup; it has not been studied in people.
Traditional use
Eastern white pine grows from Newfoundland to Georgia. Its inner bark was used by Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes region, and American pharmacy made it the base of the National Formulary's Compound Syrup of White Pine, which King's American Dispensatory (1905) describes as widely used as a cough syrup. That syrup also contained wild cherry bark, bloodroot, morphine and chloroform, so its reputation says nothing about the bark on its own.
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Coughs: no study of white pine bark in people was found. Its traditional use comes from a multi-ingredient syrup that also contained morphine.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteThere is no modern safety information for white pine bark taken by mouth. Old white pine cough syrups contained morphine, chloroform and bloodroot; do not use an antique or homemade version of that recipe.
- AllergyWhite pine pollen is a recognized allergen in people with pollen allergy; stop if you react.
- PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding was found; avoid it then.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“This agent is considerably employed for the general purposes of a “cough syrup.” Dose, 1 fluid drachm.”
Sources
- Allergenicity and cross-reactivity of pine pollen (Clin Exp Allergy, 2009) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.