Black Spruce (Picea mariana) Research

Latin Name: Picea mariana

Family: Pinaceae

RESEARCH

The listings of research below represent a compilation of scientific articles found on the species, with a very brief overview description of each article/study.  Research found is catalogued by therapeutic action.  This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use.

GENERAL

• Tisserand, R. & Young, R.  (2014). Essential Oil Safety.  Second Edition.  Churchill, Livingstone, Elsevier.

SAFETY

• Oxidized oil can be a skin irritant (Tisserand & Young, 2014).

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

• Extracts from the bark of black spruce showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. From: Diouf, P. N., Stevanovic, T., & Cloutier, A. (2009). Study on chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of hot water extract from Piceamariana bark and its proanthocyanidin-rich fractions. Food Chemistry, 113(4), 897-902.

ANTIOXIDANT

• Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities from the needles and twigs of balsam fir, black spruce, white spruce, tamarack, jack pine and eastern white cedar were assessed. From: Poaty, B., Lahlah, J., Porqueres, F., & Bouafif, H. (2015). Composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of seven essential oils from the North American boreal forest. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 31(6), 907-919.
• Extracts from the bark of black spruce showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. From: Diouf, P. N., Stevanovic, T., & Cloutier, A. (2009). Study on chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of hot water extract from Piceamariana bark and its proanthocyanidin-rich fractions. Food Chemistry, 113(4), 897-902.

ANTIMICROBIAL / ANTIBACTERIAL / ANTIFUNGAL

• Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities from the needles and twigs of balsam fir, black spruce, white spruce, tamarack, jack pine and eastern white cedar were assessed. From: Poaty, B., Lahlah, J., Porqueres, F., & Bouafif, H. (2015). Composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of seven essential oils from the North American boreal forest. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 31(6), 907-919.
• Alpha pinene showed antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial activity in vitro.  From:  Silva, A. C. R. D., Lopes, P. M., Azevedo, M. M. B. D., Costa, D. C. M., Alviano, C. S., & Alviano, D. S. (2012). Biological activities of a-pinene and β-pinene enantiomers. Molecules, 17(6), 6305-6316.

ANXIETY

• In low doses, bornyl acetate had a calming effect when inhaled by people.  From:  Matsubara, E., Fukagawa, M., Okamoto, T., Ohnuki, K., Shimizu, K., & Kondo, R. (2011). (-)-Bornyl acetate induces autonomic relaxation and reduces arousal level after visual display terminal work without any influences of task performance in low-dose condition. Biomedical Research, 32(2), 151-157.
• In a study with 498 people, spending time in the forest improved emotions and reduced stress. From: Morita, E., Fukuda, S., Nagano, J., Hamajima, N., Yamamoto, H., Iwai, Y., … & Shirakawa, T. (2007). Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction. Public health, 1.
• This paper reviewed research on 24 studies with 12 subjects each across Japan, totaling 280 people. Each subject walked in a forest one day, and walked in the city another day. Results showed that the forest walking resulted in lower concentrations of cortisol, pulse rate, blood pressure, and improved parasympathetic nerve activity, with lowered sympathetic nerve activity compared to the city environments. From: Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 18.
• Research on the stress reducing benefits of a forest bath, immersing oneself in the trees, is discussed.  From:  Tsunetsugu, Y., Park, B. J., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku”(taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 27.

INSOMNIA

• Alpha pinene, a major constituent of pine, improved non-REM sleep in vivo.  From:  Yang, H., Woo, J., Pae, A. N., Um, M. Y., Cho, N. C., Park, K. D., … & Cho, S. (2016). α-Pinene, a major constituent of pine tree oils, enhances non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice through GABAA-benzodiazepine receptors. Molecular pharmacology, mol-116.

Compiled By: Kathy Sadowski

Updated: 7/30/19