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Pine needle oil is the oil from the needles of Pinus sylvestris. Pinus sylvestris is a species of conifer, a pine, in the family Pinaceae, and it is native to Eurasia. In English it is known as the Scots pine. The tree can readily be identified by its fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark. It is the only pine native to northern Europe, ranging from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia.

Composition

Essential oils from different parts of Pinus species have complex chemical compositions. Across all species examined, α-pinene is the most consistently dominant compound in both needles and cones. Essential oils from needles tend to be more complex and diverse, frequently containing limonene, β-pinene, δ-3-carene and bornyl acetate. Essential oils from cones show higher relative abundances of caryophyllene oxide, aromadendrene and abietane-type diterpenes. The oils of P. sylvestris and P. peuce are characterized by a high content of α-pinene, exceeding 40%.

Turpentine and Terpene Chemistry

Turpentine is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. It is principally used as a specialized solvent and is also a source of material for organic syntheses. Turpentine is composed of terpenes, primarily the monoterpenes α-pinene and β-pinene, with lesser amounts of carene, camphene, limonene and terpinolene. Important pines for turpentine production include maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Masson's pine (Pinus massoniana), Sumatran pine (Pinus merkusii) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). The mixture of diterpenes and triterpenes that is left as residue after turpentine distillation is sold as rosin. α-Pinene is an organic compound of the terpene class. It is found in the oils of many species of coniferous trees, notably Pinus and Picea species. In nature the (-)-enantiomer of α-pinene is more common in European pines, whereas the (+)-isomer is more common in North America.

Pine Oil in the Commercial Sense

Pine oil in the commercial sense is a higher boiling fraction from turpentine. Both synthetic and natural pine oil consist mainly of α-terpineol, a C10 alcohol. Synthetic pine oils accounted for 90% of sales as of 2000. Pine oil is used as a cleaning product, disinfectant, sanitizer, microbicide, virucide or insecticide. Industrially, pine oil was once used in froth flotation for the separation of mineral from ores. In alternative medicine it is used in aromatherapy and as a scent in bath oils. The naval stores industry produces and markets products derived from the oleoresin of pine trees, including rosin, tall oil, pine oil and turpentine.