How do you get turpentine from a tree?
Wood turpentine is obtained by the steam distillation of dead, shredded bits of pine wood, while gum turpentine results from the distillation of the exudate of the living pine tree obtained by tapping.
Why do trees produce turpentine?
The turpentine industry took advantage of a pine tree’s natural response to injury. If the bark is broken, the tree begins to ooze sticky, yellowish sap that eventually dries and seals the wound with a layer of resin. The material is resistant to most wood-eating insects that might further damage the tree.
How do you harvest turpentine?
The resin is harvested by cutting the tree bark (so injuring the tree) and collecting the sticky resin that the tree secretes in order to try to heal and protect itself. At the base of the boiling turpentine still, the separated residual liquid (rosin) is then poured off to harden.
How do you extract resin from a tree?
Resin is usually collected by causing minor damage to the tree by making a hole far enough into the trunk to puncture the vacuoles, to let sap exit the tree, known as tapping, and then letting the tree repair its damage by filling the wound with resin. This usually takes a few days. Then, excess resin is collected.
Which tree do we get turpentine from?
Turpentine is a volatile oil and is distilled from pine resin, which is obtained by tapping trees of the genus Pinus. The solid material which is left behind after distillation is known as rosin.
Can you drink turpentine?
Turpentine is poisonous if swallowed. Children and adults can die from drinking turpentine. Fortunately, turpentine causes taste and odor problems before reaching toxic levels in humans. Turpentine is thought to be only mildly toxic when used according to manufacturers’ recommendations.
Can you drink turpentine and honey?
Taking turpentine oil by mouth can be very dangerous. As little as 15 mL (about 1 tablespoon) can be lethal in children, and taking 120-180 mL (about a half cup) can be lethal in adults. Despite this, some people take turpentine oil mixed with honey or sugar cubes for stomach and intestinal infections.
What pine trees produce turpentine?
Important pines for turpentine production include: maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Masson’s pine (Pinus massoniana), Sumatran pine (Pinus merkusii), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).
Does turpentine help arthritis?
Turpentine oil is applied to the skin for joint pain, muscle pain, nerve pain, and toothaches.
What trees are used to make turpentine?
A great turpentine industry was once centered in the South, where pine trees, especially longleaf and slash pine, were tapped for turpentine, the way sugar maples are tapped for sap to produce maple syrup. The turpentine industry took advantage of a pine tree’s natural response to injury.
Why are longleaf pine trees used for turpentine production?
Also, longleaf reportedly produced more and thicker resin than other pine trees. Slash pine was more commonly used in Florida but, when available, longleaf was the preferred choice for turpentine production. Both longleaf and slash pines have a characteristic that makes turpentine production seem counterintuitive.
How did they make turpentine in the 1930s?
Workers gashed pine trees to harvest sap, which was processed and used mostly to preserve naval rigging and for caulking gaps in timber ships. Tapping trees to make turpentine, 1930s. Photo courtesy of Florida Memory (#PR12603)
What is the natural yield of turpentine?
Peak flow periods naturally occur in July and August and last for about 6 weeks. Trees yield between 10 and 11.4 kg resin per year. Approximately 20% of harvested resin can be distilled into turpentine. Thus the natural yield of a tree is 2 kg turpentine per year. Induced production using glyphosate, have shown production to increase by 20 times.