Spruce

Picea abies (L.) Karst.

The spruce, also known as the red fir, is a conifer widely found in Central Europe and a well-known medicinal plant. Its young, light-green shoots are particularly prized and are traditionally used to make a soothing syrup. This syrup is used to treat coughs, hoarseness, and catarrh of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Spruce needle oil and conifer extracts are also used, for example in liniments or bath additives. The spruce was named Tree of the Year in 2017.

Profile

  • Botanical name: Picea abies (L.) Karst.
  • German name: Spruce, Norway spruce
  • Plant family: Conifers
  • Occurrence: Central Europe as far as the far north; in more southerly regions, primarily in mountainous areas
  • Location: Originally found in mountainous areas above 900 meters; frequently cultivated in the lowlands
  • Growth habit: evergreen tree with a pyramidal crown
  • Height: up to 60 meters
  • Flowering period: May
  • Part of the plant used: young shoots, spruce tips, needles, resin
  • Traditional use: for catarrh of the upper and lower respiratory tracts, cough, and hoarseness

The spruce is an evergreen tree that grows up to 60 meters tall and has a pyramidal crown. Its trunk is slender, straight, and often free of branches all the way to the ground. The spruce has a shallow root system. This makes it more vulnerable to storms than tree species with deep root systems.

The bark is brownish-red and becomes cracked and scaly with age. The branches hang slightly downward and curve upward again at the tips. The dark green needles are square-shaped, pointed like needles, and arranged in a spiral along the branches.

It takes about 30 years for a spruce to flower for the first time. In May, it produces male and female flowers simultaneously. The immature male catkins resemble strawberries in size and color and turn yellow as they ripen due to the pollen. The female cones are located at the tips of the shoots and are a bright carmine red. The mature cones are brown, pendulous, and fall off whole. They grow to about 10 to 15 centimeters long and 3 to 4 centimeters thick.

Spruce trees can live up to 600 years. Today, however, they are threatened by air pollution, high ozone levels, acid rain, soil acidification, and drought. Conifers are particularly vulnerable to such stresses because they do not shed their needles annually.

Use at A.Vogel

Pharmaceuticals

Santasapina® sweets

Cough sweets containing spruce bud extract and honey.

Related Health Topics

  • Cough
  • Dry cough
  • Sore throat
  • Cold
  • Sinusitis