How does spruce resin work against bacteria?

Spruce resin contains natural compounds that inhibit bacterial growth. Research has shown a bacteriostatic effect against numerous bacteria, including highly resistant strains such as MRSA and VRE.

Does spruce resin really help with fungal skin infections?

Yes. Finnish studies have shown that spruce resin strongly inhibits the growth of dermatophytes – the fungi responsible for most fungal skin infections in humans.

Is spruce resin suitable for treating wounds and pressure ulcers?

Yes. In a clinical study comparing traditional spruce ointment with a medical hydrogel, wounds healed successfully in 92% of those using the spruce ointment — significantly more than with the hydrogel.

Is traditional resin ointment as effective as modern preparations?

Scientific research has confirmed that it is the traditionally prepared ointment — without additives — that has the strongest effect. The key lies in its natural composition and the method of preparation, which preserves the active compounds in the resin.

Is the use of spruce resin safe?

For healthy adults and children, spruce resin is safe as long as there is no allergic reaction. However, it is always advisable to test the product on a small area of skin first.

Does spruce resin have a long history of use?

Yes — extensively! It was used more than 7,000 years ago, and it was employed by Hippocrates, Ibn Sina, Native Americans, and traditional healers in Slovenia. Today, scientific research often merely confirms what our ancestors already knew.

Where can I find the scientific sources you mention?

The sources and literature used can be found on this page →

A natural ingredient from the Slovenian forests

Spruce resin

An almost miraculous, thick resinous substance from the spruce tree that people have used for thousands of years for all kinds of ailments. Its use has been passed down through generations – from ancient cultures to the present day.

The exceptional qualities of spruce resin What is spruce resin?Resin in the history of medicine Resin in traditional folk medicine Scientific facts Frequently asked questions

What makes spruce resin so exceptional

7000

years of documented use of spruce resin in folk healing

80

different organic compounds make up spruce resin

40 million

years can preserve the cellular structures of insects trapped in spruce resin

Spruce resin – its secrets, composition and harvesting

Spruce resin is a thick, liquid secretion of spruce, produced in special tissues inside the trunk and under the bark, as well as on the surface. The composition of this unique substance has only begun to be studied in detail with the development of spectrometry and chromatography, and the mechanisms of its secretion with advances in microscopy and botany.

Resin contains more than 80 different organic compounds. Today we know that the volatile part of the resin is mainly composed of monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene), which play an important role in protecting trees from pests and micro-organisms. The non-volatile part consists of diterpenic acids such as abietic acid.

It is these ingredients and their combination that have led to the many traditional benefits attributed to spruce resin over the centuries.

Resin for Smrekovit products is collected only from damaged trees, whether from natural breakage, rock fall, logging or other damage. We don't hurt the trees - we just make use of what nature has already done.

Resources and literature used can be found at this page →

How do we collect spruce resin? (video)

Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina was a Persian scholar and is considered one of the greatest thinkers and physicians of the Islamic Golden Age. In his works, he also described the healing properties of spruce resin.

Hippocrates

Hippocrates described methods of using spruce resin in his works, and physicians continued to apply them successfully well into the Middle Ages.

Folk medicine (Slovenia)

In the Gorenjska region it was called “smrdljivc”, elsewhere “pilpuh”, and spruce resin was used to treat mastitis, arthritis, wounds, burns and rheumatism.

Pater Ašič and modern usage

Father Simon Ašič described the effects of spruce resin on muscles, immunity and the skin in his writings. Today, it is also being studied by scientists.

Spruce resin in medical records throughout history

spruce resin with tooth impressions (5000 BC) As early as around 5000 BC, people living in the area of present-day Finland chewed spruce resin. In 2007, Finnish archaeologists discovered traces of chewing, showing that the resin had been used as a natural chewing gum and as a remedy for oral and digestive issues.

Between 460 and 370 BC, Hippocrates – the father of Western medicine – described methods of using spruce resin that physicians continued to apply successfully well into the Middle Ages. The Roman writer and orator Pliny the Younger (61–113 AD) reported that rural women in ancient Rome wore amber necklaces not only as adornment, but also as a remedy for swollen lymph nodes and sore throats – and amber is, in fact, fossilised resin.

The Persian physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna), one of the most influential thinkers of the Islamic Golden Age, attributed healing properties to resin in the early 1st millennium in his writings, especially in the Kanon of Medicine. In the 16th century, we also find interesting examples: the Prussian duke Albert of Brandenburg sent Martin Luther a remedy made from solidified spruce resin for the treatment of kidney stones.

In the 19th century, the American chemist Henry R. Gray developed “Gray’s Syrup” from red spruce resin, a popular remedy for coughs, colds, sore throats and bronchitis. Around the same time (in 1848), John B. Curtis, inspired by the use of resin among Native Americans, created the first commercial chewing gum made from spruce resin.

You can find the sources and references on this page →

Spruce resin in folk and cultural use

Find with tooth marks

In 2007, a 7,000-year-old piece of resin with tooth marks was found in Finland – the first “chewing gum”.

Native Americans and spruce resin

Native Americans chewed spruce resin to clean their teeth and soothe inflammation – a natural antiseptic from the forest.

The first commercial chewing gum

John B. Curtis took the idea from Native Americans and, in 1848, created the first chewing gum made from spruce resin.

Spruce resin in livestock care

It was used on cows to treat mastitis, wounds and other inflammations. Local names included: smrdljivc, pilpuh...

Spruce resin in traditional folk use

Throughout the centuries, spruce resin has played an important role in folk medicine. In Finland, it was mixed with butter to make a traditional ointment for treating wounds. Native Americans used the resin for wound healing, mastitis in livestock, and various throat and digestive problems. It was their knowledge that inspired the American inventor Curtis when he created the first chewing gum.

In Slovenia, farmers used spruce resin to prepare various balms and salves. Its use was widespread, especially for treating mastitis in cows, wounds, and other inflammations in both people and animals. In the Gorenjska region, the ointment was called smrdljivc because of its characteristic smell. Until 1971, it was produced by the Sodja family from Nemški Rovt in Bohinj. Their children sold the ointment in the surrounding villages and used the earnings to buy shoes.

In some regions, pure conifer resin — especially from spruce, larch and fir — was called pilpuh. People collected fresh drops of resin and used them to treat boils, arthritis, wounds and various pains. Also well known was the herbalist Prežla from Lesce in the Gorenjska region, who applied dark spruce resin to different parts of the body to ease back pain and other ailments.

The Slovenian herbalist Father Simon Ašič described spruce resin as a natural aid for skin conditions, rashes, wounds, muscle problems and for strengthening the body’s resistance.

Its use has also been preserved in modern folk medicine. Spruce resin has been used to treat abrasions, burns, boils, rheumatism, arthritis, tuberculosis, colds, coughs, throat infections, digestive problems, headaches, tumours and wounds.

You can find the sources and literature used on this page →

Science confirms the effectiveness of spruce resin

Bacteria

2007

Scientists have found that spruce salve made with spruce resin according to the traditional Finnish recipe inhibits the growth of all tested Gram-positive bacteria.

It was also effective against Proteus vulgaris (a Gram-negative bacterium).
Important: It was also effective against highly resistant strains such as MRSA and VRE.

Fungi

2011

Finnish researchers also examined the antifungal activity of the traditional spruce salve made with spruce resin.

The resin strongly inhibited the growth of dermatophytes, the fungi responsible for most fungal skin infections in humans.
The findings confirm the centuries-old folk use of spruce resin against fungal infections.

Wounds

92 %

Such a high percentage of patients experienced healed pressure ulcers when using spruce ointment in a study conducted across 11 institutions.

In the hydrogel group, however, the success rate was only 44%.
Spruce resin has proven to be a natural and effective alternative for treating stubborn wounds.

Spruce resin – where ancient wisdom meets modern science

Spruce resin is one of those rare natural substances that has endured through the centuries — not only in folk medicine, but also in the scientific laboratories of the modern era. What our ancestors once knew through experience is today confirmed by studies and research from around the world.

In Finland, spruce ointment is still prepared according to the traditional recipe of resin and butter, used for wound healing and relieving skin problems. Its healing effects encouraged scientists to begin studying this ancient ointment. The results are remarkable – in clinical studies, the ointment proved effective against pressure ulcers, bacteria and fungal infections.

Scientists have proven that spruce ointment has a bacteriostatic effect against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, and even against highly resistant strains like MRSA and VRE. In addition, studies have shown a strong antifungal activity of spruce resin against dermatophytes – the fungi responsible for the most common skin infections in humans.

The healing power of spruce resin is not limited to modern research. In folk medicine, it has long been used to ease a wide range of problems – from abrasions and burns to arthritis, colds, digestive issues, infections, and even wounds and tumours. This tradition lives on, forming a bridge between nature, experience and scientifically confirmed effects.

The healing power of spruce resin is not limited to modern research. In folk medicine, resin has long been used to alleviate a wide range of problems - from bruises and burns to arthritis, colds, digestive problems, inflammation and even wounds and tumours. This tradition lives on, becoming a bridge between nature, experience and scientifically proven effect.