With the sun shining, freshly fallen snow, and a trail to walk on, I was delighted to be able to enjoy a stroll outside and experience the quietness and pleasant sounds of nature. Abundant evergreens with their alluring scents were intoxicating! Breathing in deeply the freshness of the pine, cedar, spruce and fir, opened my lungs and set my mind at ease. 

The Douglas-fir has an interesting history. Douglas-fir is named for the Scottish botanist David Douglas.  David Douglas introduced this great tree to the European botanical society in 1827. While Douglas possesses the glory of the common name, the proper Latin name, Pseudotsuga menziesii, hails from rival botanist Archibald Menzies, who first documented the tree on Vancouver Island in 1791.

The Douglas-fir is not a true fir. Instead, Pseudotsuga translates to “false hemlock”. The hyphen in the common name lets us know that Douglas-fir is not a “true” fir.

The needles are characteristically soft and fragrant, spiralling around the limbs, tightly toward the top of the tree and more open below. The pendulous cones hang from the branches and display those tiny hooks at the end. The thick, craggy bark is thought to be somewhat fire resistant.

Douglas-fir offers anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antimicrobial (bacterial, viral and fungal), expectorant, and sedative properties. The needles are a great source of vitamin C, too.  Traditional uses of Douglas-fir needles include use for the common cold and chest complaints, asthma, headache, liver stagnancy, and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatism and arthritis.

The needles can be used for baking, infusing and seasoning, such as infused vinegar, infused sugar, added to shortbreads, seasoning salts and a nutritious tea, just to name a few. 

Having previously foraged and dried some Douglas-fir needles, the scent was so calming and full I knew I needed to prepare some infused oils to use in our products. Our Drenched Lip Care is such a product wonderfully scented with Douglas-fir infused oil. No other fragrances or Essential oils have been added.

As always, you can find our products, description, pricing and more on Our Products page.