What To Know About Pine Pollen: Benefits, Uses & Side Effects

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Medically reviewed by Kerry Boyle D.Ac., M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., CYT — Written by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. — Updated on October 1, 2025

About
Uses
Benefits
Side effects
Takeaway

Pine pollen may offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It might also help boost testosterone levels. If you have pollen allergies, avoid pine pollen.

Did you know that pollen is sometimes used for health benefits? In fact, pollen has been identified as a component of medications that are 2,000 years old.

One type of pollen often used for health purposes is pine pollen. It’s believed that pine pollen has anti-aging (or as we prefer to say, “pro-aging”) properties, alleviates fatigue, and boosts testosterone.

Continue reading to learn more about pine pollen, its uses, and its benefits.

What is pine pollen?

First, pollen is produced by a variety of trees, flowering plants, and grasses. It’s actually the male fertilizing component of these plants. Pollen is grainy and powdery in texture.

Pine pollen comes from a variety of species of pine tree, just a few of which include:

Masson’s pine (Pinus massoniana)
Chinese red pine (Pinus tabulaeformis)
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

Uses

Pine pollen has long been used for a variety of health-related purposes, such as:

supplementing the diet or adding to foods
slowing aging
reducing fatigue
boosting testosterone
treating a variety of conditions, including colds, constipation, and prostate disease

You can find pine pollen in a variety of dietary and health supplements. It can come in powders, capsules, or tinctures. The powder may be added to teas, smoothies, or juice, or sprinkled on granola.

Benefits

Some of the proposed health benefits of pine pollen are anecdotal. This means they’re derived from personal testimony rather than research studies.

However, scientists have been actively investigating the potential benefits of pine pollen. Let’s see what the research says so far.

Nutritional value

Pine pollen has the following nutrients:

protein
fatty acids
carbohydrates
minerals, such as calcium and magnesium
vitamins, such as B vitamins and vitamin E

There haven’t been studies in humans about the benefits of pine pollen as a dietary supplement.

However, a small study with pigs found that including pine pollen in their diet increased stool weight and water content. This suggests pine pollen may be a good fiber supplement.

Aging support

A 2012 study investigated the aging support effects of pine pollen in cultured human cells and in mice.

Most cells, with the exception of cancer cells, cannot divide indefinitely. They can only divide a limited number of times. This is called replicative senescence. The researchers found that pine pollen delayed replicative senescence in cultured human cells.

The researchers found that pine pollen prevented memory errors in mice in a test of neurological activity. They also observed a rise in the activity of antioxidant molecules and a decrease in molecules associated with inflammation.

Antioxidant properties

Antioxidants are compounds that can slow or stop damage to your cells caused by molecules called free radicals. Since antioxidants may help prevent aging and conditions like cancer, there has been research into the antioxidant properties of pine pollen.

One study found that pine pollen extract had comparable antioxidant activity to a control compound. The pine pollen extract also had an anti-inflammatory effect, reducing the levels of molecules associated with inflammation in stimulated cells in a culture.

A recent study in cultured cells and with rats found that a carbohydrate derived from pine pollen had antioxidant activity.

Additionally, when challenged with a toxic compound, researchers observed that pretreating rats with the pollen-derived carbohydrate decreased both visible liver damage and the levels of enzymes associated with liver damage.

Testosterone

Testosterone has been found in the pollen of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). It’s estimated that 10 grams of this pollen contains 0.8 micrograms of testosterone.

Because of this, pine pollen is often used to boost testosterone levels. However, there haven’t been any studies into the effectiveness of pine pollen in increasing testosterone.

Health conditions

There’s been a limited amount of research so far on how pine pollen can affect different health conditions.

One study examined pine pollen and its effects on chronic arthritis in mice. Researchers found that treatment with pine pollen extract daily for 49 days lowered arthritis symptoms in the mice. Additionally, molecules associated with inflammation were reduced.

A 2013 study in cultured liver cancer cells found that a carbohydrate derived from pine pollen could stop the cells during their division cycle. This is intriguing since one of the hallmarks of cancer cells is that they grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner.

Side effects and risks

If you’re planning on using pine pollen, you need to be aware of the potential risks.

Testosterone levels

Keep in mind that testosterone is an important hormone that can influence certain body functions. If you’re using pine pollen as a testosterone booster, be careful not to use too much.

Levels of testosterone that are too high can cause the following problems in males:

enlarged prostate
damage to the heart muscle
high blood pressure
liver disease
trouble sleeping
acne
aggressive behavior

If you’d like to use pine pollen as a testosterone booster but have questions about potential side effects, talk with a doctor before using it.

Allergies and allergic reactions

Many people are allergic to pollen. Because of this, ingesting pine pollen has the potential to cause allergy symptoms. Some symptoms of pollen allergy include:

runny nose or nasal congestion
postnasal drip
sneezing
itchy, watery eyes
wheezing

Anaphylaxis

Exposure to allergens also has the potential to cause a life threatening condition called anaphylaxis in some people. This is a medical emergency. Symptoms can include:

wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the tongue and throat
itchy hives
pale, clammy skin
low blood pressure
feeling dizzy
fainting

The takeaway

While you may be familiar with pollen as an allergen, pine pollen has long been used in traditional medicine. It’s believed to have “anti-aging” properties, treat various health conditions, and boost testosterone.

Research into the health benefits of pine pollen is ongoing. The results so far suggest it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These qualities could be beneficial in treating a variety of health conditions, although more research is needed.

People with a pollen allergy should avoid using pine pollen.

If you have any questions or concerns about using pine pollen as a supplement, be sure to discuss them with a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Chu H-L, et al. (2013). Effects of sulfated polysaccharide from Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) pollen on the proliferation and cell cycle of HepG2 cells.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813012005107
Giachi G, et al. (2013). Ingredients of a 2,000-y-old medicine revealed by chemical, mineralogical, and botanical investigations.https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1216776110
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Testosterone – what is does and doesn’t do. (n.d.).https://www.health.harvard.edu/drugs-and-medications/testosterone--what-it-does-and-doesnt-do
Zhao L, et al. (2007). Nutritive value of Masson pine pollen (Pinus massoniana) in comparison to wheat bran and effects on stool characteristics in a pig model.https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/886b/2a51de928db7281927f92ef12c797b0080dc.pdf
Zhou C, et al. (2018). Preliminary characterization, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of polysaccharides from Taishan Pinis massoniana pollen.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/2/281

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Medically reviewed by Kerry Boyle D.Ac., M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., CYT — Written by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. — Updated on October 1, 2025

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