Pine resin and its derivatives have been used medicinally since antiquity. Ancient physicians and folk healers observed that the strong-smelling, volatile oils in pine resin appeared to repel or destroy insects and parasitic demons, leading to its application against human parasites.
- Vermifuge and Anthelmintic Properties: Turpentine (oil of turpentine) was historically administered internally to expel intestinal worms, including roundworms, pinworms, and tapeworms. Physicians noted that insects died quickly when exposed to the substance, reasoning it would have a similar effect inside the human gut.
- In 19th-century medical literature, doctors such as William Gibney wrote about the powerful anthelmintic (worm-killing) effects of rectified oil of turpentine, using it when other remedies failed.
- Folk medicine traditions across Europe, America, and parts of Asia used pine products for deworming children and adults. Small doses were sometimes mixed with sugar, honey, or castor oil to make the foul-tasting remedy more palatable.
- Native American tribes and early European settlers in North America used pine resin and needles for wound care and internal cleanses, partly due to their antimicrobial and antiparasitic reputation.
Pine tar and resin were also applied topically to treat external parasites like lice and to prevent maggot infestations in wounds (myiasis).
Pine Turpentine in the American Civil War
The American Civil War (1861–1865) represented one of the most intensive periods of turpentine’s medicinal use in modern history. Battlefield medicine was primitive, supplies were scarce (especially in the Confederacy), and infection was a greater killer than bullets. Turpentine became a readily available “go-to” remedy because pine forests were abundant in the South.Key Uses During the War:
- Wound and Infection Treatment — Surgeons packed wounds with lint soaked in turpentine or used it to clean dressings. It was valued for its antiseptic properties and ability to reduce the stench of hospital gangrene (a severe necrotizing infection common in battlefield hospitals).
- Internal Administration — Turpentine was given orally as a stimulant, purgative, and antiparasitic agent. Soldiers suffering from intestinal worms — a common issue due to poor sanitation — were sometimes treated with it.
- Malaria and Fever Management — When quinine (the primary anti-malarial) became scarce and expensive, Confederate doctors used turpentine as a substitute or supplement. It was applied externally or given internally in attempts to reduce fever and combat infection.
- Hospital Records — Surviving hospital ledgers from the period frequently list “whiskey and turpentine” mixtures or straight turpentine as standard treatments for various ailments.