The bright-green spring foliage of Douglas fir is prized by foragers for making tea.
BY REBECCA ALEXANDER & NIALL DUNNE
This regular column features Q&A selected and adapted from the Elisabeth C. Miller Library’s Plant Answer Line program. If you’d like to ask a plant or gardening question of your own, please call (206) 897-5268 (UW Plant), send it via the library website (www.millerlibrary.org), or email directly to hortlib@uw.edu.
QUESTION
Making tea from the needles of Douglas-fir and grand fir seems to be a trend among local foragers. Are there Native American origins to this practice? How safe is it, especially in an urban environment? Are there benefits to drinking this kind of infusion?
ANSWER
Indigenous Traditions
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and grand fir (Abies grandis) are majestic native trees of the Pacific Northwest, and there is a deep tradition of ethnobotanical uses of various parts of both species—including their foliage.
In her book “Thompson Ethnobotany: Knowledge and Usage of Plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia,” Nancy Turner says that “a beverage tea was made by boiling Douglas-fir twigs with their needles. This tea was said to have tonic and diuretic properties.”
Regarding true firs (Abies species), Turner writes that there is a great deal of confusion surrounding both the English common names and Thompson Indian names, making it difficult to know which species were intended for which uses. An infusion made from the boughs of a species that might be grand fir (Abies grandis) “could be drunk for any illness.”
In “Ethnobotany of Western Washington,” author Erna Gunther writes that the Cowlitz and Sqauxin Tribes mix the needles of Douglas-fir with the foliage of western red cedar to make a tea for colds. And the Swinomish boil Douglas-fir needles alone “for a general tonic tea, which they also heat and apply to the chest to ‘draw out the pain.’” She also notes that the Muckleshoot boil the needles of grand fir to treat colds.
The practice isn’t unique to the Northwest. For example, according to the USDA’s “Plant Guide,” Douglas-fir needles were made into a tea and drank by Isleta Puebloans in New Mexico as a treatment for rheumatism.
New foliage of grand fir. (Photo by Henrik Sjöman)
Safety of Use
Douglas-fir and grand fir are not mentioned in the book “Toxic Plants of North America,” by George Burrows and Ronald Tyrl. However, a plant’s absence from a list of toxic plants does not mean that it is risk-free, and people can have different sensitivity to different plants or plant groups.
Proper plant identification is also important for safety because conifers often look alike, and some coniferous trees—such as yews (Taxus species)—are known to be highly toxic. The foliage of our native Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, bears a resemblance to that of both Douglas-fir and grand fir, though the yew’s bright-red, berry-like cones in autumn are easy to distinguish from the much larger, scaly seed cones of the firs. Many online sources also advise pregnant women against consuming herbal teas made from pine and other conifer needles. (Both Douglas-fir and grand fir are members of the larger pine family, Pinaceae.)
As for foraging in the city, it’s probably best not to gather needles from urban trees that are not on your own property, since there may be no way of knowing whether the trees have been sprayed with pesticides or exposed to other pollutants. Always be sure to clean thoroughly any plants that you forage, regardless of origin.
Health Effects and Flavor Notes
According to Stephen Facciola’s “Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants,” tea made from the young foliage and twigs of Pseudotsuga menziesii is both refreshing and high in vitamin C. He says that the young branch tips of various species of Abies, including A. grandis, are used as a tea substitute.
Pharmacological studies show that the genus Pseudotsuga is rich in potentially beneficial phytochemicals, such as terpenoids and flavonoids, which can impart antioxidant properties. But more research is needed… Discussing the medicinal use of the resin, or essential oil, from the trunk of the Douglas fir tree, the medical website WebMD says there isn’t enough reliable information to determine an appropriate dose.
Douglas-fir needles are prized by many foragers for their “citrusy” and “zesty” flavor. The new, tender, light-green foliage tips that appear in spring are especially sought after for their “lemony” tang. A foraging article in “Yam Magazine” notes a similar flavor profile for grand fir: “Citrusy, with hints of grapefruit or tangerine.”
Tea brewed from Doug fir needles. (Photo by Niall Dunne)
How to Brew
When it comes to brewing the tea, foragers have varying opinions on the recommended ratio of needles to water and the ideal boiling time. The foraging website practicalfrugality.com says to chop a tablespoon of fresh needles, place them in a cup, add hot (but not boiling) water, and steep for five to eight minutes.
In contrast, local herbalist and author Kathy Stevens (timelessherbaltraditions.com) recommends a teaspoon of Doug-fir needles per cup, steeping for five to 10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. She also says that “The flavor of the tea can be enhanced by adding other ingredients like cinnamon, small strips of dried orange peel, or a squeeze of lemon. Honey pairs well with the natural flavor of the needles.”
If you don’t have a trusted tree to harvest from, you can find a variety of commercial Douglas-fir “spring tip tea” products online, both in tea bag and loose tea form. Our advice is to proceed with caution and consult a medical professional if you are concerned that a coniferous tisane might not be right for you. Even a popular beverage like Earl Grey tea can be problematic due to the citrus-derived bergamottin, which interacts with some medications.
Rebecca Alexander is the former manager of Reference and Technical Services at the Miller Library, located in the UW Botanic Gardens’ Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle). Niall Dunne is the editor of the “Arboretum Bulletin” and the communications manager at the Arboretum Foundation.
References
Anderson, M.K. “Douglas Fir.” “USDA Plant Guide.”
Burrows, George and Tyrl, Ronald. “Toxic Plants of North America.” Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.
Chavich, Cinda. “Adding the Wild Flavors of Conifers to Your Cooking.” “Yam Magazine.” November/December. 2017.
Facciola, Stephen. “Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants.” Kampong Publications, 1998.
Gunther, Erna. “Ethnobotany of Western Washington: The Knowledge and Use of Indigenous Plants by Native Americans.” University of Washington Press, 1973.
Marsden, Magdelena. “Foraging for Douglas Fir Needles: A Complete Guide and Tea Recipe.” December 2025.
Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy, editors. “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast.” Lone Pine Press, 1994.
Turner, Nancy. “Thompson Ethnobotany: Knowledge and Usage of Plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia.” Royal British Columbia Museum, 1990.
WebMD. “Douglas Fir: Uses, Side Effects, and More.” Accessed 02/13/2026.
Zu, Jia-When et al. “Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus Pseudotsuga.” “Fitoterapia,” June: 183. 2025.
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This article is reprinted from the spring 2026 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, our quarterly botanical and horticultural magazine. Published since 1937, the Bulletin is a benefit of Arboretum Foundation membership and features in-depth articles on the Arboretum collections and history, as well as general information of interest to plant lovers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Join/subscribe today.
