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Pine Sap Collection?

grdemedeiros

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2024 - Portuguese (Coastal > Central > Spiritual)
Coming down from the peak of Labruja we saw yellow bags attached to pine trees that had been slashed. It was clear they were collecting sap. Similar to how maple syrup is harvested.

Does anyone know what the sap will be used for?

Mods: please move this thread if it should go somewhere else.

 
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Could be many uses for it: cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, glues, incense,... There is a good article about the industry on the Spanish side of the border from the BBC.

Spain's untapped 'liquid gold'

For centuries, people have tapped pine trees to extract resin. But in one Spanish province, locals believe this age-old practice could save rural towns while also helping the planet.
www.bbc.com
 
I was curious about them too, and was told.. turpentine, or more specifically,
turpentine oil. Used in the manufacture of many things including good old fashioned turpentine itself.

Then I went in search of a bar to wash the sticky mess off my fingers, that's what I got for being so nosey and poking at them..
 
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Sadly, this is Hallucinogenic sap that is collected and sold in cannibals shops. The profit margin is high and farmers who have these trees on their property make a ton of money. TAKE CAUTION! Do not sample this sap as it is in concentrated form. Many people have tried this and have had to be air evacuated to a hospital and end up staying for a long time. Not a good way to do a Camino. If you are going to try this sap, slightly moisten your index finger; slide it gently over the sap; and put the finger into your mouth and suck for two seconds. NO MORE THAN TWO SECONDS. If you take this precaution, walking the Camino will be much easier and you will have many spiritual visions. I know; I tried it. The only down side was that while ingesting this hallucinogenic sap, I went short on a stock and lost $200,000 but that's another story. Chuck
 
I see you got some answers already (serious and less serious). I remember hearing the turpentine answer when I was on the Portugues. The harvesting of pine sap was much more widespread on a few days of my Camino de Madrid.
 
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bullingtonce said:
Sadly, this is Hallucinogenic sap that is collected and sold in cannibals shops. [...]
Click to expand...
Damn Chuck, you've made it hard for me to give you a simple one click reaction to your post. I'm going to have to give you a mix of Like and Love It in general, a Thank You for your warning, a Surprise for what the sap can do and a Laugh and a Sad for you reaction to the sap.
 
I passed by literally thousands of these pine trees tapped for their resin on a couple of days while walking the Camino de Madrid last October. I never saw even one person working in those pine groves.
 
In the Greek Orthodox Church it is used as incense. Common throughout Greece. I saw those yellow bags too, and was told that it’s used for numerous products. Never knew about the drug side of the equation. Interesting.
 
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