Pine tar along with many other ingredients due to a lack of proof of their effectiveness. Some pine tar products contain creosote, a probable carcinogen. Creosote potentially may be produced when the pine wood is heated up to high temperatures in the creation of pine tar. Pine tar is also used in veterinary medicine as an expectorant and an antiseptic in chronic skin conditions. Pine tar Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions (dry distillation or destructive distillation). The wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed
Tar one-third each genuine wood tar, balsam turpentine, and boiled or raw linseed oil or Chinese tung oil. In Finland, wood tar was once considered a panacea reputed to heal "even those cut in twain through their midriff". A Finnish proverb states that "if sauna, vodka and tar won't help, the disease is fatal." Wood tar is used in traditional Finnish medicine because of its microbicidal properties. Wood tar is also available diluted as tar water, which has numerous uses: Mixing tar with linseed oil varnish produces tar paint. Tar paint has a translucent brownish hue and can be used to