While pine trees are most often commercially exploited for their wood, human use of their needles has been ongoing for thousands of years. Native Americans frequently utilized the youngest leaves of pines to brew a mild red tea used for medicinal purposes. They also gathered fallen needles from the ground in order to weave baskets, a practice that continues in modern times. Another contemporary method of exploiting pine needles involves extracting their essential oil through distillation. The fragrant substance, which some argue has antimicrobial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties, is often used in massage therapy.