Juniper
(Juniperus communis L., Cupressaceae)
Also called: Juniper Berries.
Description: Low shrubs or trees up to 12m (39ft) high,
usually as a shrub in Britain. Leaves needle-shaped, pointed, stiff, about
1cm (0.4in) long, in whorls of 3 or rarely 4. Flowers indistinct, greenish-yellow,
males and females on separate plants. Fruits, maturing only in the third year
after flowering, resemble a berry 610mm (0.2-0.4in) in diameter, blue-black
with star-shaped fissure at the apex and containing three hard seeds. Taste
of 'berries': resinous, sweetish.
Parts Used: Dried fruit; at times the wood and the leafy shoots.
Habitat and Collection: On heaths, marshy ground and arid slopes of mountains throughout Europe. In Britain, more common in the north than in the south. The 'berries' are collected by beating the branches over cloths and are dried in well ventilated places.
Constituent and Action: Volatile oil.
anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antiseptic, carminative, digestive tonic,
diuretic, urinary antiseptic, uterine stimulant
Berries widely used for urinary tract problems, such as cystitis,
and as a cleansing remedy for rheumatism.
Stimulates secretion of gastric juices.
The 'berries' are more active than the wood or the shoots.
The essential oil, collected by
steam'distilling the berries, is used in aromatherapy both for urinary
problems and as a stimulating tonic massage. Rubbing with the oil can cause
local irritation.
The same oil is added as a flavouring
to London gin - hence the diuretic action of that particular beverage.
Another
type of oil made from juniper is cade oil, produced by dry-distilling
the heartwood of various juniper species and used for psoriasis and other
skin problems.
It contains phenol and is mildly disinfectant.
Usage: A tisane, prepared from bruised fruits, branches
or wood cut into small pieces (do not boil), is diuretic in kidney and bladder
complaints and in dropsy, used in the treatment of rheumatism.
It also improves
the appetite and is depurative.
The berries chewed (3-6 per day), the spirit
of juniper (10-20 drops on sugar or in water) and the juice of the berries
have similar actions.
The tisane is also used as a lotion and in compresses
for wounds slow to heal. The spirit of juniper is also used as a liniment
for rheumatism.
Caution: Prolonged use of juniper can irritate the kidneys
and any preparation containing the herb should not be taken for longer than
six weeks without professional advice.
It should not be taken internally
by those suffering from kidney disease and high doses must be avoided in
pregnancy.
Juniper berries are a favourite for flavouring game dishes.
Traditionally the herb has been associated with sacred cleansing rituals and its sprigs are still regularly burned each day in Tibetan temples as part of the morning purification rite.
Several medicinal recipes also survive in Egyptian papyri dating to1550
BC.
The Egyptians used the berries in mummification and well
into the fifth century AD bodies were covered in juniper berries and salt
before burial.
A type of juniper (f. phoenica) was grown in Egypt and
tomb paintings showing the berries being picked and processed survive in
the Saqqara tombs built around 2300 BC.
