Constituents:
- Volatile oil- up 2% of the pulp;
- Flavanoide;
- Tannins
- Bitter principle;
- Sugars- up to 30% .
Juniper makes a fine purifying and sanctifying incense allied with various planets. Juniper berries contain the planetary metal for Jupiter (tin), and their color and warming action suits that planet as well. The spicy warmth of Juniper berries purifies the aura, clarifies thought, and protects from negativity. In aromatherapy, juniper berry is used against anxiety, to improve memory and mental clarity, and for sedation. This herb also has Moon aspects - as a diuretic, for instance--and it would make a good herb for the Dark of Moon, because among its many fragrances (pine predominating), it contains camphor, a Moon scent, and it is a beautifully dark color. It's also in Fire of Azrael incense, which is made of equal parts of juniper berries, red sandalwood, and cedarwood. Boiling destroys the essential oils. The berries make an olive brown dye using alum, copper, or cream of tartar as mordants. We now also have dried juniper tips - the tips of juniper branches - which are nice for grinding into incense or in pot pourri.
Traditionally, juniper was used as a diuretic and to treat problems of the kidneys and bladder. Tea made from juniper berries was recommended to ward off cystitis and other urinary tract infections.
“I think juniper does contain urinary antiseptics, although bayberry and cranberry are more famous for that,” says Dr. James A. Duke, Ph.D., a botanist and toxicology specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland.
According to The Prevention How-To Dictionary of Healing Remedies and Techniques, a survey of the herbal literature suggests juniper, while effective, may be too dangerous for unsupervised use: “For one thing, it stimulates uterine contractions that would be hazardous for expectant mothers. And while juniper may work as a diuretic, it also stimulates the kidneys. That’s bad news for someone who already has kidney problems.”
According to the editors of Herbal Medicine Past and Present, using juniper as a healing agent is, in many instances, “hardly prudent in the light of the availability of less toxic products”.
The explanation for some of these uses may be found in junipers diuretic properties. Its volatile oils have been shown to increase the rate of kidney filtration,
(1) Thereby perhaps helping to remove the accumulated fluid in congestive heart failure, and "wash out" the offending bacteria in urinary tract infections. However, there is no direct scientific evidence that juniper is effective for these purposes.
What Is Juniper Berry Used for Today?
(2) Contemporary herbalists primarily use juniper as a component of herbal formulas designed to treat bladder infections. A typical combination might include uva ursi, parsley, cleavers, and buchu. Such formulas are said to be most effective when taken at the first sign of symptoms and may not work well once the infection has really taken hold. Unfortunately, double-blind studies of juniper have not been performed.
Recently, gin-soaked raisins have been touted as an arthritis treatment. This is probably just a fad, but some weak evidence suggests that juniper may possess anti-inflammatory properties.
(3) In the test tube, juniper has also been shown to inhibit herpes virus. Dosage You can make juniper tea by adding 1 cup of boiling water to 1 tablespoon of juniper berries, covering, and allowing the berries to steep for 20 minutes. The usual dosage is 1 cup twice a day. However, juniper is said to work better as a treatment for bladder infections when combined with other herbs. Combination products should be taken according to label instructions.
Warning: Bladder infections can go on to become kidney infections. For this reason, seek medical supervision if your symptoms don't resolve in a few days, or if you develop intense low back pain, fever, chills, or other signs of serious infection.
(4) Although juniper is regarded as safe and is widely used in foods, we don't recommend taking it during pregnancy. (We also recommend not drinking gin.) Remember, juniper was used historically to stimulate menstruation and childbirth. It has also been shown to cause miscarriages in rats.
Juniper seldom causes any noticeable side effects. Prolonged use of juniper could possibly deplete the body of potassium, the way other diuretics do, but this hasn't been proven. Combining juniper with conventional diuretics, however, may cause excessive fluid loss.Some texts warn that juniper oil may be a kidney irritant, but there is no real evidence that this is the case.
(5) Nonetheless, people with serious kidney disease probably shouldn't take juniper. Safety for young children, nursing women, or those with severe liver disease has also not been established.
Application:
Juniper Berries have many traditional uses that are supported by modern practice, but it is as a urinary antiseptic suitable for cystitis and urethritis. Unfortunately, like many many of the others urinary antiseptics in the herbal Materia Medica Juniperus is not universally desirable and long term use is to be avoided. This is usually quite convenient as far as urinary infections are concerned, as satisfaction can often be achieved within six weeks that is the maximum recommended treatment.
The problem with Juniperus is that it is irritating on several tissues: if the turpentine – like oil is inhaled it can cause cramps. In particular, it stimulates the uterine muscle; this leads to it use in bringing on a period but it also means that it is an abortifacient and must not be used in pregnancy. In reality, juniper is consumed by thousands daily in their gin and tonics.
The recommended dose, for internal use is 10 g of berries to half liter of water, infuse in the usual way and take wineglassful doses 3 times per day before meals. Juniperus may be used externally in the form of oil , as part of a liniment for neuralgeia , arthritis and mayalgia.
References1. Newall C, et al. Herbal medicines: A guide for health-care professionals. London: Pharmaceutical Press, 1996: 176. 2. Mascolo N, et al. Biological screening of Italian medicinal plants for anti-inflammatory activity. Phytother Res 1: 28–31, 1987. 3. Markkanen T, et al. Antiherpetic agent from juniper tree (Juniperus cummunis), its purification, identification, and testing in primary human amnion cell cultures. Drugs Exp Clin Res 7: 691–697, 1981. 4. Agarwal OP, et al. Antifertility effects of fruits of Juniperus communis. Planta Med 40(Suppl.): 98–101, 1980. 5. Newall C, et al. Herbal medicines: A guide for health-care professionals. London: Pharmaceutical Press, 1990: 176. (FOR ALL HERBS ARTICLES)Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
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