Useful properties of juniper

The healing properties of juniper berries and contraindications are an important issue for those who are interested in traditional medicine. Almost mystical healing properties are attributed to berries and other parts of the plant, but in order for the juniper not to do harm, it is necessary to study its features in more detail.

What is useful juniper

A coniferous shrub from the Cypress family, which grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere, has a lot of medicinal properties and is highly revered in folk medicine. It contains organic acids, pectins and resins, natural sugars, flavonoid compounds. For the preparation of medicines, it is customary to use all parts – not only berries, but also wood, coniferous needles and roots. Each of the parts has its own unique properties that bring a strong healing effect.

Benefits of juniper berries

The fruits are used in the preparation of tonic, anti-cold and choleretic agents. Among the medicinal properties of berries can be listed:

• antibacterial – juniper effectively fights inflammation and infections;
• tonic – it is useful to use berries in case of loss of strength and depression, with weakened immunity;
• painkillers – the medicinal properties of the plant help with headache and toothache, with painful joint inflammation;
• diuretics and laxatives – Eating medicinal berries is useful for normalizing digestion and for cleansing the body of excess fluids and toxins.

Juniper berries are actively used in the creation of skin care products, the plant helps fight cellulite and stay young longer.

Medicinal properties of juniper bark

The bark of the juniper tree contains not only vitamins and essential oils, but also other components – resins, tannins, saponins. Due to this, wood brings a pronounced beneficial effect in aromatherapy, juniper twigs eliminate bacteria in the room and purify the air. Also, on the basis of the bark, anti-inflammatory and bactericidal agents are prepared for the treatment of joints and pulmonary ailments.

What are the benefits of juniper cones

Dried ripe berries, or juniper cones, in high concentrations contain all the vitamins and acids present in fresh fruits. On the basis of cones, medicinal products are prepared that bring a good effect for colds and chronic pulmonary ailments, for kidney diseases and edema.

Medicinal properties of juniper roots

Like the bark, the rhizomes contain an increased amount of tannins and diterpene alcohols. Juniper roots are used in the preparation of bactericidal and anti-inflammatory agents. The medicinal properties of the roots include the fact that medicines based on them thin the blood and have a pronounced beneficial effect on the vessels.

Medicinal properties of juniper needles

The needles of a medicinal plant contain a huge amount of phytoncides and vitamin C, it also includes esters and tannins. Therefore, juniper needles are used to treat a wide range of diseases.

First of all, needle-based products have a beneficial effect on coughs and lung infections. Medicines with the addition of needles help with reduced hemoglobin and with thyroid malfunctions, with heart rhythm disturbances and weakened blood vessels.

What is useful smell of juniper

Even the aroma of a medicinal shrub has medicinal properties. When inhaling the smell of juniper, the following effects are observed:

• anxiety and depression go away, mood improves;
• efficiency increases, sleep becomes stronger and calmer;
• cold or chronic cough disappears, nasal congestion disappears.

The aroma of juniper helps to get rid of migraines, inhaling the smell is useful for infectious diseases of the respiratory tract.

Benefits of juniper oil

The composition of juniper contains essential oil in large volumes, and it contains phytoncides, terpenes and borneol, camphene and pinene. The oil has a beneficial effect when used in aromatherapy, as it purifies the air and disinfects it.

For medicinal purposes, juniper oil is used to normalize digestive processes, to get rid of coughs and insomnia. The oil helps to improve lymph flow and bile outflow, has pronounced disinfecting properties.

Health Benefits of Juniper

The benefits of juniper for a person are very diverse – berries and other parts of it help to significantly improve well-being. In one form or another, juniper can benefit both adults and children.

What is useful juniper for men

The beneficial properties of juniper for men are primarily in tonic properties. Alcoholic tinctures based on berries are beneficial in weakening sexual functions, decoctions and teas improve blood circulation and protect the cardiovascular system from failures.

Juniper helps with joint and muscle pain – essential oil and tinctures on the fruits are recommended for warming rubbing.

The benefits of juniper for women

Juniper benefits and harms women’s health – decoctions and infusions on berries help to cope with gynecological inflammations and infections. Berries are able to normalize the hormonal background, so it is useful to use them for painful periods and during menopause.

Berries stimulate the reproductive system, their medicinal properties are beneficial in weakening libido and even infertility. Juniper is used to care for the beauty of skin and hair, it contains many vitamins, organic acids and antioxidants that slow down the aging process.

What is useful juniper for children

In the absence of allergies, the healing properties of juniper benefit children. Infusions and decoctions prepared on the basis of berries strengthen the child’s immunity and help to quickly cope with colds. Juniper helps with indigestion in children, allows you to normalize restless sleep and improves brain activity.

However, it is possible to offer medicines to babies only after 5 years of life. In addition, tinctures of berries for alcohol are strictly prohibited for children and adolescents up to the age of majority.

Juniper during pregnancy

Despite all its medicinal properties, juniper is contraindicated during pregnancy, there will be harm from its ingestion. The fact is that the berries provoke excessive contractions of the uterus, and this can lead to a deterioration in the woman’s well-being and even to a miscarriage. Expectant mothers are only allowed to inhale useful vapors.

The same applies to lactation – it is better to refuse juniper for the time of feeding. The presence of traces of this plant in breast milk is highly likely to provoke an allergy in a child.

What does juniper treat

Traditional medicine very actively uses the beneficial properties and contraindications of juniper fruits. Coniferous tree serves as a cure for many diseases and can, if not completely eliminate them, then in any case, significantly alleviate the symptoms.

Juniper for prostatitis

Anti-inflammatory properties are good for inflammation of the prostate gland in men. This tool is of particular benefit:

• 3 large spoons of juniper berries are mixed with a spoonful of fennel fruits;
• add 1 tablespoon of dry licorice root, chamomile flowers and parsley root;
• mix the ingredients;
• pour 2 large spoons of medicinal collection 500 ml of water;
• boil for 10 minutes.

You need to take a healing collection twice a day – only 3 sips. The medicinal properties will bring the greatest benefit if you drink the remedy on a full stomach.

Juniper for colds

Juniper treatment is beneficial for SARS, influenza, bronchitis and other colds. Dried berries in the amount of 2 large spoons should be poured with boiling water, and then boiled for another 10 minutes.

When the broth is properly infused and cooled, it will be possible to drink 2 small spoons three times a day.

Juniper for cough

When coughing, juniper steam inhalations are most beneficial. About 15 dried fruits should be poured with a liter of boiling water, and then left for 10 minutes under a closed lid. Then you need to bend over the container, covering your head with a towel, and inhale the fragrant steam for several minutes. Healing vapors of the plant will penetrate into the respiratory tract, bronchi and lungs and help to quickly eliminate the inflammatory process.

Juniper in oncology

The medicinal properties of juniper are so great that they are even used for the treatment of cancer. In particular, with leukemia, it is recommended to take a healing collection, which contains juniper. To prepare it, you need to mix:

• cones or juniper wood;
• flax seeds and pine buds;
• linden flowers and nettle roots;
• oak acorns and common blackhead;
• mountain arnica and white mulberry leaves.

All of the listed ingredients are taken in equal amounts, mixed, then 2 large spoons of the collection are measured and boiled in 10 ml of water for about 500 minutes. The finished product should be drunk three times a day, 3 sips on an empty stomach and a couple more sips immediately after eating.

Juniper for joints

In joint diseases, the healing properties of juniper are mainly used externally. You can prepare a tincture with strong alcohol – 20 berries must be poured with 100 ml of alcohol and kept in a dark place for 10 days.

The finished tincture is filtered by squeezing the berries, and then the sore joints are thoroughly rubbed with the remedy or a warming compress is applied for a couple of hours.

Juniper in gynecology

Juniper as a medicine is beneficial for gynecological infections, colpitis and thrush. The medicinal properties of berries help to cope with bacteria and fungus, eliminate pain and burning.

Douching with a medicinal decoction will bring the greatest benefit. About 20 g of juniper berries should be poured with a liter of water, boiled for no more than 5 minutes, then cooled and filtered. Genitals are irrigated twice a day with a slightly warm solution.

Juniper and pressure

A decoction of juniper inside lowers blood pressure. To prepare a remedy you need:

• mix 10 g of berries with oat grains and couch grass root, taken in a volume of 5 g;
• pour the collection with a liter of water and boil over low heat until a third of the liquid has boiled away;
• cool and filter the finished broth.

You need to drink the remedy three times a day, several sips. With a course intake for 2 weeks, the berries will be able to stabilize the pressure.

Juniper for kidney stones

An infusion of juniper fruit has diuretic properties and is beneficial for kidney stones. Prepare the remedy as follows:

• a large spoonful of berries is poured into a glass of hot water;
• keep the product for 4 hours under the lid;
• strain the infusion.

You need to take the remedy three times a day, a single serving is only a third of a glass.

Juniper for blood purification

Useful properties of juniper berries help to purify the blood, fill it with valuable substances and improve the quality of the composition. Cleansing the circulatory system is very simple – every morning you need to chew fresh berries.

You need to start the course of treatment with only 5 berries per day and add 1 piece daily until the total daily dosage is 15 berries. After that, it is necessary to reduce 1 berry daily, until only 5 fruits remain for the day again.

Juniper for vessels

Vitamins, essential oils and organic acids in the composition of berries strengthen the vascular walls, lower bad cholesterol and help improve brain function. Best of all, the healing properties of juniper baths cleanse and strengthen the vessels.

A small spoonful of berries must be mixed with 2 large spoons of dried lavender, mint and oregano. The collection is wrapped in a clean linen bag and lowered into a filled hot bath, after which they lie in it for about 15 minutes.

Juniper for hemorrhoids

Juniper berries are used in folk medicine to treat hemorrhoids, both external and internal. The healing properties of the plant help to quickly eliminate hemorrhoids, and juniper can be used in two ways at once.

• Taking juniper oil. If you mix 1 drop of essential oil of the plant in a small spoonful of honey and use the medicine twice a day on an empty stomach, you can eliminate the problem of constipation, leading to the appearance of hemorrhoids, and strengthen the walls of the small pelvic vessels.
• Therapeutic enemas. Only 3 drops of essential oil should be dissolved in 5 ml of chamomile decoction and injected briefly into the anus. You need to repeat the procedure for a week 1 time per day.

You can use juniper oil internally and externally separately, or you can combine treatment methods, then they will bring the fastest effect.

juniper for diabetes

The medicinal properties of juniper berries and other ingredients help in the treatment of diabetes. To prepare the medicine you need:

• mix 10 g of juniper berries with dandelion roots and flax seeds, they need to be taken 20 g each;
• add 30 g of burdock root, the same amount of nettle leaves and 25 g of dried blueberries;
• pour 5 large spoons of the collection with a liter of water and leave for a couple of hours.

Then the infusion will need to be boiled on fire for another 10 minutes and filtered. You need to drink the remedy three times a day in the volume of a glass. Juniper in combination with medicinal herbs will lower glucose levels and help improve the functioning of the liver and pancreas.

Juniper for weight loss

Healing remedies based on the plant help to get rid of excess weight, instructions for the use of juniper fruits allow even obesity to be treated with it.

To obtain a healthy diet drink, you need to mix the berries of the plant with buckthorn, lovage roots and yarrow in equal volumes. 20 g is separated from the collection and the ingredients are poured with a liter of hot water, and then insisted for 2 hours.

You need to drink a remedy four times a day, 3 sips. Juniper improves the functioning of the digestive system and helps to get rid of toxins more quickly. In addition, the use of the plant normalizes the hormonal background, which is also responsible for body weight. All these benefits of the plant make it a good tool for rapid weight loss.

What is juniper used for?

Indications for the use of juniper fruits apply not only to home medicine. The properties of the plant can be considered completely universal, juniper is beneficial in cosmetology and hygiene procedures.

Juniper in cosmetology

The medicinal properties of the plant are very popular in home cosmetology, as they are great for face and body skin care. The essential oil of the plant is especially often used, it benefits any type of epidermis and has a pronounced rejuvenating effect.

Juniper oil cleanses oily skin and reduces pores, treats acne, softens too dry epidermis and soothes skin irritations. Therefore, you can add it to almost any masks and scrubs for facial skin. You can also meet juniper in cosmetic lotions, creams and masks in stores – many manufacturers include a natural component in their products.

In addition, essential oil is used in the perfume industry. It not only enriches smells, but also serves as a fixative, that is, it is responsible for the durability of the fragrance.

Juniper for hair

For hair care, the essential oil of the plant is also mainly used – juniper makes hair softer and stimulates their growth. In addition, masks with the addition of healthy oil help eliminate dandruff, the properties of the plant normalize the oiliness of the skin on the head and free pores from toxins.

The oil of a medicinal plant can be mixed in a volume of 1-2 drops with any base oils and applied to curls as part of masks. Juniper can also be added to regular shampoo, about 5 drops of oil per handful of hygiene products.

Juniper broom for a bath

Admirers of healing steam highly appreciate the properties of juniper wood and its needles and make fragrant brooms from the branches of the plant. Before visiting the steam room, you only need to soak fresh branches in boiling water for a quarter of an hour, and then whip your skin properly with them.

Brooms have a complex therapeutic effect, they improve blood flow and make the skin more elastic. And since the brooms in the steam room exude a rich coniferous aroma, the procedure is also useful for the respiratory system – a bath with juniper branches perfectly helps with chronic coughs and colds.

juniper pillow

Since the properties of the plant have a pronounced positive effect on nervous disorders, juniper pillows are very popular. They are ordinary pillows for sleeping, densely stuffed not with feathers or padding polyester, but with juniper wood shavings.

During use, such a pillow continuously releases phytoncides and aromatic vapors of essential oil. A pleasant light smell not only helps to calm down and fall asleep faster, but also has a therapeutic effect on colds – eliminates bacteria, strengthens the immune system.

juniper beads

Aromatherapy with juniper is carried out in a variety of ways. Not only aroma lamps and pillows stuffed with wood shavings are used, but also juniper wood beads – beautiful, fragrant and very useful.

The subtle coniferous smell that such beads exude does not irritate the sense of smell, but has a healing effect – it strengthens the body’s defense system, calms the nerves, and helps with insomnia and migraines. The great advantage of beads is that they can be carried everywhere with you – this is an accessory that fits almost any outfit.

Juniper Harvesting

The essential oil of the plant is sold in a pharmacy, but other parts should be prepared independently. To do this, you need to know the basic rules of the collection.

When to Harvest Juniper Berries and Other Parts of the Plant

It is customary to collect the berries of the plant in September, at which time they fully ripen and acquire a rich blue-black color and pronounced medicinal properties. You can continue collecting until the end of October.

The bark for medicinal purposes is best harvested in early spring, during the beginning of the growing season it contains especially many valuable substances. Pine needles can be collected from autumn to spring, and as for the roots, they are cut both in spring and autumn.

Raw materials collection rules

The first thing to remember before harvesting juniper is that only the common subspecies of the plant is suitable for medicinal use. Juniper Cossack is poisonous and has no useful properties.

The picking of berries occurs as follows – a piece of fabric or a large sheet of thick paper is spread under the selected plant, and then the branches of the bush are shaken properly. Ripe berries fall down on their own, this additionally helps to separate ripe fruits from unripe ones.

Then the berries can only be cleaned of needles, dirt and dust and laid out to dry. Dry the juniper in the standard way – in the shade and in conditions of good ventilation.

How to store juniper

Dried berries, roots, bark and needles are recommended to be kept at room temperature in a dark place. It is best to store raw materials in dry glass jars or linen bags. Juniper retains medicinal properties for up to 3 years, after which a new collection must be carried out, since the essential oils and vitamins in the composition of the stale plant are destroyed.

Methods of Use

There are several main ways to use the twigs and fruits of the plant. On its basis, not only medicinal drinks are prepared, but also sweet delicacies, both of which bring health benefits.

Juniper berry tincture

Juniper berries are used in the preparation of medicinal infusions. A couple of small spoons of fresh berries should be poured with a glass of hot water and left covered for 2 hours, and then strained.

juniper twig tea

If the medicinal properties of plant-based infusions are used for medicinal purposes, then tea with fragrant sprigs can be consumed at will, for your own pleasure. To prepare the drink, you need to finely chop the clean needles and twigs of the plant in the amount of 3 large spoons, and then brew with boiling water in a ceramic teapot.

You need to insist the drink for about half an hour, then it can be poured into cups and, if desired, flavored with honey or lemon juice. The benefits and harms of juniper tea are that the medicinal properties of the drink calm the nerves and improve mood, but, of course, it should be consumed in moderation.

Juniper decoction

Another effective remedy with medicinal properties is a simple decoction on the fruits of the plant. To prepare it, 5 g of berries should be poured with a glass of freshly boiled water, put in a water bath and boiled for about a quarter of an hour.

Then the container with the broth is wrapped with a thick towel and left until the drink has completely cooled.

Juniper jam

Dried juniper berries are used to make jam – the delicacy is not only tasty, but also very healthy. True, in large quantities, the healing properties of juniper can harm the body. Therefore, usually a small amount of fruit is added to other ingredients, such as citrus fruits, and the finished jam is multi-component.

The use of juniper cones

In fact, juniper cones are dry berries of this plant – it is not for nothing that they are called cone berries. The main area of ​​application for cones is medicinal drinks and jams, but they can also be found:

• as part of spice mixtures;
• in sauces;
• in sweets;
• in gingerbread.

Juniper cones are used in the process of smoking meat and fish, in the processing of fatty meats. The plant improves the aroma and taste of some vegetables, such as beets or savoy cabbage.

Juniper berry calories per 100 grams

The berries of the plant have an average nutritional value. 100 g of fresh fruit contains only 116 kcal. At the same time, nutrients are represented exclusively by carbohydrates – there are no fats and proteins in the composition of the product.

Contraindications for use

In some cases, the healing properties of juniper can be harmful. Contraindications to the use of the plant are:

• severe hypertension;
• pregnancy and lactation;
• plant allergy;
• kidney failure;
• chronic gastritis and ulcer in the acute stage;
• pancreatitis.

You can use the medicinal properties of the plant for no longer than 2 months in a row, then you need to take a break.

An ambiguous question remains the benefits or harms of juniper in the country. Planting coniferous bushes on the site undoubtedly decorates the landscape and also eliminates problems with the collection of medicinal raw materials. But at the same time, the plant does not coexist well with fruit trees, since it is a carrier of a disease that is dangerous for them – rust.

Conclusion

The healing properties of juniper berries and contraindications are adjacent to each other. Not everyone can use plant-based products, but if there are no prohibitions on the use of juniper, its properties will bring enormous health benefits.