Juniper Berries have been traditionally used as a diuretic, stomachic, and carminative. Applied externally, the oil is a local stimulant.
Juniper is an evergreen shrub or tree up to 6m high with bluish-green stiff needles. It has small flowers and berries that are green in the first year, black in second and third. Essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from the berries. Although these valuable berries are produced from a native shrub, the berries used in commerce are chiefly collected from cultivated plants. Sunny slopes are likely to be the best places to cultivate the shrub for the berries.
Historical Uses: Used medicinally for urinary infections, for respiratory problems as well as gastro-intestinal infections. It helps expel the build-up of uric acid in the joints and is employed in gout, rheumatism and arthritis.
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