Has antibiotic and cleansing abilities and is
often recommended by herbalists to help ease urinary tract infections.
Acts as a diuretic
May help relieve sinus congestion.
Lotions containing Juniper may help relieve
pain when rubbed on rheumatic or arthritic joints.
Some herbalists recommend Juniper during labor
to stimulate contraction. Never take at any other time during during pregnancy.
Side Effects Prolonged use or over use of Juniper can cause kidney damage. Do not
take preparations containing Juniper for more than six weeks at a time.
No interactions with other drugs are known at
this time.
Safety Issues Do not use Juniper if you are pregnant as it may stimulate uterine
contractions and cause miscarriage.
Do not use Juniper if you have have inflammation
of the kidneys or any form of kidney disease.
History of Juniper This aromatic evergreen has been used for medicinal purposes since the time
of the Egyptian pharos. In fact several recipes, written on papyrus, and dating from 1550 B.C.
still exist today.
Throughout the ages Juniper has also played a
vital role in the ritual cleansing and purification rites in temples.
In Europe it was a popular cure-all. Herbalists
used it to treat a wide variety of complaints from typhoid and cholera to tapeworms.
Juniper is perhaps most famous for the
distinctive spicy-sweet flavor that it adds to gin. This was all due to an error made by a
Dutch pharmacist who, in attempting to make a diuretic, created gin. The word 'gin' comes
from the Dutch word for Juniper which is 'geniver'.
