The juniper bush grows in many gardens, because it is very beautiful
and green in summer and wintertime.
In former times juniper bushes where grown because they can heal a lot of diseases. In our days this reason for growing juniper bushes is nearly forgotten.
But it would be a good idea to keep a juniper bush in the garden, to have ones own pharmacy near the home, because juniper is good against a lot of health problems.
It activates the digestion, helps the kidneys and clears the lungs for good breathing.
Also it kill bacterias, which is good against infections.
Medicinal Uses
- Antibacterial
- Full of iron
- Blood cleaning
- Diuretic
- Mucus-dissolvent
- Analgesic
- Sudorific
- strengthening
- Loss of appetite
- Mouth smell
- Digestive weakness
- Heartburn
- Stomach weakness
- Gastritis
- Intestinal inflammation
- Flatulences
- Liver weakness
- Metabolism strengthening
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Rheumatism
- Gout
- Musclerheumatism
- Sciatica
- Cystitis
- Bladder problems
- Bladder stones
- Circulation strengthening
- Nervous heartproblems
- Dropsy
- Irritation
- Coughs
- Bronchitis
- Breathing difficulties
- Cold
- Headaches
- Migraine
- Menstrual complaints
- Bad healing wounds
- Gingivitis
- Psoriasis
Information
| Used Parts: | Berries, Needles, Sprouts, Wood, Roots |
| Time to collect: | April until July |
Methods
All parts of the juniper bush can be used as remedies.
The mainly used parts are the berries, that are used as remedy and in the kitchen. But you can use the needles, wood and roots also.
Respiratory tract
Inhaling the essential oil of juniper together with hot water as steam-bath helps breathing an kills bacterias in cases of bronchitis and infections of the lung.Less mucus is produced and coughing becomes more easy.
Juniper syrup
You can make a syrup against bronchitis.
- Take 100 gr of juniper berries and 400 ml of water.
- Squeeze the berries.
- Pour the boiling water over the berries.
- Cover it and leave it over night.
- Next day heat it slowly and let it boil for a short time.
- Press the mixture through a sieve.
- Boil the liquid again for an instance.
- Add honey or sugar as you like.
Juniper tea for digestion, urinary system and metabolism
You can drink juniper tea oder an tincture of juniper to increase the digestive functions and help the urinary system to throw all the rubbish out of your body.
Beware!
Don't use juniper bush when you have an acute kidney inflammation.
The juniper could irritate the kidney too much in such cases.
The juniper cleanes the blood and therefore helps against rheumatism and gout. Also migrain and nervous heartproblem maybe get better.
Dropsy vanishes, because the surplus liquid in the body is excreted.
Juniper tea can help against womens complaints also.
Because it lowers the level of the blood sugar, juniper could help in light cases of diabetes. But it is important to eat you diet, do sports and ask your doctor when suffering from diabetes.
Juniper tea is made from squeezed berries. User one teaspoon full of berries for one cup of tea. Pour boiling water over the berries and let it wait for 5 to 10 minutes.
Juniper tincture
You can use juniper tincture for the same health problems than juniper tea.
- Fill the berries in a glass, that can be closed.
- Pour some spirit over the berries until the berries are covered.
- Close the glass.
- Let the mixture wait for at least ten days.
- Pour the liquid through a sieve.
- Fill it in a dark bottle
External you can use the tincture on parts of the body that are hurting from rheumatism, gout or sciatica.
Essential oil against painful inflammations
The essential oil of the juniper goes through the skin directly to parts of the body that are inflamed.Therefore you can use it for pains from rheumatism, gout or sciatica.
Use it diluted with water or in a cream.
Concentrated essential juniper oil can irritate the skin.
View:
Needles for bathing the feet
With the young needles you can cook an bath for the feet.The feet will be fresh and the blood supply will be increased.
Swellings will vanish.
Eating the berries
You can just chew the berries.This can maybe help against fetching a flu.
It also helps the digestion and stops smelling through the mouth.
Juniper in the kitchen
In the kitchen junipoer berries are used as a spice.You can spice sauerkraut, meat and fish dishes with juniper berries.
This spice will help to digest the meals.
Plant description
The home of the juniper are the alpes an middle- and norther Europe.
In the mediterranean area there are brothers of the juniper, but they have different kind of needles.
The juniper bush can be between half a meter up to 7 meters (20 feet).
It grows like a column.
Its leaves are needles, the southern brothers of the juniper have scales instead of needles.
There are male and female juniper bushes with different kind of flowers.
The female flowers develop to berries in two years, sometimes three years.
The berries are brounish black, rather soft and a little bit sweet but more bitter.
