juniper

[Middle English, from Latin iūniperus.]

(click to enlarge)
Juniper berry (Juniperus communis) (credit: Ingmar Holmasen)

Any of about 60 – 70 species of aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs that make up the genus Juniperus of the cypress family, found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Juvenile leaves are needlelike; mature leaves are awl-shaped, spreading, and arranged in pairs or in whorls of three. Common juniper (J. communis) is a sprawling shrub whose fragrant, spicy-smelling berries are used to flavour foods and alcoholic beverages, particularly gin. The fragrant wood of eastern red cedar (J. virginiana) is made into cabinets, fence posts, and pencils. J. horizontalis is a popular U.S. ornamental creeping juniper, and wood of the Mediterranean Phoenician juniper (J. phoenicea) is burned as incense.

For more information on juniper, visit Britannica.com.

The ripened berries of the bush Juniperis communis, used as a flavouring in gin, and, together with other herbs, in stuffing or sauces, especially for game.

Description

Juniper (Juniperus communis) is an evergreen shrub found on mountains and heaths throughout Europe, Southwest Asia, and North America. The tree grows to a height of 6-25 ft (2-8 m) and has stiff, pointed needles that grow to 0.4 in (1 cm) long. The female bears cones that produce small round bluish-black berries, which take three years to fully mature.

Juniper belongs to the pine family (Cupressaceae). Juniper has diuretic, antiseptic, stomachic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antirheumatic properties. The tree's therapeutic properties stem from a volatile oil found in the berries. This oil contains terpenes, flavonoid glycosides, tannins, sugar, tar, and resin. Terpinen-4-ol (a diuretic compound of the oil) stimulates the kidneys, increasing their filtration rate. The flavonoid amentoflavone exhibits antiviral properties. Test tube studies show that another constituent of juniper, desoxypodophyllotoxins, may act to inhibit the herpes simplex virus. The resins and tars contained in the oil benefit such skin conditions as psoriasis.

For more than 300 years, juniper berries have been a popular flavoring agent for gin. The word gin comes from the Dutch word for juniper, "geniver." In addition to being an ingredient in alcohol, juniper also has medicinal properties. Ancient Egyptian doctors used the oil as a laxative as far back as 1550 B.C. The Zuni Native American people used the berries to assist them in childbirth. Other Native Americans gathered juniper berries and leaves to treat infections, arthritis, and wounds. British herbalists used juniper to promote menstruation. Nineteenth-century American herbalists used juniper as a remedy for congestive heart failure, gonorrhea, and urinary tract infections.

Juniper has also been used as a traditional remedy for cancer, arthritis, gas, indigestion, warts, bronchitis, tuberculosis, gallstones, colic, heart failure, intestinal disease, gout, and back pain. The berries were often eaten to relieve rheumatism or to freshen bad breath. When treating patients, doctors often chewed juniper berries to prevent infection.

General Use

Modern herbalists prescribe juniper to treat bladder infections, kidney disease, chronic arthritis, gout, rheumatic conditions, fluid retention, cystitis, skin conditions, inflammation, digestive problems, menstrual irregularities, and high blood pressure. The German Commission E has approved juniper berries for use in treating heartburn and dyspepsia (indigestion), belching, and other digestive disturbances.

Juniper is a powerful diuretic. The volatile oil contained in juniper is composed of compounds that stimulate the kidneys to remove fluid and bacterial waste products from the body. This diuretic action is useful in such conditions as congestive heart failure, urinary infections, and kidney disease.

The oil also has antiseptic properties, which makes it a useful disinfectant treatment for urinary and bladder infections. The German Commission E reported that juniper caused an increase in urine flow and smooth muscle contractions. Juniper may be combined with other herbs such as uva ursi, parsley, cleavers, or buchu to treat bladder infections. In fact, juniper may help treat bladder infections more effectively when combined with other herbs.

Juniper's anti-inflammatory properties help to relieve the inflammation, stiffness, and pain that are present in conditions like arthritis, rheumatism, and gout. The berries can be made into an ointment and rubbed on the affected joints and muscles. The tree needles may be crushed and added to a bath to ease aching muscles. Some people may find relief from the nerve, muscle, joint, and tendon pains of gout and rheumatoid arthritis by applying a compress made from an infusion of juniper berries.

Juniper is also warming to the digestive system and increases the production of stomach acid, stimulates the appetite, settles the stomach, and relieves gas.

A steam distillation process is used to extract the essential oil of juniper from the ripe dried berries. This aromatic oil has a light, fruity fragrance that is psychologically uplifting during periods of low energy, anxiety, and general weakness. Applied topically, essential oil of juniper has a warming effect on the skin and helps to promote the removal of fluid and waste products from tissues. External applications also help relieve sore muscles, joint and lower back pain, and can be used to clear up acne, eczema, and varicose veins. To stimulate menstruation, juniper oil can be added to a carrier oil and used in a sitz bath or massage. Steam inhalation of the essential oil may also help relieve coughs and lung conditions such as bronchitis.

Consumers should use juniper oil sparingly and should not use more than the recommended dose. Six or more drops of juniper oil can have a toxic effect. Any aromatherapy essential oil should be diluted in a carrier oil such as almond or grapeseed oil before external use.

Preparations

The ripe, berries and needles from the tree are used in herbal medicine. Juniper is available in bulk form as whole berries, or as a supplement in the form of capsules or tinctures.

The recommended tincture dosage is 10-20 drops four times daily.

Teas are often taken to relieve digestive problems. To make a tea, 1 cup of boiling water is poured over 1 tablespoon of juniper berries. The mixture is covered and steeped for 10-20 minutes. One cup can be drunk two times daily. The tea should not be used for longer than two weeks at a time. A clean cloth may be soaked in the cooled mixture to create a compress.

Precautions

Juniper should be used only for short periods of time. High doses or prolonged use of juniper may irritate the kidneys and urinary tract, causing damage. People with kidney problems should not use this herb.

Juniper stimulates contractions of the womb. Pregnant women should not use juniper. Breast-feeding women also should not use juniper.

Juniper may increase blood sugar levels in diabetics. Therefore, diabetics should consult with their doctor before using juniper.

When taking juniper for a bladder infection, consumers should see their doctor if the infection is still present after several days of use, or if lower back pain, fever, or chills develop.

Side Effects

External application of juniper oil may cause a skin rash.

People with allergies may experience allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion.

Symptoms of juniper overdose include diarrhea, purplish urine, blood in the urine, kidney pain, intestinal pain, elevated blood pressure, and a quickened heartbeat. If these effects occur, consumers should stop taking juniper and call their doctor immediately.

Interactions

Consumers should use juniper cautiously with other diuretic drugs or substances because excessive fluid loss may occur.

Resources

Books

Time-Life Books. The Alternative Advisor. Alexandria, VA: Time Life Inc., 1997.

Lininger, Skye, D.C. The Natural Pharmacy. Virtual Health, LLC, 1998.

[Article by: Jennifer Wurges]

Juniper berries are made into an aromatherapy oil which is often used as an astringent used in skincare preparations. It has a crisp, earthy, sweet aroma. Juniper may be used in the treatment of cellulitis, gout, hemorrhoids, obesity, rheumatism, and toxin build-up.

Safety Precautions: Should be avoided by those with kidney problems. Avoid during pregnancy.

For other uses, see Juniper (disambiguation).

Juniperus
Juniperus osteosperma in Nevada
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Cupressaceae
Genus:	Juniperus L.
Species
See text

Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus (pronounced /dʒuːˈnɪpərəs/)^[1] of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the mountains of Central America.

Contents 1 Description 2 Classification 3 Cultivation and uses 4 References 5 External links

Description

For more details on this topic, see Juniper berry.

Cones and leaves of Juniperus communis

Junipers vary in size and shape from tall trees, 20-40 m tall, to columnar or low spreading shrubs with long trailing branches. They are evergreen with needle-like and/or scale-like leaves. They can be either monoecious or dioecious. The female seed cones are very distinctive, with fleshy, fruit-like coalescing scales which fuse together to form a "berry"-like structure, 4-27 mm long, with 1-12 unwinged, hard-shelled seeds. In some species these "berries" are red-brown or orange but in most they are blue; they are often aromatic and can be used as a spice. The seed maturation time varies between species from 6–18 months after pollination. The male cones are similar to those of other Cupressaceae, with 6-20 scales; most shed their pollen in early spring, but some species pollinate in the autumn.

Detail of Juniperus chinensis shoots, with juvenile (needle-like) leaves (left), and adult scale leaves and immature male cones (right)

Many junipers (e.g. J. chinensis, J. virginiana) have two types of leaves: seedlings and some twigs of older trees have needle-like leaves 5-25 mm long; and the leaves on mature plants are (mostly) tiny (2-4 mm long), overlapping and scale-like. When juvenile foliage occurs on mature plants, it is most often found on shaded shoots, with adult foliage in full sunlight. Leaves on fast-growing 'whip' shoots are often intermediate between juvenile and adult.

In some species (e. g. J. communis, J. squamata), all the foliage is of the juvenile needle-like type, with no scale leaves. In some of these (e.g. J. communis), the needles are jointed at the base, in others (e.g. J. squamata), the needles merge smoothly with the stem, not jointed.

The needle-leaves of junipers are hard and sharp, making the juvenile foliage very prickly to handle. This can be a valuable identification feature in seedlings, as the otherwise very similar juvenile foliage of cypresses (Cupressus, Chamaecyparis) and other related genera is soft and not prickly.

Juniper is the exclusive food plant of the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix inusitata and Juniper Carpet and is also eaten by the larvae of other Lepidoptera species such as Chionodes electella, Chionodes viduella, Juniper Pug and Pine Beauty.

Classification

The number of juniper species is in dispute, with two recent studies giving very different totals, Farjon (2001) accepting 52 species, and Adams (2004) accepting 67 species. The junipers are divided into several sections, though (particularly among the scale-leaved species) which species belong to which sections is still far from clear, with research still on-going. The section Juniperus is an obvious monophyletic group though.

• Juniperus sect. Juniperus: Needle-leaf junipers. The adult leaves are needle-like, in whorls of three, and jointed at the base (see below right).
  • Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Juniperus: Cones with 3 separate seeds; needles with one stomatal band.
    • Juniperus communis - Common Juniper
      • Juniperus communis subsp. alpina - Alpine Juniper
    • Juniperus conferta - Shore Juniper (syn. J. rigida var. conferta)
    • Juniperus rigida - Temple Juniper or Needle Juniper
  • Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Oxycedrus: Cones with 3 separate seeds; needles with two stomatal bands.
    • Juniperus brevifolia - Azores Juniper
    • Juniperus phoenicea - Pashtune Juniper in Ziarat
    • Juniperus cedrus - Canary Islands Juniper
    • Juniperus deltoides - Eastern Prickly Juniper
    • Juniperus formosana - Chinese Prickly Juniper
    • Juniperus lutchuensis - Ryukyu Juniper
    • Juniperus navicularis - Portuguese Prickly Juniper
    • Juniperus oxycedrus - Western Prickly Juniper or Cade Juniper
    • Juniperus macrocarpa (J. oxycedrus subsp. macrocarpa) - Large-berry Juniper
  • Juniperus sect. Juniperus subsect. Caryocedrus: Cones with 3 seeds fused together; needles with two stomatal bands.
    • Juniperus drupacea - Syrian Juniper

Juniper needles, magnified. Left, Juniperus communis (Juniperus sect. Juniperus; note needles 'jointed' at base). Right, Juniperus chinensis (Juniperus sect. Sabina; note needles merging smoothly with the stem, not jointed at base).

Juniperus phoenicea on El Hierro, Canary Islands

An Eastern Juniper in October laden with ripe cones.

Cones and seeds.

Juniperus occidentalis var. australis, eastern Sierra Nevada, Rock Creek Canyon, California.

• Juniperus sect. Sabina: Scale-leaf junipers. The adult leaves are mostly scale-like, similar to those of Cupressus species, in opposite pairs or whorls of three, and the juvenile needle-like leaves are not jointed at the base (including in the few that have only needle-like leaves; see below right). Provisionally, all the other junipers are included here, though they form a paraphyletic group.
  • Old World species
    • Juniperus chinensis - Chinese Juniper
      • Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii - Sargent's Juniper (Japanese: 深山柏槇)
      • Juniperus chinensis L. var. tsukusiensis Masummune (Chinese: 清水圓柏)
      • Juniperus chinensis Kaizuka (Japanese: 貝塚伊吹)
      • Junipers chinensis var. Procumbens (Japanese: 這柏槇)
      • Junipers chinensis Globosa (Japanese: 玉伊吹)
      • Junipers chinensis Aurea' (Japanese: 金伊吹)
    • Juniperus convallium - Mekong Juniper
    • Juniperus excelsa - Greek Juniper
    • Juniperus polycarpos - Persian Juniper
    • Juniperus foetidissima - Stinking Juniper
    • Juniperus indica - Black Juniper
    • Juniperus komarovii - Komarov's Juniper
    • Juniperus phoenicea - Phoenicean Juniper
    • Juniperus procera - East African Juniper
    • Juniperus procumbens - Ibuki Juniper
    • Juniperus pseudosabina - Xinjiang Juniper
    • Juniperus recurva - Himalayan Juniper
      • Juniperus recurva var. coxii - Cox's Juniper
    • Juniperus sabina - Savin Juniper
      • Juniperus sabina var. davurica - Daurian Juniper
    • Juniperus saltuaria - Sichuan Juniper
    • Juniperus semiglobosa - Russian Juniper
    • Juniperus squamata - Flaky Juniper
    • Juniperus thurifera - Spanish Juniper
    • Juniperus tibetica - Tibetan Juniper
    • Juniperus wallichiana - Himalayan Black Juniper
  • New World species
    • Juniperus angosturana - Mexican One-seed Juniper
    • Juniperus ashei - Ashe Juniper
    • Juniperus barbadensis - West Indies Juniper
    • Juniperus bermudiana - Bermuda Juniper
    • Juniperus blancoi - Blanco's Juniper
    • Juniperus californica - California Juniper
    • Juniperus coahuilensis - Coahuila Juniper
    • Juniperus comitana - Comitán Juniper
    • Juniperus deppeana - Alligator Juniper
    • Juniperus durangensis - Durango Juniper
    • Juniperus flaccida - Mexican Weeping Juniper
    • Juniperus gamboana - Gamboa Juniper
    • Juniperus horizontalis - Creeping Juniper
    • Juniperus jaliscana - Jalisco Juniper
    • Juniperus monosperma - One-seed Juniper
    • Juniperus monticola - Mountain Juniper
    • Juniperus occidentalis - Western Juniper
      • Juniperus occidentalis subsp. australis - Sierra Juniper
    • Juniperus osteosperma - Utah Juniper
    • Juniperus pinchotii - Pinchot Juniper
    • Juniperus saltillensis - Saltillo Juniper
    • Juniperus scopulorum - Rocky Mountain Juniper
    • Juniperus standleyi - Standley's Juniper
    • Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Juniper (Eastern Redcedar)
      • Juniperus virginiana subsp. silicicola - Southern Juniper

Cultivation and uses

Juniper berries are a spice used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and best known for the primary flavoring in gin (and responsible for gin's name, which is a shortening of the Dutch word for Juniper: genever). Juniper berries are also used as the primary flavor in the liquor Jenever and sahti-style of beers. Juniper berry sauce is often a popular flavoring choice for quail, pheasant, veal, rabbit, venison and other meat dishes.

Many of the earliest prehistoric people lived in or near juniper forests which furnished them food, fuel, and wood for shelter or utensils. Many species, such as J. chinensis (Chinese Juniper) from eastern Asia, are extensively used in landscaping and horticulture, and as one of the most popular species for use in bonsai. It is also a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility.

Some junipers are susceptible to Gymnosporangium rust disease, and can be a serious problem for those people growing apple trees, the alternate host of the disease.

Some juniper trees are misleadingly given the common name "cedar"-- including the "red cedar" that is used widely in cedar drawers. True cedars are those tree species in the genus Cedrus, family Pinaceae.

Juniper berries have long been used as medicine by many cultures. Juniper berries act as a strong urinary tract disinfectant if consumed and were used by American Indians as a herbal remedy for urinary tract infections. Western tribes combined the berries of juniperus communis with Berberis root bark in a herbal tea to treat diabetes. Clinical studies have verified the effectiveness of this treatment in insulin-dependent diabetes^{[citation needed]}. Compounds in these plants when combined and ingested have been shown to trigger insulin production in the body's fat cells, as well as stabilize blood sugar levels^{[citation needed]}. Native Americans also used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. ^[2] The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as well as to speed childbirth.^[3]

Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil that may vary from colorless to yellow or pale green. Some of its chemical components are alpha pinene, cadinene, camphene and terpineol.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juniperus

1. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
3. ^ Culpeper's Complete Herbal, Nicholas Culpeper, ISBN 1-85007-026-1

• Adams, R. P. (2004). Junipers of the World: The genus Juniperus. Victoria: Trafford. ISBN 1-4120-4250-X
• Farjon, A. (2001). World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers. Kew. ISBN 1-84246-025-0
• Farjon, A. (2005). Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-068-4

External links

• Junipers of the world
• Gymnosperm Database - Juniperus
• Arboretum de Villardebelle Photos of cones and foliage of selected species

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - enebærtræ, enebærbusk, ene

Nederlands (Dutch)
jeneverbes(struik)

Français (French)
n. - genévrier

Deutsch (German)
n. - Wacholder

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) ιουνίπερος, αγριοκυπαρίσσι

Italiano (Italian)
ginepro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - zimbro (m) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
можжевельник

Español (Spanish)
n. - enebro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - en(buske), ene(trä)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
桧属植物, 杜松

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 檜屬植物, 杜松

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 서양 향나무

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ビャクシン, レダマの木

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شجر العرعر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ערער (שיח, עץ)‬

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