MIND-BLOWING FACTS ABOUT JUNIPER

Juniper is a hardy plant that is able to withstand the difficult climates of the Arctic region, Alaska, subtropics and even grows high in the mountains. The highest juniper forest can be found at the altitude of  about 4,900 m  in the northern Himalayas and south-eastern Tibet. The useful properties of juniper were known and utilized in Ancient Greece and Rome. Today juniper berries are widely used as well. Medicinal infusions, tinctures, ointments and essential oils are prepared from them.

 Juniper is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees or shrubs belonging to the Cupressaceae family. There are about 67 juniper species that grow all over the Northern Hemisphere. The plant varies in size from 1-3 m to 20-40 m tall. The bark of the juniper plant is dark grey and covered with cracks. The needles are prickly and hard, about 1.5 cm long. The plant has both male and female cones. When juniper cones become mature they acquire a spherical shape and blue color with some glaucous bloom.

Juniper Facts

• Juniper exists on our planet for about 50 million years. 
• Juniper can live up to 600 years.
• Juniper berries are actually cones. They are not eaten as traditional berries but are used as a spice.
• The air is much cleaner in the areas where juniper trees grow. During the day, one hectare of juniper trees evaporates around 30 kg of phytoncids (this is enough to cleanse the atmosphere of large cities from pathogenic organisms).
• During the Second World war in one of the hospitals of the Crimea surgeons used to carry out operations directly in the juniper grove. No postoperative complications emerged!
• In Ancient Rus the bark of the juniper trees was used for making plates and dishes. The milk didn’t turn sour in such plates even on a hot day.
• Juniper branches are used as a kind of supplement to the sauna brooms and for disinfection of barrels and other wooden containers for storage of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.
• With the course of time juniper wood acquires a distinctive durability. It is often utilized for producing walking-sticks and pencils.
• It is believed that when you see a juniper tree in your dreams it presignifies a happy change in your life, wealth and good luck.
• Juniper is used as a flavoring for juices, fruit drinks and compotes. Juniper berries give meat an exotic, spicy aroma and pleasant bitterness.

Methods of Use

Juniper berries are widely used as a spicy addition to food. Juniper can be also utilized in the form of oils, tisanes, infusions, ointments, supplements, tinctures and extracts.

Juniper berries are widely used in cosmetology. It is often used as a massage oil during a therapeutic massage. Juniper berries are often used in cosmetics for juvenile skin. Moreover, juniper berries can be a component of anti-aging cosmetic products. 

And now we’d like to share with you a simple and beneficial juniper tea recipe.

Juniper Berries Tea Recipe

What you need:

• 1 tbsp of juniper berries
• 1 cup (200 ml) of boiling water

Take 1 tablespoon of juniper berries and mash them. Add the boiling water. Let the tea brew. The resulting amount of tea divide into 2-3 portions and drink hot after meals. The tea improves digestion. It can also treat the lungs and upper respiratory diseases. It has a strong diuretic effect so can be used to strengthen the kidney function and for the urinary tract lavage.