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Juniper and Juniper Berries

Generality

Generalities on juniper berries and juniper

Juniper berries are fleshy fruits - strobilus, in the specific case of the galbulo type or cuddle - edible and vaguely similar to blueberries, produced by some plants of the botanical genus Juniperus - Family Cupressaceae.

Juniper berries

Juniper berries are widely used as spices in the kitchen, for the extraction of essential oil - widespread as an aroma - and as a phytotherapeutic remedy. In human and veterinary medicine, juniper berries are used as stomatics and diuretics; in the pharmacy the aqueous extract and the infusion are prepared.

Warning!

Not all species of juniper produce edible berries; on the contrary, some, like those of Juniperus sabbina, are even considered poisonous. It is therefore highly inadvisable to procure juniper berries on your own, especially with little experience, or rely on unofficial sales channels.

The group of junipers includes trees and shrubs, with possible creeping, needle-like and spontaneous attitudes of the native Italian and foreign flora. It grows on rocky, even dry or rainy soils - as long as it is on draining soils, both with a cold alpine climate and typically Mediterranean warm.

The most common and widespread juniper species are: J. communis (which produces juniper berries), J. sabbina (poisonous), J. virginniana (from wood) and J. rigid (ornamental).

Juniper berries

Description of juniper berries

Juniper berries are spherical infructescences, about 7-9 mm in diameter, formed by fleshy floral bracts and mutually welded. They appear dark, bluish, with purple shades near the welds, and covered with a white dust that makes them glaucous (green-blue). The pulp of juniper berries is red-brown and contains small long, bony and angular seeds. The smell is strongly aromatic, the taste at first sweetish and then bitter-bitter.

Juniper

Juniper wood

Common juniper wood is strongly aromatic; it presents with sapwood (younger woody part) yellowish and with heartwood (woody part no longer vital) reddish, almost violet. It is used for small jobs and fine projects; for the same purposes, Phoenician juniper wood is also used.

Red juniper wood is used mainly for the extraction of "Cade Oil", widely used in veterinary medicine against dermatological infections. The juniper wood of Virginia, with dark red heartwood and very fragrant, is used for the production of pencil shafts.

The wood and juniper buds are not "normally" used in the medicinal field.

Juniper "cuttings" are an excellent fuel ingredient for food smoking.

Kitchen

Juniper berries in the kitchen

Juniper berries are used in cooking as spices or flavorings. Like laurel berries, they are not real aromatic herbs. They have a hard consistency and tend to crumble, which is why, unlike sage, parsley, chives, basil etc., it is advisable to remove them before serving.

They are very suitable for raw marinating and / or for seasoning cooking offal - for example the liver, intestines, heart, lungs etc. - and meat, especially black - game, such as wild boar, deer, fallow deer, hare, duck, pheasant, quail, etc. - or in any case very tasty - sheep, mutton, goat, guinea fowl etc.

Juniper berry sauce is often a highly aromatic seasoning and very well known, especially abroad, for meat recipes.

Other uses of juniper berries

Juniper berries and essential oil ( J. communis ) have, in addition to the culinary one, many other types of use: phytotherapic, cosmetic, personal perfuming, environmental etc.

Drinks

Juniper berries in drinks

Juniper berries are used in the flavoring of alcoholic beverages; mainly:

  • Ethyl distillation from fermented juice: juniper, juniper, borowitchka, steinhager, brinjevec, etc .;
  • Distillation of alcohol on berries: gin - "gin" derives from the Dutch word "genever" - genièvre, geneva, jenever.

It is also common to use juniper berries for flavoring beverages such as kaddikowe piwo (Poland) and sauces and preserves such as wodnjika (Serbia).

Sahti-style beers are other alcoholic beverages, less known than the previous one, made from juniper berries.

Composition

Composition of juniper berries

The berries contain: resins, pectins, inverted sugars (especially in dried juniper berries), inosite, volatile oil and juneprine (or gineprina); leave about 3-4% of ashes.

To highlight, more in detail, the presence of:

  • Essential oil rich in: pinene, sabinene, candinene, myrcene, terpinen-4-ol. Note : if left to rest, it deposits in very fine needle-shaped crystals based on juniper or juniper camphor;
  • Tannins;
  • diterpenes;
  • proanthocyanidins;
  • Flavonoids;
  • diterpenes;
  • Resins;
  • Monosaccharides.

Essential oil

What is juniper essential oil?

Juniper essential oil is an oily liquid obtained by distillation from chopped berries. Furthermore, through the processing with water and vacuum concentration of the residues, it is also possible to obtain juniper extracts.

Quality of juniper essential oil and extraction yield

The yield in the distillation of the essential oil is quite heterogeneous among the various qualities of juniper. The Italian one (especially from the Apennine ridge) is considered to be among the finest and contains up to 1.5% (more often 1%) of essential oil. The Bosnian and French varieties seem more profitable, with 2%, while the Germanic one (less profitable) is probably the most valuable.

Description of juniper essential oil

The essence of juniper is a faded green, basically unstable, liquid that turns sour / rancid very quickly. The smell vaguely recalls turpentine, while the taste is balsamic, spicy and bitter.

Use and hints of juniper essential oil properties

The essential oil of juniper was born for aromatic use in the liquor store. Today a certain officinal function is also known. For internal medicine, the essential oil shows good diuretic, stomatal and carminative properties. For topical use, instead, it mainly works for its revulsive qualities. It is used internally as a stomachic, diuretic and anthelmintic; externally as a disinfectant and revulsive. Juniper essential oil also has a wide use in the aromatic flavor of sauces, meats and aromatic vinegars.

Indications

Indications of juniper berries

Juniper berries and essential oil are used in herbal medicine - sometimes only in folk medicine - as a remedy for:

  • Disorders of the digestive system, such as nausea and loss of appetite, heartburn, swelling;
  • Diseases of the respiratory system;
  • Diseases of the urinary tract, such as kidney stones and bladder, cystitis;
  • Rheumatological and muscular problems;
  • Wounds.

Below we will try to better understand which of these indications have a scientific basis and which are to be ignored.

Property

Properties of juniper berries

The most important properties, actually demonstrated, of juniper berries are:

  • Antidyspeptic: it improves digestion in the broadest sense, especially in the first part or that of gastric permanence;
  • Diuretic: increased renal filtration and urinary secretion;
  • Favoring the contractility of smooth muscles, especially uterus and abortive;
  • Antimicrobial: both to bacteria and to fungi.

Patients suffering from rheumatic diseases declare that, by using topical juniper essential oil, applied with friction on the affected area, an improvement in the symptoms can be enjoyed. Note : this does not concern intake by mouth, which has no effect on rheumatological problems.

Despite the unquestionable antimicrobial effect, it has not been proven that the intake of juniper berries can reduce urinary tract diseases such as cystitis. It is different in the application for topical use, which shows a certain antiseptic function.

For more information, see also: Juniper in herbal medicine: Properties of the Juniper.

Did you know that ...

Juniper wood ash is considered one of the main sources of nutritional calcium for the Navajo tribes, who do not drink milk; for this reason it is a fundamental ingredient of common corn-based dishes.

Assumption Mode

How to consume juniper berries

Juniper berries can be used fresh or dried, whole - especially in the kitchen - or reduced to powder - in capsules; for phytotherapeutic purposes, some prefer to use the essential oil but it is a very concentrated product.

Another form of juniper berry intake is with beverages, in particular: herbal teas, infusions, decoctions and juices. For more information, read: Juniper in Tisane. See also: Diuretic herbal tea with Juniper, Asparagus and Gramigna.

dosage

How many juniper berries do you take?

Using juniper berries in the kitchen especially as a spice to remove, very few know the correct dosage of this seasoning. It is mostly sufficient to adopt a pinch of common sense.

Nevertheless, exceeding the dose of 2-10 g of dried berries - which corresponds to 20-100 mg of essential oil - increases the probability that the ingestion of dried juniper berries may give rise to some side effects. Below we will see them in more detail.

Interactions

Interactions of juniper berries

No interactions of any kind are known between the berries and / or the essential oil of juniper and or drugs currently in use; on the other hand, it cannot be excluded that it may interfere with the therapeutic action of oral diuretic and hypoglycemic agents.

Contraindications

Contraindications of juniper berries

Essential oil and juniper berries are not without contraindications; on the contrary, it seems that the potential adverse reactions can also be serious.

It is recommended to avoid juniper berries in case of:

  • Specific allergy, although it usually concerns flower pollen; it is advisable to suspend the use even in case of adverse, cutaneous or systemic, idiopathic reactions;
  • Pregnancy; furthermore, it is advisable not to exceed during breastfeeding, especially in the first weeks;
  • Renal diseases of an inflammatory nature;
  • Gastro-duodenal disorders, such as gastritis and peptic ulcer;
  • Intestinal disorders and discomforts, especially due to irritation and inflammation;
  • Large wounds;
  • Hypertension or arterial hypotension;
  • Taking diuretic drugs
  • Diabetes treated with hypoglycemic drugs.

Side effects

Side effects of juniper berries

The most serious side effects, therefore most feared, related to the intake of juniper berries are:

  • Systemic allergic reaction with anaphylactic shock;
  • Convulsions;
  • Renal damage or aggravation of a pre-existing disease;
  • Uterine contractions, which can anticipate giving birth making it premature.

It should however be specified that these are very rare events, mostly related to overdosing and / or prolonged use.

More frequent and less rare are the side effects concerning the contact with juniper berries or essential oil, which can give rise to: irritation, burning, redness and swelling.