Juniper Berries 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Juniper Berries 100 g ($13.99), 50 g ($9.99), 25 g ($6.99)

Benefits:
Nutrients And Compounds  Though nutrition information on juniper berries is limited, they’re known to provide certain vitamins and an array of plant compounds.

Like many other berries, they contain vitamin C. This vitamin is essential for immune health, collagen synthesis, and blood vessel function. It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting your cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. Juniper berries contain plant compounds like flavonoid antioxidants, volatile oils, and coumarins.

The volatile oils in juniper berries contain substances known as monoterpenes. Research has shown these to have anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties.

Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidants  Antioxidant-rich foods are important for health because they help protect your cells against damage. Juniper berries are rich in essential oils and flavonoids that function as potent antioxidants and may help reduce inflammation. One older 2014 study  detected over 70 compounds in juniper berry essential oil, with the monoterpenes alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, myrcene, limonene, and sabinene making up the majority. The study found that the oil reduced cellular damage in yeast cells by increasing the activity of certain enzymes. Another test-tube study showed that juniper berry essential oil significantly reduced inflammation in human skin cells. The researchers attributed this to the oil’s high concentration of monoterpenes.

Antidiabetic  People used juniper berries in traditional medicine practices to treat diabetes. More recent studies confirm that they may have antidiabetic properties.

Researchers believe these antidiabetic effects are due to the berries’ high concentration of antioxidants. One study on mice found that they helped reduce body weight and improve blood lipid profiles.

Though these findings are promising, research in humans is needed to confirm this potential health benefit.

Heart  Juniper berries may promote heart health by increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol. An older 2007 study in rats with diabetes demonstrated that treatment with juniper berry extract reduced total cholesterol and triglyceride levels by 57% and 37%, respectively, compared with a control group. Though human studies are lacking, research shows that eating berries may reduce heart disease risk factors.

Probably also due in part to its antioxidant qualities, juniper berries can help to improve heart function. For example, juniper berry essential oil has been found to reduce high blood pressure in animal studies, related to the antioxidants it contains. (25) A similar study stated juniper berry’s function as a natural diuretic (in its original or essential oil form) also contributes to its blood pressure-lowering activity. (26)

A study in rats found that juniper berries might be useful in lowering high triglycerides. (27) Juniper berries also function as an “anticholinesterase agent.” (28) This is important for heart function because anticholinesterase agents (natural or pharmaceutical) help to build up acetylcholine in the nervous system, which in turn can slow heart action, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and induce contractions of the heart. Interestingly, the same agents are also used in some cases to treat digestive obstructions, myasthenia gravis (voluntary muscles feel weak and get tired quickly) and Alzheimer’s disease. At present, no studies have been done to investigate the interaction of juniper berries with the latter two conditions.

Antibacterial, Antifungal  Test-tube and animal studies show that juniper berries have powerful antibacterial and antifungal properties. One test-tube study found that juniper berry essential oil significantly inhibited the activity of 3 bacteria that can cause serious infections in humans — M. gordonae, M. avium, and M. intracellulare. Juniper berries may also have antibacterial effects against other bacteria, including mycobacteria. This type of germ can cause a range of diseases. While it’s clear that juniper berries have antibacterial and antifungal properties, human studies are needed to examine whether their extract can be used to treat fungal or bacterial infections in people.

Oxidative Stress, Prevent Disease  One major benefit of juniper berries is the antioxidants they contain. Antioxidants help your body to prevent and fight disease because they relieve oxidative stress caused by too many free radicals in your system. Juniper berries contain polyphenolic compounds known as bioflavonoids, or flavonoids. (6) These compounds are what give fruits and vegetables (and a few other foods) their antioxidant loads. In particular, juniper berries have 87 distinct antioxidant compounds, according to one chemical assessment. (7) These compounds seem to occur more often in ripe berries than in unripe varieties. (8)

Perhaps most significantly, the activity of three extremely important antioxidants in the body is encouraged by juniper berries: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase. (9) Issues with SOD are linked to ALS, Down syndrome, cancers and lung issues. Catalase (an enzyme that brings about (catalyzes) the reaction by which hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to water and oxygen). and SOD both protect against damage from peroxide within the body, while glutathione peroxidase does the same and is associated with helping to prevent and treat cancer and heart disease. (10)

Natural Antiseptic  The antibacterial and antifungal qualities of juniper berries have stood the test of time — which is one reason that juniper berry essential oil is often suggested as a natural household cleaning agent. These berries have compelling effects on many strains of bacteria and fungi. In fact, at least one study suggested they could be part of treatment for skin and respiratory infections. (11, 12)

Juniper berry essential oil powerfully destroys candida fungus, which causes an infection responsible for a huge laundry list of side effects. (13) This essential oil has also been found to eliminate bacteria and reduce inflammation in the mouth as efficiently as chlorhexidine, a common dental drug, but without toxic side effects. (14) Some evidence suggests that juniper berry essential oil can also potentially kill bacteria that are resistant to common antibiotics. (15)

Juniperus drupacea berries from Turkey showed significant antibacterial activity in lab tests against various cells, including the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. (16) Staph infections cause skin infections and issues like boils, and they can sometimes lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, cellulitis or bone infection. Research has shown that another possible use of juniper berries could be as an antioxidant in foods and beverages. In addition, an ethanol extract of these berries has shown significant antibacterial impact against Aspergillus niger, a black mold commonly found on spoiled food. (17)

Skin  One of the most common uses for juniper berries, specifically in essential oil form, is to treat skin issues like rash or eczema. The antioxidants they contain are probably one major reason this can be effective.

In an examination of how animal wounds healed when treated with juniper berry essential oil, researchers discovered that two cultivars of juniper berries “displayed remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities.” (18) This suggests the ancient use of juniper berries as a skin healer has its roots in scientific fact. A lab study in South Korea, shows that it’s possible that juniper berry might be able to help treat skin pigmentation disorders like vitiligo. (19) Juniper berries has also been used for some time to reduce the appearance of cellulite, a harmless cosmetic issue involving fatty deposits that are often found on the thighs, hips and buttocks. (20)

Digestion  Juniper berries have long been considered a digestive aid in folk medicine, but few studies have examined these effects at length. However, one study involving milk cows found that feeding the subjects juniper berry essential oil did result in improved digestive behavior. (21) Because they function as diuretics, juniper berries can help relieve bloating in some cases.

Sleep  Many natural health practitioners recommend juniper berry essential oil as a relaxant and believe it has a positive impact on brain chemistry, encouraging rest.

A study from Mie University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan investigated the effects of a therapeutic fragrance, including juniper berry essential oil as well as sandalwood, rose and orris, on insomniacs currently taking medication for the disorder. Twenty-six of the 29 participants were able to decrease their medication and achieve restful sleep after diffusing the fragrance during the night, and 12 people discontinued their medication entirely by the end of the study. (22)

Cancers  Many herbs and foods that have significant antioxidant activity are studied for their potential impact on diseases like cancer. So far, no human or animal trials have looked at juniper berry’s anticancer potential. However, in a lab setting, juniper berry essential oil or extract has been found to cause apoptosis (cell death) in a drug-resistant strain of leukemia, HepG2 (liver cancer) cells and p53 (neuroblastoma) cells. (23, 24)

Leishmaniasis  It’s possible that juniper berries could be the treatment of the parasite that causes leishmaniasis, a disease commonly contracted in tropical regions and southern Europe. Lab tests showed very potent results of an extract of juniper berry against the parasite. (34)

Botanical Name: Juniperus communis
English: Juniper Berry, Common Juniper Ayurvedic Hapusha, Havushaa, Haauber, Matsyagandha
Unani: Abahal, Haauber, Hubb-ularar, Aarar
Also, known as: Arar, Abahal, Habbul, Havuber, Havubair, Hapushaa, Havulber, Hosh, Padma Beeja, Palash, Hayusha, Wacholder, Genevre, Junipero, Ginepro, Kuli, Abhala, Habul hurer, Hanbera, Juniper bush Ginepro, Enebro, Jenewerbessie, Kataja, Genievre, Wacholderbeeren, Ginepro Junipa, Junipeo Junipero, and Enbar
Habitat: Europe and North America
Origin: Bosnia-Herzegovina
Harvested: Cultivated
Parts Used: Female cones

General Information:
Juniperus communis, an ornamental evergreen shrub or tree of the pine family, grows up to 30 feet with trees and shrubs of about forty species. The common Juniper is a smaller species, usually less than 25-30 feet tall, and many of its numerous varieties are less than 12 ft. The leaves are evergreen, stiff sharp pointed, flat, up to 2 cm long needles with relatively broad base, and glossy green lower surface, and bluish-green upper surface, open in whorls of three. are glaucous and concave above, keeled underneath. Flowers in May, with fleshy fruit of dark purplish color, ripening in the second year after the flower, small, lacking perianth. Female and male flowers on different individuals. Female inflorescences are yellowish-green, male flowers are yellow. Born in groups of three in the leaf axils. The female cones, “Juniper berries” are spherical fleshy berry-like, about 4-6 mm m diameter and dark purple-blue to black when ripe. They have a woody, resinous and turpentine-like aroma and a warm, pine-like taste Male and female cones occur on separate plants. The cones take almost 18 months to ripen.

Juniper berries take two or three years to ripen, so that blue and green berries occur on the same plant. Only the blue, ripe berries are here picked. When collected in baskets or sacks, they are laid out on shelves to dry a little, during they lose some of the blue bloom and develop the blackish color seen in commerce. Juniper is used as a spice in European cuisine, mainly to flavor meat dishes Juniper oil is used in confectionery, meat products, jellies and puddings Every part of the shrub is medicinal, and the French peasantry prepare a sort of tar from the interior reddish wood of the trunk and branches

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

How Much To Use
It is common that 10g of a fresh herb = 1g when dehydrated.
Recommended daily amount: 1 tsp crushed or powdered juniper berries (2-3 g)/use, up to 3 times/day. This can be added to food or to make tea.