Application of juniper branches. Common juniper – use in folk medicine. Aromatic restorative juniper baths

Common juniper is an amazingly healing plant, mentioned even in the Old Testament. He was considered sacred, therefore he was honored and valued. This green shrub is endowed with a whole arsenal of useful properties, which were known even in ancient Rome and Egypt. In addition, this is a plant of extraordinary beauty. However, it is valued not only for its beauty and durability. Since ancient times, it was believed that in places where bushes grew, the air was much cleaner, and it was there that wounded, exhausted animals went. They ate berries, and thus restored their health and lost strength.

Almost nothing has changed to this day. People who are familiar with juniper as a medicinal plant use it to cure many ailments.

Description of the plant. Preparation of medicinal raw materials.

Common juniper is an evergreen, monoecious or dioecious shrub of the Cypress family, reaching a height of five meters or more. Other names: heather, northern cypress, grouse bush, juniper, juniper.

The shrub is endowed with a cone-shaped or ovoid crown, reddish-brown shoots, gray-brown bark, linear and prickly needles. Juniper blooms in early spring, April-May, and the ripening of fruits (cones) occurs in the autumn, in the second year. Mixed and coniferous forests, forest edges, clearings, river banks, wooded mountain slopes are places where evergreen shrubs grow.

For medicinal purposes, juniper cones are mainly used. It is recommended to collect them in late autumn. By this time, they will not only finally ripen, but will also accumulate a sufficient amount of healing and nutrients necessary for the human body. To harvest, spread cellophane or burlap under the bush and cover the fruits. After harvesting, be sure to sort the berries and clean them of unripe, spoiled and foreign debris.

Juniper - composition and medicinal properties.

The main component of the plant is essential oil. In addition, it includes a considerable amount of:

• sugars;
• resinous substances;
• fatty oils;
• organic acids: formic, malic, acetic;
• tannins;
• ascorbic acid;
• flavonoids;
• wax;
• pectins;
• bitter and coloring substances;
• potassium salts.

Preparations based on juniper have:

• painkillers
• expectorant;
• antimicrobial;
• disinfectant;
• diuretic;
• lactogonic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• choleretic;
• antitumor;
• wound healing effect.

Use of juniper in medicine

Medicines from this plant are used to cure: laryngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis, gout, rheumatism, dropsy, tuberculosis, nervous disorders. Decoctions, infusions, extracts, powders are prepared from it and used for both internal and external use.

The raw fruits of the plant are incredibly beneficial for the intestines. This is an excellent anthelmintic and diuretic. No less useful are teas, infusions, and tinctures made from heather berries.

Preparation of antihelminthic tea. Combine juniper fruits with horsetail, wheatgrass, licorice, bearberry, birch buds, parsley and cornflower. Grind and mix thoroughly. Brew ten grams of plant material with 200 milliliters of boiling water, then leave to brew for thirty minutes. Filter and drink half a cup of tea three times a day.

Healing baths will help get rid of neuroses. Pour dried and crushed juniper fruits with water, place on the stove, and boil. Pour the finished broth into a bathtub filled with hot water. The duration of the procedure is fifteen minutes. Take similar baths twice a week for neuroses, preferably before going to bed.

Treatment with a decoction of obliterating endarteritis. Twenty grams of dried crushed heather fruits, pour 300 ml of water, boil. Leave the product to simmer over low heat for twenty minutes. Leave the broth for a couple of hours. Filter, bring the volume to the original volume with boiled water. Take five grams of the medicine no more than four times a day.

Preparation of a choleretic decoction. Brew a spoonful of finely chopped juniper raw materials (fruits) in 300 ml of boiled water. Leave the product to sit for thirty minutes. Take 100 ml of medicine before meals.

A decoction of the fruit will help cure colds, coughs and pneumonia. Take ten grams of crushed raw materials and pour 500 ml of water, place on the stove and boil over low heat for half an hour. Filter and consume ten grams of the medicine twice a day.

The same decoction is recommended for rinsing the mouth and throat for diseases such as stomatitis and pharyngitis.

Baths will eliminate itching due to allergies. Take heather needles, chop finely, add half a liter of water and boil. Pour this decoction into a bath filled with warm water. Take such baths twice a week. The duration of the procedure is ten minutes.

Anesthetic bath for gout. You will need the fruits or needles of the plant. Finely chop and brew a glass of raw material in a liter of water, boil and add the broth to the bath. Take this bath for twenty minutes twice a week.

Juniper bark in curing sexual impotence. Remove the bark from young branches of northern cypress, finely chop and brew fifteen grams of raw material in a liter of boiling water. Leave in a warm place for ten hours. After the time has passed, boil, cool, filter and drink half a glass of the medicine three times a day.

Preparation of healing tincture. To prepare the product, take pine needles and young shoots of juniper. Finely chop the ingredients, then fill a three-liter jar with the raw materials, almost to the top. It is advisable that the container be dark. Fill the raw material with vodka or alcohol. Close the container tightly and place in a dark, cool room for sixty days. Use the product to treat the skin for the following diseases: psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema. Make compresses to treat radiculitis, and also rinse your throat with a diluted tincture.

Treatment of obesity with juniper. Combine juniper berries with yarrow, buckthorn and lovage rhizomes. Grind and mix all ingredients thoroughly. Brew twenty grams of the mixture in half a liter of boiled water. Drink a quarter glass no more than four times a day.

Diabetes mellitus - treatment with infusion. Mix crushed northern cypress fruits with finely chopped violet leaves blueberries, flax seeds. Brew three tablespoons of plant material in a liter of water. Drink half a glass of infusion three times a day.

Juniper is an evergreen shrub or tree of the cypress family. There are 71 species of this plant. Juniper is distributed in areas ranging from the Arctic to subtropical mountainous regions. Only the East African species is native to Africa. Most species grow in areas of certain mountain systems, outside of which they are self-replaced by other related, but at the same time distinguishable species. Only the habitat of the common juniper is extensive. The use of juniper, the medicinal properties and contraindications of which have been known to people for a long time, began from time immemorial. Let's take a closer look at this representative of the cypress family and find out its healing properties for human health.

Distribution and description of the coniferous plant

Tree-like junipers form light forest zones, which are characteristic of the Mediterranean, Western and Central Asia, as well as Mexico and the southern part of North America. But such forests are located in small areas. The remaining species are characterized by smaller sizes. They grow in deciduous forests, where free access to sunny color is provided. Low species that creep along the surface of the ground grow on rocky slopes and cliffs. The most famous of this species is the Crimean juniper, the use of which is widespread, since its medicinal properties have long been proven effective. The plant loves sunlight, does not require frequent watering and special soil conditions, but grows and develops better in nutritious and light soils.

Due to the large number of species, it is impossible to say unambiguously about the degree of frost resistance of juniper, since some species grow and develop well in the harsh arctic climate, while others are able to survive only in the subtropical zone.

The creeping species reproduces most often by offsets. Propagation of common juniper is by seeds, which germinate only a year after sowing, and by cuttings prepared in early autumn. Rarely encountered species that have medicinal properties are propagated by grafting to a related species.

The plant is characterized by bare buds, without scales, surrounded by short leaves tightly adjacent to the base. Only the stone fruit species is characterized by numerous dense scales on the buds. Young plants are characterized by needle-like leaves, while mature plants have scale-like leaves.

The berries are indehiscent scales, tightly adjacent to each other, which form a kind of cones and are called “cone berry”. Juniper berries ripen in the second year of the plant's life. The juniper root does not lie at great depth.

Application of the plant

The use of juniper was practiced many thousands of years ago. Cypress trees are resistant to rotting, so even before the advent of kitchen utensils, ancestors used juniper wood as a material for making dishes. It has been noticed that food products stored in juniper containers remain fresh longer. Even before the official concept of “medicine” appeared, people found the use of the beneficial properties of this plant. In ancient times, patients with tuberculosis were driven into juniper thickets for a week, from where the sick once returned healthy. Such facts formed in the minds of the people of that time a belief in the mystical properties of this coniferous representative of the cypress family. In those days, the healing properties of the berries and other parts of the plant were positioned as sacred. We understand that the use of juniper for medicinal purposes is due to a long list of beneficial properties.

What are the benefits of juniper?

What does juniper help with? The list is huge. The berries of the plant contain essential oils that have an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect. The fruits can have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract and increase the secretion of gastric juice and bile. Infusions from berries are used as a diuretic. Medicines containing the essential oils of this coniferous tree or shrub help with asthma and respiratory diseases.

Interesting fact: one hectare of juniper can clear the air of a medium-sized city from harmful impurities in 24 hours.

For what diseases is the use of juniper beneficial for health?

Among the indications that berries, fruits and other parts of the plant can help with are:

• Edema syndromes associated with liver failure
• Cystitis
• Hearing aid diseases
• Tuberculosis of open and closed forms
• Rheumatic disease
• Bronchitis
• Skin diseases, including allergic manifestations in the form of rashes

Interestingly, the berries are prescribed to nursing mothers during periods of lactation crisis. Juniper essential oil, the properties of which have been studied, can calm the central nervous system during depression and stress. The fruits are used in gastronomy. The berries are added as a seasoning similar to black pepper. The fruits go well with meat, fish and poultry. The bactericidal effect is used to disinfect rooms where tuberculosis patients are constantly staying. Clothing and personal items are fumigated with set fire to pine needles.

Contraindications for treatment

Although the health benefits of juniper have long been proven, there are some conditions for which the collection cannot be used. Ignorance will cause harm. Contraindications include pregnancy, acute inflammatory processes in the kidneys and the acute phase of gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers. The treatment will also cause harm if the patient has problems with blood pressure; in severe forms of hypertension, treatment with plant extracts is contraindicated.

Contraindications to the medicinal plant include individual intolerance - allergies. Allergies to fruits and pine needles are extremely rare, but you need to be aware of reactions if treatment is carried out for the first time. Therefore, when going to an area where juniper grows, you must take antihistamines with you. You should use the collection (or berries/fruits) of common juniper only after consulting a competent doctor, who will assess the condition of the body and, if necessary, select an alternative drug.

The benefits of using common juniper berries will only be if taken correctly and in dosage. An overdose of self-prepared berry decoctions is fraught with poisoning; in this case, the harm will be higher than the expected benefit.

The benefits of juniper in caring for skin and hair are due to the fact that the healing properties of the plant’s essential oils have a direct effect on the deep layers of the epidermis and hair follicles. The root and branches, steamed with boiling water, are good to use as a natural hair rinse. The use of juniper berries, crushed using a blender, as an active component in masks, nourishes the skin and has a lifting effect. The effect and benefits will be noted after the first use.

Experienced herbalists advise chewing fruits and berries during seasonal exacerbations of acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections, thereby preventing these diseases and increasing the immune properties of the body. But you need to be careful for pregnant women and children - this recipe can harm them.

The fruits and other parts of the juniper have been recognized centuries ago as effective in combating a variety of diseases. The benefits, harms, and how the healing properties of this long-lived evergreen help are described in respected medical encyclopedias, so it makes sense, if necessary, to turn to officially verified sources. This material is for informational purposes only!

Juniper(Juniperus) is a plant that belongs to the Cypress family.

Pharmacy name - juniper fruit - Juniperifructus, juniper essential oil - Juniperiaetheroleum.

Juniper berries collected in the fall, after they ripen, are used for medicinal purposes.

Leaves, branches and the bushes themselves also provide benefits in the form of ozone generators for parks and forest plantings.

In terms of bactericidal capabilities, juniper essential oil has no competitors, and no tree produces as many phytoncides as juniper.

Treatment of diseases with juniper

In modern medicine, it is considered effective to consume juniper cones in the form of:

• disinfectant;
• diuretic;
• expectorant.

It has long been known about:

• general strengthening;
• antipyretics;
• anti-inflammatory;
• painkillers;
• stimulating digestion;
• tonic and choleretic properties of juniper.

The anti-inflammatory and disinfecting properties of juniper oil on the urinary tract are also effective, and its detoxification properties are used in cleansing procedures. Juniper oil has a beneficial effect on the digestion process, and its use for bloating and heartburn is quite justified.

In addition, wine, beer, vodka, cognac, and the famous English gin are obtained from juniper.

The juniper broom is good in the Russian bathhouse; it was also used to fumigate huts to purify the air and fight annoying insects.

The active substances of the plant are mainly monoterpenes, such as micrin, pinene, sabinene, terpinene, limonene, camphene. The essential oil of juniper fruit contains terpineol, which improves filtration in the renal glomeruli and prevents the reverse resorption of chlorine and sodium ions in the convoluted tubules of the kidneys. Galenic preparations of juniper fruits are able to increase bile secretion and bile formation, enhance the secretion of bronchial glands and the secretion of gastric juice.

The infusion of juniper berries preserves trace elements, vitamins and antiseptic substances, as well as compounds with expectorant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and laxative effects. Since juniper berry infusion can disinfect the urinary tract, it can be used in the treatment of cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Milk in containers made from juniper does not sour even on a hot day, and in barrels steamed with juniper, vegetables pickled for the winter are preserved for a long time.

Juniper has been used in folk medicine for a very long time. Its seeds and cones, both fresh and in the form of powders or infusions, are used for dropsy, asthma, cough, gout, intestinal and stomach diseases. Traditional healers kept threads in juniper oil for suturing wounds, and also treated fresh cuts and festering wounds with this product. Nervous diseases are also treated with juniper.

Juniper preparations are recommended for hepatopathy associated with stagnation of bile, cholelithiasis; these remedies are effective for urinary retention and urolithiasis, and for papillomatosis of the bladder. They are used in the treatment of stomach ulcers and gastroenteritis; they significantly improve intestinal motility and digestion. This is a good pain reliever for colic caused by bloating and indigestion, and a powerful medicine for impaired fluid metabolism in the body. Diuretic properties are also important, which are used for edema caused by renal failure, impaired functioning of the heart, blood circulation, and liver.

Juniper preparations dilute mucus and eliminate inflammatory processes in the bronchi and lungs. They are used for chronic respiratory diseases and tuberculosis.

With the help of these means, uric acid is removed from the body, this is of great importance in the treatment of gout, rheumatism, arthritis, as well as cholesterol, which is necessary in the treatment of atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Other useful properties include the ability to increase the elasticity of blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, and cleanse the blood. These products strengthen the immune system, they are taken for delayed menstruation and associated pain, leucorrhoea, obesity and cellulite, inflammation of the skin, seborrhea, acne, lichen, eczema, scabies, dermatitis and fungal diseases, they initiate intensive restoration of the skin and accelerate healing of thermal burns.

European plant Juniper Over time, it spread throughout the world and, in terms of its bactericidal and other beneficial properties, it holds the lead among trees and shrubs. A small juniper forest can improve the atmosphere of a small town in a day.

However, it is not so easy to take advantage of this property in a polluted metropolis, since this plant is very sensitive to living conditions. The pharmacological properties of this tree have found a vocation in official medicine.

For health purposes, sweetish juniper berries are used, which have a special aroma and ripen by mid-autumn. They should be dried in a ventilated area and stored in containers with free access to air.

However, juniper preparations have some contraindications and should not be used by patients with serious gastrointestinal diseases, kidney diseases, or during pregnancy.

Since ancient times, juniper was used as a folk disinfectant and its smoke was used to fumigate clothes and living quarters, and juniper infusion was used to treat floors and wash dishes in a hospital or the house of a sick person. In Rus', juniper was revered as a talisman protecting against evil spirits, so branches of the plant were hung behind the iconostasis and laid out in huts.

Compound

The medicinal properties of juniper are determined by its chemical composition, varied and rich. Juniper contains essential oil including flavonoids, organic acids, resins, potassium salts, tannins and pectin. The medicinal properties of juniper are supported by the presence of unenone and terpineol, which have a powerful diuretic and disinfectant effect. An effective antihistamine is another chemical component - the essential oils of this plant.

Use of juniper for medicinal purposes

For rheumatic pain and radiculitis Juniper oil is used for external rubbing.

Juniper fruits are included in preparations that are beneficial for bronchial asthma, gout, arthritis, cholecystitis and kidney diseases.

An infusion of fruits is used as a diuretic and choleretic agent for edema,and also to improve digestion. It can also be made at home, for which up to fifteen dried juniper fruits are brewed with a glass of boiling water, infused, and consumed several times a day, a tablespoon at a time.

The medicinal properties of juniper also appear for neuroses, coniferous baths of this plant are used here. A glass of pine needles is boiled in a liter of water, filtered and added to the bath. The water temperature should correspond to body temperature, and the entire procedure lasts up to twenty-five minutes. Such baths are also very useful for patients with endarteritis, when peripheral circulation is impaired; in addition, they are used for joint pain, gout and radiculitis. In addition to the bath, it is useful to use juniper infusion, for which up to forty grams of the fruit is brewed with a glass of boiling water. Take a third of a glass orally several times a day.

Fresh juniper fruits are also useful, as they canimprove blood quality, they are recommended to be chewed daily on an empty stomach. Treatment begins with one berry, then gradually increases consumption to fifteen berries, and then reduces their quantity in the reverse order.

Raw berries are effective and when removing worms, a special herbal tea is prepared for this purpose. Take a tablespoon of the mixture, including wheatgrass rhizome, horsetail, bearberry leaves, parsley, licorice leaves, birch buds and cornflower and mix this mixture with a tablespoon of juniper berries, all this is brewed with a glass of boiling water. After infusion, the product is filtered and consumed in an amount of thirty to fifty milliliters before meals.

Juniper preparations have effective medicinal properties for colds such as pleurisy, acute respiratory infections, and pneumonia. To prepare this decoction, take a tablespoon of fruit, brew it with two glasses of boiling water and then boil for another quarter of an hour, filter and bring the infusion to its original volume. You should consume half a glass before meals, three times a day.

For stomatitis or sore throat Brew a tablespoon of fruit with a glass of boiling water, leave it covered and gargle your throat and mouth with this natural preparation.

The healing properties of juniper will help and for fever, since it exhibits an excellent diaphoretic effect. Here you should prepare a tincture, for which you squeeze the juice out of juniper berries and add honey to it in a 1:1 ratio. The product is taken one dessert spoon in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. For inflammation of the bladder, crush two teaspoons of juniper berries, add a glass of hot water and leave for up to three hours. The entire amount of infusion should be consumed per day.

An amazingly healing plant, mentioned even in the Old Testament as a bush in which the newborn Jesus was hidden

Juniper in folk medicine

Juniper is an amazingly healing plant, mentioned even in the Old Testament as a bush in which the newborn Jesus was hidden. Over time, it began to be considered a sacred plant, and the healing properties of juniper in the treatment of a variety of diseases have long been known.

For this, juniper needles, bark, cone berries and even roots are used. However, you should be careful and take into account the contraindications for juniper.

Juniper (which is also called juniper, heather, northern cypress, brogue, grouse bush) is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs belonging to the cypress family. It can reach a height of 20 meters, and its lifespan, although in rare cases, is 600 years.

On the territory of Russia, the common juniper most often grows, which can be up to 12 meters high, has gray-brown or reddish-brown bark, hard small leaves in the form of coniferous branches, and fruits called juniper berries.

The shrub blooms in May, after which numerous small round green cones with a diameter of 0.7-0.9 cm are formed with a bright pine aroma and a sweetish taste, which in the second year become blue-black with a gray coating. Cone berries are collected in the fall, usually in October-November, and then used as a herb, spice, and, of course, in medicine.

Ripe juniper fruits contain acids of organic origin (formic, acetic, malic), grape sugar and other sugars (up to 80%), bitter resins, essential oils (terpinene, camphene, pinene, phellandrene, etc.), mineral salts, wax.

remember, that There is also a poisonous Cossack juniper, which is never used for medicinal purposes. Its fruits are distinguished by their blue-black color, lumpy surface, and the leaves are flat rather than needle-shaped.

For medicinal purposes, mainly cone berries and essential oils are used.

In addition, juniper bark and needles, which are very rich in essential oils, are used to get rid of diseases. The needles also contain a lot of ascorbic acid, and the bark contains saponins, resins, tannins and dyes.

Juniper branches have long been used to improve indoor air, destroy microbes (phytoncides destroy up to 30% of harmful microorganisms contained in the air), and they were used to prepare healing baths for the treatment of joint diseases.

Moreover, the bactericidal properties of the branches of this coniferous shrub are 6 times greater than those of pine, which is why previously, during epidemics, houses were fumigated with smoke from burning pine needles, and patients with tuberculosis and other pulmonary diseases were settled closer to juniper thickets.

Essential oils are found primarily in fruits (up to 2%), but also in bark (0.5%), needles (0.18%), and stems (0.25%). That’s why juniper brooms are so popular in the bathhouse, as they perfectly help with joint diseases, rheumatism, and skin diseases.

Even juniper roots are used for medicinal purposes - for liver diseases, bronchitis, rheumatism, edema, inflammation of the appendages; A decoction of the roots is also drunk for stomach ulcers, and the bark is used in folk medicine for venereal diseases.

Other beneficial properties of juniper:

diuretic (especially widely used to eliminate edema in heart and kidney diseases)

• antimicrobial agent for diseases of the urinary organs;
• for expectoration and thinning of sputum in diseases of the respiratory system;
• increases appetite, improves digestion and intestinal motility;
• a remedy for decreased immunity and used for anemia.

Juniper contraindications

Despite its amazing usefulness, juniper also has contraindications, in which the use of tinctures and decoctions with the fruits, needles or bark of this shrub is extremely undesirable:
1. During pregnancy, since the active substances of the plant increase blood supply to the pelvic organs, which increases the risk of bleeding;
2. Children under three years of age;
3. Old age – after 55 years (with caution);
4. Kidney diseases, especially of an inflammatory nature - juniper has a strong irritating effect on this organ, especially on the parenchyma;
5. Periods of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases (acute gastritis, stomach ulcers, acute colitis);
6. Dropsy.

In any case, it is better to consult with your doctor before starting to use juniper than to deal with allergic reactions and exacerbations of diseases later.

Treatment with juniper: folk recipes with pine needles and plant bark

Despite some contraindications, juniper deserves great attention, because. infusions, decoctions, tinctures, as well as essential oils can be used both externally and internally and for a wide variety of diseases. So, what areas of treatment with juniper are possible:

Joint diseases. In this case, branches and needles of the plant are used. So-called juniper baths are prepared from them - 200 grams of juniper needles are brewed with 1 liter of boiling water and infused. After preparation, the infusion is poured into the bath and immersed for 20-30 minutes; the procedure should be repeated until the condition improves.

Colds, sore throat. Rinsing with a decoction of pine needles and cones, as well as inhalation, are used to treat problems of the upper respiratory tract.

Neuroses, insomnia. For poor sleep and neuroses, treatment with juniper baths is highly recommended, as they have a calming effect, and at the same time heal the skin if there are pimples or ulcers, since pine needles have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. For one procedure lasting 15-20 minutes, 150-200 grams of crushed juniper needles are enough, which is first poured with boiling water and infused for 5-10 minutes. After this, strain the prepared infusion and pour it into a warm bath.

Allergies, dermatitis, skin rashes. You can prepare a healing bath that will help with skin problems in another way. To do this, 200-300 grams of crushed pine needles and juniper branches are poured into 10 liters of ordinary cold water for a couple of hours, then brought to a boil and boiled for 20 minutes. After cooking, the liquid is filtered and added to a bath with warm water (its temperature is 36-37C). The course of treatment includes 10 procedures performed every other day.

Broad-spectrum healing tincture:

For the tincture you will need shoots and pine needles. They fill a vessel or bottle made of dark glass, fill it with 50% medical alcohol or very good vodka and leave it in a dark place for 3 months, having previously sealed it hermetically. The tincture is used (without straining) for compresses for radiculitis, for external treatment of skin for psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, in diluted form for gargling for sore throat, for douching for colpitis and in many other cases.
Just remember about the contraindications for using juniper.

Juniper essential oil and its berries

Ripe juniper berries have a spherical shape, a diameter of 6-9 mm, sometimes there are depressions on the sides. Their color is bluish-black, with a waxy bluish-gray coating. At the top of the cone berry you can see three converging grooves - this is the place where the seed scales have grown together. Juniper berries have a sweetish-spicy taste and a rich pine aroma.

Composition and medicinal properties of juniper berries

The chemical composition of juniper cones is very rich (174 components are presented) and can vary significantly - this is due to the place and climate in which the coniferous shrub grows.

Preparations prepared from cone berries have astringent, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, restorative, diaphoretic, tonic, diuretic, analgesic, choleretic and other properties.

How to collect and prepare cone berries for medicinal purposes

Ancient healers knew that in order for a plant to bring maximum benefit, it must be prepared according to all the rules, taking into account the existing nuances and characteristics. Therefore, juniper berries need to be collected from the end of August until about November, always in dry, warm weather.

To do this, a blanket or any fabric is spread under the juniper (this is another name for juniper), and the tree is shaken so that all the ripe cones fall out. Sometimes, by the way, they are collected by hand.

Next, the collected raw materials are carefully sorted, removing all debris and dry needles, and laid out to dry. And there are some subtleties here: it is best to scatter the berries in a thin layer and dry them in the open air, but not in an oven or dryer - otherwise the healing properties of juniper berries will be greatly affected. Dried raw materials can be stored for no more than three years.

Juniper - treatment with folk remedies

Pneumonia, bronchitis: Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped juniper cones into an enamel bowl with 1 glass of hot boiled water, heat under the lid in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes. Strain, squeeze out the berries, add hot boiled water to the original volume and bring to a boil. Cool again and strain, take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day after meals.

Inflammation of the appendages (adnexitis): Pour 1 tablespoon of juniper cones into a thermos and 1.5 cups of boiling water, keep in the thermos for at least 6 hours. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals in the absence of menstruation due to inflammation of the appendages.

Biliary dyskinesia, cholelithiasis: Pour 1 tablespoon of chopped juniper cones with 1 cup of boiling water, put on fire and boil for 15 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 45 minutes, then strain. Take 1 tablespoon of infusion 3 times a day after meals.

Slagging of the body: For three days, consume 6 times a day 1 drop of juniper essential oil with 1 tablespoon of olive or sunflower oil and drink at least 3 liters of water acidified with lemon. On the 1st day you need complete fasting. On days 2 and 3 you can eat light foods.

Urolithiasis, urinary retention, edema, cystitis: Brew 1 tablespoon of juniper fruits with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Nervous exhaustion: Eat juniper cones daily. On the first day, eat 4 cones, on the following days add 1 cone, bringing the number to 15 cones per dose, then repeat the procedure in the reverse order, bringing the number of cones taken again to 4.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum: Eat fresh juniper berries daily.

Herpes: Grind 2 tablespoons of dry juniper cones in a coffee grinder, add vodka to the level of the powder, leave for 2 weeks. Lubricate the herpes 2-3 times a day.

Headache: Grind juniper cones and mint leaves taken in equal parts into powder, add the same amount of vinegar, soak cotton swabs in the mixture and apply to the temples, forehead, and behind the ears.

Flu: The smoke of smoldering juniper branches disinfects the room in which flu patients are located.

Dermatitis: Grind 200 g of juniper branches, add cold water, leave for 2 hours, then boil over low heat for 20 minutes, strain the broth into a bath with a water temperature of 37°C. Take baths every other day for 10 days.

Burn: Grind the juniper cones and then pour 8 tablespoons into 0.5 liters of boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Rinse burn areas.

Wounds: Mash fresh juniper berries and apply them to the wound, securing with a bandage.

How to make juniper essential oil

Essential juniper oil is also sold in finished form - it is a yellowish-green or colorless liquid with a pungent taste and pine aroma.

To make juniper essential oil Let's take chopped pine needles (the length of the branches is 1-1.5 cm), fill it with an ordinary liter or two-liter jar, but so that 4-5 cm in height are left free at the top.

After this, pour vegetable oil into the jar to the level of the crushed raw materials and close it with a metal lid that does not have a rubber band. Now you need to prepare a water bath and place the jar there for 4-5 hours over low heat. When boiling, water needs to be added.

Five hours later, drain the oil, squeeze out the pine needles and throw them away, after which the whole process is repeated again - the next portion of pine needles is poured into the same oil. By the way, you can also prepare essential oil from juniper berries - its use and medicinal properties will be identical to that infused with pine needles.
The prepared juniper oil must be stored in a dark glass container with a tight-fitting lid, the place should be sufficiently dark and cool. published

Even the ancient Greek aesculapians knew what the medicinal properties and contraindications of juniper were. In ancient times, the Greek people used the fruit as the best antidote for snake bites. During the time of Ancient Rome, healers discovered the diuretic properties of this plant. And during various epidemics, residential areas were fumigated with bush branches.

Description and habitat

In its natural habitat, juniper grows in temperate climates in the northern hemisphere of the planet. This culture can be found even in North Africa.

Common juniper prefers to grow on sandy and dry soils, hilly areas, mountain landscapes, forest edges, river and lake banks. Less commonly, this plant can be found near swamps, as well as in thickets of dense forests. On the territory of Russia, the shrub can be seen in the forest zone; less often it grows in the forest-steppe. The range in eastern Russia extends all the way to the Lena River. Many varieties have a limited growing area, for example:

• Crimean juniper.
• Tibetan juniper.
• Chinese juniper.
• Mexican juniper.
• Bermuda juniper and many others.

This evergreen coniferous shrub can be presented in the form of a bush that can grow up to 2 meters in height, but you can also find a columnar, neat tree of regular shape that can grow up to 5 meters.

The main feature of the shrub is the presence of prickly and hard needles, which reach 1 centimeter in length. Cones-berries are formed as fruits on the bush, which appear on the bush or tree in the second year of life. Initially they are dark green in color, but over time they acquire a bluish-black hue. The cones are quite fleshy, round in shape, reaching 1 centimeter in diameter. The plant begins to bloom in May, and the fruits ripen by the onset of autumn.

Features of the workpiece

In order to make juniper preparations, only ripe fruits of the plant are used. You can harvest cones in September. To do this, you need to lay out litter under the tree or shrub and shake off the fruits from the plant. Fallen fruits must be thoroughly cleaned of debris, twigs and pine needles. The fruits must be dried, but this can only be done naturally. To do this, the cones are laid out on the veranda, attic or under a canopy. If you dry the pine cones in an oven or electric dryer, they will lose all their healing properties.

Raw materials must be protected from high air humidity, so the fruits must be packaged in dense containers to prevent evaporation of essential oils. The shelf life of juniper fruits is 3 years.

In addition to cones, preparations are also made in the form of bark, pine needles, wood and even the roots of this plant. The wood and bark are mainly used to treat rheumatism and gout. These ingredients can also be used for blood purification purposes. Conifer needles are used to treat respiratory infectious diseases, joint pain, as well as for the treatment of various types of skin rashes. The root in traditional folk medicine is used to treat bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis and various skin diseases.

Main varieties

In total, science knows more than 75 varieties of this coniferous plant. Most of them can be planted for decorative purposes in your summer cottages or cultivated in parks and gardens. But in addition to the ordinary type of shrub, other types of this plant are used in alternative medicine:

Healing properties

Before use, you need to familiarize yourself with the medicinal properties and contraindications of juniper fruits. The shrub has a large number of medicinal properties. The beneficial properties of this juniper are that the plant:

The healing properties of the plant cones are determined by the fact that they contain beneficial essential oil. This oil contains a large number of useful substances and elements that are necessary for the human body.

The root of the plant contains tannins and diterpene alcohols. In addition, the roots contain elements that can kill pathogenic bacteria and relieve inflammation. Coniferous needles of the plant have a bactericidal effect, therefore it is recommended not only to use it in the form of decoctions, but also to breathe pine essential oils in natural conditions on the street. Experts note that in one day, a hectare of this plant can evaporate 30 kg of phytoncides.

Indications for use

Before using juniper, you need to familiarize yourself with some indications. This plant can successfully cure diseases:

Not only the beneficial properties, but also the contraindications of juniper fruits must be studied before using it. This plant is strictly contraindicated in the presence of an acute inflammatory process in the kidneys and digestive organs. Under no circumstances should you use products based on this plant during pregnancy and lactation. The product is also contraindicated for use in children. In some cases, there may be individual intolerance of the body to the fruits of this shrub. If the dosage is not observed, a person may experience an allergic reaction or digestive upset.

Benefits for women and men

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to study not only the medicinal properties, but also the contraindications of juniper berries. This is due to the fact that medicines based on this coniferous plant can cause not only benefit to a person, but also harm if he has any contraindications.

The beneficial properties of juniper often help women in the treatment of gynecological diseases. Various herbal infusions and decoctions are used for douching. These procedures are especially useful for inflammation of the vagina. In addition, juniper is very effective in treating inflammation of the appendages. Experts recommend that women in the premenopausal period regularly drink an infusion based on a coniferous plant, as well as do aromatic sessions.

For women, medicines based on juniper are effective for nervous disorders that arise against the background of hormonal disorders. At home, you can prepare decoctions, tinctures and oils for this. In addition, it is also recommended to chew fresh juniper fruits.

As for men's health, for sexual weakness, you can use tinctures based on root, bark, shrub wood and water or alcohol. Thanks to this, blood circulation in the pelvic area is normalized and a man’s sexual activity is improved.

Folk recipes

To prepare the infusion, you need to take one tablespoon of the fruits of the plant, pour one glass of boiling water over them, boil over low heat for 5 minutes, let it brew for 40 minutes. After this time, the broth must be filtered, after which it is taken 3 times a day, two tablespoons before meals.

To prepare another version of the infusion, take 2 teaspoons of dried juniper fruits, add one glass of boiled water, and let it brew for 2 hours. After 2 hours, strain the tincture, take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.

To obtain a tincture for rubbing, you need to prepare one part of the raw material, 10 parts of 70% alcohol. Pour the raw material with alcohol and let it brew in a warm room for one week. Before use, the tincture must be strained.

Folk remedies based on juniper are used to treat many diseases. And to make the room smell of a pleasant pine aroma, you can periodically arrange juniper aromatherapy, which will not only be pleasant, but also beneficial for the body.