Juniper (Juniperus communis) is really a coniferous evergreen shrub that belongs to the pine family (Cupressaceae), and is also frequently available on hills and mountains in North America, Europe, as well as Southwest Asia. In the United States, junipers grow generously in the mountainous regions of the Appalachians, along with western states like Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Utah.
The juniper tree could be recognized by its stiff as well as needle-like blue-green leaves, short reddish-brown trunks, small yellow flowers, and blue or black fruits or berries (produced by the female trees). The tree can grow anywhere between six to 25 feet high. The leaves, that grow in whorls of three on the woody twigs, emit a lemon– or apple-like fragrance whenever crushed.
Both the branches and also the berries of the leaves have already been utilized since ancient times for medicinal as well as religious purposes. The evergreen tree is additionally common as a residential ornament plant, often utilized in wildlife plantings as well as shelterbelts. The aromatic wood is additionally useful for making furniture, fence posts, as well as pencils.
Juniper essential oil is usually steam-distilled through the needles, twigs, wood, as well as berries. However, juniper berry oil, that is extracted solely through the berries, is superior in quality. It’s a pale oil with a watery viscosity, along with a fresh, clear, as well as somewhat woody as well as fruity fragrance.
It is utilized in many industries, in addition to flavor alcohol based drinks just like gin. Juniper is definitely an evergreen shrub which is common in Europe. Smelling nice is excellent, yet there was far more to juniper and its essential oil when it comes to impressive health advantages, and that is where our interest lies. Let’s explore a few of the impressive qualities as well as benefits which juniper essential oil can also add in your body. Essential oil can be extracted from leaves and berry of the plant. Drying of leaves of Juniper Berry in the sun and berries in oven-drying was more suitable and was recommended for obtaining higher essential oil yield, but for a higher percentage of some special components such as alpha-pinene and delta-3-carene shade-drying was more suitable.
Health Benefits of Juniper Berry Essential Oil
The health benefits of Juniper Essential Oil could be related to its properties just as one antiseptic, sudorific, antirheumatic, depurative, antispasmodic, stimulating, stomachic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, rubefacient, vulnerary and tonic substance.
1. Antiseptic
Juniper essential oil used to be a common germ killing in the past and individuals wounded or even injured in wars or even athletics were cured with it. It had been utilized in injuries sustained by both mother as well as child during difficult labors. It effectively safeguards wounds from becoming septic or even developing tetanus.
2. Relieves Bloating
Juniper berries have long been utilized to deal with kidney as well as bladder problems given that they include both anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal qualities. Probably the most well-known uses of juniper berries is utilizing them to avoid or even naturally remedy urinary tract infections as well as bladder infections. A tonic of juniper berry essential oil taken internally is a superb option to antibiotics in case you catch an infection early enough.
The berries may also be an all natural diuretic, which will help the body eliminate excessive fluids through the bladder and urethra. This can help decrease bloating as well as clears up infections faster because it detoxes the organs. This is particularly efficient whenever coupled with other antibacterial and diuretics, which includes cranberries, fennel and dandelion.
3. Strengthen Hair
This particular essential oil provides an all natural cure for hair loss since it has got astringent qualities. Blend Juniper, Rosemary, Cedarwood Essential oil along with olive oil as well as massage to your scalp. Allow it sit for sometime and after that rinse it off. This particular oil will strengthen the roots while increasing hair growth. You may also combine it with an unscented conditioner or even shampoo and then use it frequently.
4. Antirheumatic
Juniper essential oil encourages and enhances blood flow. It may also help within the elimination of toxins such as uric acid through the body. Both these properties aid in fighting ailments just like rheumatism, arthritis, gout, and renal calculi, that are associated with improper circulation as well as the accumulation of toxins within the body. This particular essential oil also reduces swelling.
5. Fights Gas
Having a bloated stomach isn’t any joke. It annoys your stomach and may also damage. Whenever gas pushes upwards, it may choke a person, create pain in the chest, indigestion as well as uneasiness, boost the blood pressure level, threaten your heart health and provide severe stomach aches. Carminative agents assist in the removing of gases through the intestines. Using Juniper Berry Essential Oil help remove gas through the stomach therefore making you feel at ease. Apply few drops in your abdomen as well as massage daily for faster relief. It successfully eliminates gases from the downward passage and doesn’t let additional gases form. You are able to inhale and then use it in the diffuser also.
6. Antispasmodic
Juniper essential oil is additionally efficient on nearly all forms of cramps, whether it’s muscular, intestinal, respiratory or other area. It calms muscle cramps helping cure spasmodic cholera too. Just as one antispasmodic, it will help cure most of the other problems related to cramps or spasms.
7. Astringent
Just as one astringent, juniper essential oil assists cure tooth pains, strengthens the grip of gums in your teeth and safeguards them from loosening or even falling out. Additionally, it tightens up loose muscles and provides a sense of firmness, fitness as well as youth. This property may also be used to avoid diarrhea too. The most crucial advantage of this property is within the fact that as an astringent, it may cause blood vessels to contract and lower the likelihood of hemorrhaging.
8. Detoxification Enhancer
Juniper berry accelerates urination as well as elimination, which will help draw toxins, waste as well as irritants away from your digestive tract. Because juniper can also help fight stressful feelings, it might be helpful for fighting food cravings and emotional eating. Several times a day, you can place one to two drops in the palm of your hand, rub the hands together and after that inhale the oil to encourage a relaxation response. Likewise try having juniper internally like a detoxifying supplement.
10. Cold and Flu
It will help to combat cold, cough as well as fever. You can apply few drops within your hand and inhale it directly you can also include it with your bath water to immerse yourself in Juniper Berry goodness.
12. Digestie Booster
Juniper might help encourage digestive enzymes and make it simpler to break down as well as soak up protein, fats and nutrients from foods. For the natural digestive aid or even liver cleanse, you can test taking juniper oil like a dietary supplement with the addition of one or two drops to a smoothie or water (only do this if you’re sure you’ve 100% pure therapeutic-grade oil).
13. Diuretic
Juniper oil is diuretic naturally, which means that it encourages urination. It will increase both frequency as well as volume of urination. Therefore, it is extremely good for those who are struggling with an accumulation of water within the body, or even swelling because of minor or even long-term renal failure. It reduces these patients by eliminating additional water through the body through the urine. It may also help people lose weight because every time you urinate, a few fats are lost through the body. This decreases blood pressure level, eliminates additional salts and dangerous toxins just like uric acid through the body.
14. Heartburn and Acid Reflex Relief
To soothe indigestion signs just like heartburn together with acid reflux symptoms, massage one or two drops of juniper berry together with coconut oil within the complete stomach, abdomen as well as chest, or consider taking it internally.
15. Rubefacient
As the name goes, Rubefacient means an agent which makes the face look red. However, this isn’t restricted to the face, but additionally with the rest of the body. Such an agent, whenever applied on the skin, boosts blood flow just beneath the skin to such as extent that the skin starts to look red in color. It can possibly result in irritation onto the skin if used in excess. Again, elevated blood flow under the skin layers definitely benefits the skin as well as keeps it healthy as well as well-oxygenated.
16. Sleep Aid
Because the aroma of juniper may help you unwind as well as reducing muscle tension, try out massaging some into the neck, chest as well as feet just before bedtime. In case you can’t sleep, juniper is really a strategy for assisting you go to sleep faster and is also believed to avoid restlessness, a racing mind and also bad dreams that may keep you from staying alseep and obtaining good rest.
17. Sudorific
A sudorific substance is really an agent which could bring about heavy sweating or even perspiration. This really is nothing to get irritated at. The occasional sweating enables you to feel lighter, healthier, helping in the elimination of toxins, excessive salt, and water from the sweat. This cleans the skin pores as well as openings of sweat and sebum glands, that helps prevent acne along with other skin diseases. Juniper oil has got effective sudorific properties.
18. Flavor Enhancer and Natural Preservative
Are you aware that juniper berries are among the key components utilized to make gin? Their taste is additionally included with other foods, which includes some drinks, bitters, sauces, marinades and also Sauerkraut Recipes. Along with adding a distinctive sweet flavor to foods, juniper berries behave like a preservative simply because they ward off bacteria.
19. Stimulant
A few of the qualities of juniper oil just like its abilities just as one Emenagogue, Galactogogue and Diuretic substance result from a single property of the oil like a Stimulant. As being a stimulant, it encourages all of the activities in the human body. This particular stimulating effect can also help conquer fatigue, dizziness as well as depressive disorders. It improves the activity of the brain as well as neurons, nervous system, secretions through the endocrine and exocrine glands, including secretion of milk, sebum, sweat, tears, urine and discharges during menses, digestive system and also the excretory system.
20. Stomachic
Juniper oil is stomachic, that is, it keeps the stomach in order as well as keeps it working well. It may also help heal stomach disorders as well as ulcers and ensures the appropriate flow of bile, gastric juices as well as acids in the stomach for digestion. Sometimes, the interior lining of the stomach is hurt because of extented acidity and eventually leads to the development of ulcers. Juniper oil may help you avoid this situation too, because it maintains the appropriate secretions of bile in stomach. Bile is basic in nature as well as neutralizes the acids.
21. Tonic
Did you ever hear of health tonics? Have you ever had any? Juniper oil is additionally regarded as a tonic, since it tones up everything, like the muscles, tissues, skin, as well as other systems functioning in the body. Including the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive as well as excretory systems. This particular tonic effect helps retain youth for a long period and maintains proper health for the years.
22. Vulnerary
If the diluted solution of the oil is used on wounds or even combined with a skin cream as well as applied, it will help your wounds heal faster and also keeps them protected against infections. This particular oil is equally valuable in healing internal wounds, cuts as well as ulcers.
23. Insect Repellent
Just like citronella oil, the scent of juniper berry naturally repels bugs. Spray it in your clothes, combine it with carrier oil and massage into the skin, or diffuse it outdoors and indoors to purify the air whilst keeping bites away. According to Journal of Economic Entomology, researcher tested Juniper berry essential oil on different bugs Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae, Sitophilus oryzae. The result shows mortality rate of these bugs was 82% to 100% using different exposure methods.
24. Natural Household Cleanser
Like a natural antiseptic that may avoid or decrease bacterial strains from spreading in your home, make use of juniper berry oil on kitchen and bathroom surfaces or even appliances. Whenever diffused indoors, it soaks up odors out of your home whilst purifying the air your family breathes. Run several drops through your laundry machine or even dishwasher, and replace commercial cleaning products, which often include multiple harsh chemicals, with natural antibacterial juniper oil combined with water.
25. Fights Acne
Searching for a natural cure for acne? Natural treatments can assist you decrease acne without causing harm to the skin.
Juniper Berry Oil reduces acne. Combine it with a carrier oil as well as put it on the skin daily and you’ll see the difference soon. You may also combine it with your moisturizer as well as use it on your skin.
26. Maintains Oil Balance Of The Scalp
Juniper oil works well for restoring the normal oil balance of the scalp, that makes it the perfect hair oil for all types of hair. It moisturizes the hair without making it greasy. The natural sebum secretion works well for avoiding hair damage as well as nourishes the hair follicles.
27. Cleanser For Hair And Scalp
Juniper oil is a wonderful cleanser for the scalp and also the hair. It soaks up the impurities, that are effortlessly removed through the scalp and also the hair whenever you wash the hair along with mild shampoo. Juniper oil can certainly permeate the scalp and its cleansing effect works well for detoxifying the hair follicles.
28. Reduces Dandruff
The essential oil of juniper berries will help with combating dandruff. The astringent as well as anti-fungal qualities of juniper oil assist in decreasing dandruff growth. By moisturizing the scalp, it will help in avoiding dandruff brought on by excessive dryness of the scalp. Juniper oil will help with calming the scalp and offers rest from scalp itching brought on by dandruff.
29. Prevents Scalp Acne
Using juniper oil on the scalp works well for avoiding acne breakouts within the scalp. The antiseptic property of the essential oil prevents development of the acne-causing bacteria on the scalp. By cleansing the scalp, it helps prevent impurities from accumulating within the follicles of hair which help in avoiding acne breakouts.
30. Promotes Hair Growth
Juniper oil provides a rubefacient. Massaging the scalp along with juniper oil encourages blood circulation within the scalp. It improves supply of oxygen and nutrients towards the follicles of hair which help in improving hair growth.
31. Antioxidant activities
According to Natural Product Research Juniper berry contains 42 components representing approximately 99% of the oils. Major components are Alpha Pinene, Camphene, delta 3 carene and Trans verbenol. Antioxidant activities were determined by two different test systems, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. In both systems ripe berries exhibited better activity potential than the unripe ones.
Ayurvedic Uses of Juniper Berry Essential Oil
- Add 1-2 drops to water or citrus drinks as part of an all natural cleansing regimen.
- Apply 1 drop to problematic skin areas to enhance a clear, healthy complexion.
- Diffuse along with citrus oils to freshen and purify the air and also to lessen stress.
- For better rest, place 1-2 drops of juniper berry essential oil in the palm of the hand, rub both hands together, and inhale for approximately 30 seconds or even more many times each day, or perhaps in times of tension and stress. Also think about diffusing within the work space or even home during the day.
- To relieve childhood fears, in a small non-plastic (metal or glass) spitz bottle, mix 4 drops of juniper essential oil to each ounce of water and make use of like a room and pillow spray. You may also use a drop on the bottom of the feet or even back fo the neck (avoid hands that may end up rubbing eyes).
- For joint support: Add 4 drops Juniper Berry, and 3 drops each Peppermint, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Ginger essential oils to a 5 ml roller bottle. Top with fractionated coconut oil.
- For urinary support: Add 10 drops Juniper Berry, 10 drops Rosemary, and 10 drops Lemongrass into a 10ml roller bottle. Top with fractionated coconut oil.
- Diffuse the Winter Blues Away: 4 drops Wild Orange, 2 drops Juniper Berry, and 2 drops Frankincense.
- Foaming face wash: In the foaming soap dispenser mix 1 TB liquid castile soap, 1 TB witch hazel, 10 drops Juniper Berry essential oil. Top along with distilled water.
- For acne, eczema, oily complexions, and wounds, place enough oil on the cotton ball to really make it wet, but don’t soak it. Wipe directly on skin ailment, utilizing gentle movements.
- To reduce anxiousness, drowsiness, mental exhaustion, nervous tension, as well as fight stress-related problems, use 8-10 drops in bath water. May also use 2-3 drops in the diffuser.
- For arthritis and rheumatism, add 2-3 drops to 1 ounce of carrier oil as well as massage into affected areas.
- As an appetite regulator, use 2-3 drops in the diffuser or use like a steam inhalation.
- For cellulite and detoxification, add 2-3 drops to 1 ounce of carrier oil and massage into impacted areas frequently. May also use 8-10 drops in bath water.
- To combat colds, flu, and infections, use 3-5 drops in the steam inhalation. May also use 8-10 drops in bath water, or 3-5 in a diffuser.
- To assist in preventing hair loss, combine 3-5 drops in unscented conditioner. Leave on hair for 3-5 minutes, rinse normally. Use frequently.
- For headaches, use 2-3 drops in the diffuser or 8-10 drops in the bath. May also use 2-3 drops in one ounce of carrier oil, and massage gently into temples. Increase benefit with the addition of lavender.
- As a home disinfectant, utilize approx. 5 drops in the quart of water. Transfer into a spray bottle, as well as shake just before using.
- To enhance the defense mechanisms, use 8-10 drops in bath water, or even use 2-3 drops in the diffuser.
- To regulate period and also to fight cramping, use 2-3 drops in a single ounce of carrier oil as well as massage on lower abdomen.
- Alzheimer’s disease Use 1-2 drops of oil on the bottom of the feet. Also think about Frankincense oil.
- For Bladder Infection Apply 1-2 drops of diluted juniper berry oil to the abdomen as needed. Start with applying the oil very 2-3 hours.
- For Congestion Apply diluted oil on the throat, chest, sinuses and also the soles of the feet. Also think about Eucalyptus & Rosemary essential oil.
- For Digestive Problems Apply 1-2 drops on the soles of the feet every day or as required.
- For Energy Apply 1-2 drops on the soles of the feet. Also add 1 drop on the palms of the hands rub together as well as inhale.
- For Fears (children) Diffuse within a room at night. Also utilize 1 drop to the soles of the feet.
- For Heartburn Apply diluted oil to the area of concern. Take internally (internal usage is just suitable to do with a couple of brands.)
- For Insomnia Diffuse at night. Also think about using in the spritz bottle as well as spraying on pillow.
- For Kidney Infection Apply 1-2 drops within the kidneys as well as urinary system many times during the day.
- For Kidney Stones Juniper berry is incredibly useful to kidney stones. Massage 1-2 drops within the kidneys and urinary system many times during the day. Think about taking 1-2 drops internally.
- For Sore Muscles Massage 2 drops of oil on the area of concern when needed.
- For Tinnitus Apply 1-2 drops round the outside of the ear when needed.
- For Urinary Tract Infections Massage 1-2 drops on the kidneys and urinary system many times during the day.
How to Make Juniper Berry Oil
Juniper berry oil is made by steam distilling the berries. However, you may make your own personal infused berry oil in your own home. Here’s a step-by-step procedure
- Put juniper berries in the clean and sterilized jar. Fill a minimum of three-quarters of the container.
- Fill the jar together with your oil of choice. Select a safe oil, like olive oil or even coconut oil.
- Close the lid tightly, and put the jar in the cool and dark place. Provide it with an excellent shake every single day for 4 to 6 weeks.
Note: Look at the jar frequently for just about any uncomfortable aroma, which might reveal bacterial growth. If it smells strange, throw it out making a fresh batch.
Interactions and Side Effects of Juniper Berry Essential Oil
Even though it’s well-tolerated as well as unlikely to result in allergy symptoms or even side effects, it’s still crucial that you always test for stomach and skin sensitivity just before widespread use. As with every essential oil, particularly one you’ve never tried before, unneccessary use can result in sensitization along with other effects in case you ingest a higher amount.
Juniper berries could be taken by most adults securely for approximately a month. It’s discouraged to use them more than that because they may put strain on the kidneys or even liver as time passes.
Because essential oils can behave as a strong form of natural medicine, there are some instances exactly where they aren’t suitable for use. You need to avoid juniper berry oil in case you have existing kidney or liver disease. Keep juniper oil away from your eyes, ears or even in your nose too.
It’s regarded safe for kids as well as pets, but can not be the best option if you’re pregnant. While in many instances juniper is totally healthy, additionally, it can affect hormones so it’s not advised at this time. Also consult with a doctor in case you have very sensitive skin or are on hormonal medicines that may affect essential oil use.
Reference:
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/EC12474
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786419.2010.535168
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.3840/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20067158
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