Juniper is a coniferous plant, whose fruits, berries, are used in cooking and medicine, they have many healthy features. It is worth considering more useful properties and contraindications of juniper fruit, which can be prepared from them, which products include the berries of a coniferous plant.
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Kinds and varieties of juniper with a photo -
Medical properties and contra-indications of juniper berries -
How to plant and care for a juniper -
How to apply juniper oil -
Peppermint for men: benefit and harm
Juniper is a bush of cypress family, it belongsto evergreen relict plants. In favorable conditions for growth, it can exist for many years, on Earth you can find specimens that are several thousand years old. Useful properties of this plant are known for a long time, even ancient civilizations used it for the treatment of various diseases.
Juniper has a pronounced coniferous, fresh smell, its fruits have a specific taste that allows them to be used as a seasoning, additives for the production of various dishes. Juniper helps to get rid of an unpleasant smell, it makes the air fresh and cleaner. Wood bush practically does not rot and retains its properties for a long time.
The fruits of juniper are small bluish, violet, sometimes almost black berries. To the touch they are elastic, the skin of the fruit is dense enough, inside there are many small seeds. The taste of the fruit of the plant is spicy, bitter, slightly burning. Various folk remedies and other products can be made on the basis of fruits and other parts of the bush.
Which juniper is the most useful, because in nature there are many species of this plant? In fact, for medical and culinary purposes, usually used exclusively juniper. Other types of shrubs do not have such pronounced beneficial properties and are suitable for eating.
Important! It is worth remembering that due to the large content of various substances that confer beneficial properties on juniper, its fruits can provoke allergic reactions.
What are the benefits of berries?
The berry bushes contain many useful elements that can positively affect the state of human health. In the juice of the plant contains a large amount of essential oil, organic acids, vitamins, various mineral elements.
Due to the high content of essential oil and other substances, the juice of bushes of bush has a pronounced antibacterial disinfecting effect. Also note a noticeable diuretic effect, berries are able to improve the digestive process, positively affect the metabolism in the body. They are also used to improve the work of the nervous system, with diseases of the heart and vessels, juniper helps cope with swelling.
These are the main useful properties of a plant. In this case, do not forget that the funds based on the berry bushes are suitable only for preventive purposes, do not use them as a full-fledged treatment for various diseases.
In culinary juniper is used as a spice, it is usually added to different meat dishes, the bush fruits are best combined with the taste of meat products. In addition, berries can be used in the production of alcoholic beverages. Juniper is used as a perfume in the manufacture of gin. Fruits as a seasoning should also not be abused, in large quantities it can begin to negatively affect the body.
What heals?
It is worth knowing how juniper is used in medicine. On the basis of fruits, plants usually make decoctions, tinctures, use their juice. Different drugs are similar in their medicinal properties.
Useful properties of juniper tincture are the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract. Tincture helps restore normal appetite, positively affects metabolic processes. In addition, she has a moderately expressed choleretic effect.
Different means based on this plant help to improve immunity, because berries contain a large number of vitamins. In this case, it is not necessary to take separate specialized preparations on the basis of fruits, it is enough to introduce them into food as a seasoning. Also, the plant helps to eliminate anemia, improves the condition with a lack of iron.
Juniper is not necessarily to be used internally. Decoction based on fruits and plant branches helps with various skin diseases, which can be accompanied by inflammatory processes, itching, it helps to fight with pain in rheumatism. Based on the decoction, you can make therapeutic baths and compresses.
Also berries improve the condition in various diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. Receiving the decoction inside can improve expectoration in diseases accompanied by coughing. Juniper helps to reduce inflammation in the body.
The fruits of the plant have a positive effect on blood circulation, improve blood flow, which helps to combat hypotension and bradycardia. They also help reduce the soreness of menstruation in women, as they help improve blood circulation.
Juniper oil is usually prepared on the basis of plant essential oil, it is used for rubbing joints in patients with rheumatism and other similar diseases. Penetrating into the skin, it helps to remove pain, helps reduce the inflammatory processes that lead to pain syndrome.
To date, pharmacies can find various ointments and creams with the addition of juniper extract, which are used against joint diseases, some skin problems. In this case, the ointment can be made independently, it is enough to mix a few drops of oil in a small amount of low-fat cream without additional additives.
It is also worth remembering that raw materials for the manufacture of various products based on fruits and other parts of the bush should be purchased exclusively in pharmacies and specialized stores. Collect the fruit of juniper wood yourself should not.
Important! It is not necessary at the same time to apply funds based on juniper for large skin lesions. Before using ointments and other medicines, it is worth making a test for allergy.
Contraindications
Due to the high concentration of essential oil and other elements, medicines and other plant based products are extremely beneficial to health, but for the same reason, it has contraindications. First of all they include allergy to juniper. It can manifest itself in different ways, for example, rashes on the skin, hives, itching. If an allergic reaction occurs, stop using the berries. In addition, digestive disorders can be provoked.
Despite the fact that usually juniper has a positive effect on the state of the digestive tract, do not use the plant for duodenal ulcer, stomach ulcer, and other similar diseases, especially in acute form. Fruits in this situation can begin to irritate the sick organs.
Do not use juniper for acute kidney disease. Also, with serious pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, the genitourinary system, you should first consult with your doctor. In pregnancy, the use of drugs on the basis of pineal is undesirable, because they can provoke miscarriage and other similar problems with the health of a pregnant woman.
You should not use juniper berries with strong pronounced hypotension, severe tachycardia. They can adversely affect the course of the disease. There are no other contraindications to the use of berries, the main thing is to add them to food and take them in medicines in moderate amounts so as not to provoke an allergic reaction.