Evergreen coniferous juniper bush has long been known for its healing properties. And although its berries are not too tasty, they can bring considerable benefits.
Description and photo of the fruit
Juniper - A plant from the cypress family, and its name in Celtic adverbs means "rough", "prickly". In addition to the common name, the plant has the following names: veres, juniper, grouse, etc.
Juniper grows in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers believe that the plant is relict and at least 50 million years old, and some currently existing shrubs have an age of about 3,000 years. 
Did you know? In ancient Rome, juniper fruits were used as a cure for snake venom.The berries of juniper are blue-gray in color, with a diameter of up to two centimeters, depending on the variety. In the dried form darken to black and purple.
Composition and nutritional value
The antiquity of the plant implies many useful properties. In the case of juniper everything is so - parts of this shrub are a treasure trove of medicinal ingredients.
Calorie content
The calorie content of juniper fruits is 166 kilocalories (or 276 kJ) per one hundred grams of product. This figure is much higher than in all berry and fruit crops - for comparison, the closest to it in terms of calories per 100 grams of weight is a banana, in which they are two times smaller. Dried fruits can compete with juniper for this indicator, where calories are a little more.
Important! The calorie content of fruits, which differs significantly from this indicator in other plants, to some extent proves that it is not a berry at all, but a lump, therefore they are sometimes called lumps. Also, in support of this version, the juniper belongs to the coniferous order.Video: description and useful properties of juniper
Water, Fat, Protein, Carbohydrate
There is no protein or fat in juniper, but there are carbohydrates - 31 grams per hundred grams of fruit.
Vitamins, minerals and other ingredients
The berries of the described plant contain 42% sugar, and it also contains several organic acids - acetic, ascorbic, formic. Metals are also available - aluminum, copper, zinc, iron. Also in culture there are resins that make up 10% of the volume, essential oil and terpenes.
In the application of juniper should be careful - not all varieties of juniper are healing, Cossack juniper is poisonous,
What is the use of fruit
Due to its rich chemical composition, juniper has a wide application in food industry and medicine. The berries of this plant are used in distillery production and cooking.
They help the body to remove toxins, have a diuretic effect, promote digestion, bile secretion, and have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system.
Learn how to grow juniper in the room and in the open field.Various decoctions help with joint ailments and to liquefy sputum for colds. Also, the berries have pronounced bactericidal properties.
Can I eat fruits during pregnancy and lactation
During pregnancy, products that contain juniper, should be used with caution or abandon them altogether. The use of such funds can cause uterine contractions, which significantly increases the likelihood of miscarriage.
But for nursing mothers berries will be a significant help in stimulating lactation.
Learn how to care for horizontal, Chinese, virgin, columnar juniper.
How to use berries as a medicine
Given the concentration of nutrients in the plant, it can be used for the treatment and prevention of many diseases:
- urinary tract inflammations;
- diseases of the digestive tract;
- cough;
- rheumatism;
- stomach ulcers;
- skin ailments;
- ear pain.
Diuretic in inflammatory processes
Focal inflammatory processes can be significantly smoothed with a mixture of freshly squeezed berry juice and honey in equal proportions. The use of a tablespoon of this composition three times a day can seriously accelerate recovery.
Important! This medicine should not be used for kidney failure.
Diseases of the digestive tract
For problems with the stomach and intestines to restore the microflora and metabolism, you can prepare such an infusion: a tablespoon of crushed dry berries is poured with a glass of boiling water and infused until it cools, and then filtered. The composition is taken at 100 grams before meals.
From cough
Coughing can also be treated with juniper, which has excellent mucolytic properties. The extract from the fruit of the plant purchased at the pharmacy is poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1: 2 (a glass of extract to two glasses of water), after which the liquid should be left on low heat for half an hour. Add the boiled water to the initial volume, cool the broth, strain and take three tablespoons a day.
For cough, primrose, goose fat, Icelandic moss, fennel, mulberry, cloves, white radish, ivy, knotweed, and thyme are taken.
With rheumatism
For the treatment and prevention of rheumatism, you can resort to several methods of treatment with the fruits of the plant:
- bath - A strong decoction of 200 grams of berries per 2 liters of boiling water is added when bathing;
- alcohol rubbing - A tablespoon of berry juice per 100 ml of alcohol is used to rub the skin over the affected joints;
- essential oil - rubbed into the skin.
In case of rheumatism, one should pay attention to gentian, anemone, wormwood, white acacia, silver hive, raspberry, dogwood, nightshade, willow, evening primrose, burdock root, hemlock, trefoil watch, tansy, borshevik.
With a stomach ulcer
The treatment of the ulcer with the juniper berries is carried out in the following way: 100 grams of berries are boiled in 400-500 grams of water, to which sugar is added, until a liquid with a consistency of syrup is obtained. This composition is used in half a tablespoon three times a day before meals.
For skin diseases
Skin diseases can also be treated with a syrup, but it needs to be prepared a little differently: two teaspoons of crushed dry berries should be poured with two cups of boiling water, cooled, filtered and boiled in sugar in a water bath until syrup is obtained. Take three times a day for a tablespoon.
For pain in the ears
A handful of berries squeezed into 100 grams of medical alcohol. A cotton swab is dipped into the resulting fluid and embedded in the inflamed ear. Such therapy quickly relieves inflammation and soothes pain.
When pain in the ears turn to the help of Kalanchoe, propolis tincture, almond.
Cosmetic use
This amazing plant is used in cosmetology, and in various forms. The use of juniper in cosmetic procedures has been known since ancient times.
Soap scrub with particles of dried fruit is perfect for peeling procedures. This soap rejuvenates the skin, tones, soothes and just gives pleasure from taking a bath.
Essential oil from ripe and unripe berries has application in many areas of cosmetology. It helps with the fight against cellulite, reduces the size of the skin pores on the face, increases the elasticity of the outer integuments.
Also, the oil can slow down the aging process, remove free radicals, effectively in the fight against acne. It is also useful for hair: strengthens them, helps to eliminate dandruff. 
Here are a couple of recipes for masks with the addition of juniper oil:
- for oily skin: Protein one egg whip in foam and add 3 drops of oil. Apply the mixture on the face for a quarter of an hour and rinse with cold water;
- to soften the skin of the feet: mix a teaspoon of olive oil and 2 drops of lemon and juniper oils. The composition is applied to the skin of the feet after the bath, then wear socks. It is best to make such a mask at night;
- dandruff: juniper oil is added to the shampoo with each wash of the head (3 drops per teaspoon of the product).
Culinary application
Given the high sugar content in the berries, the main use of the plant in cooking is the production of syrup from it. Juniper is also included in the mixture of spices to improve the taste of sliced ​​vegetables (red cabbage, beets) and meat dishes (lamb, fatty pork).
Video: how to use juniper for culinary purposes
How to cook syrup
The preparation of juniper syrup for medicinal purposes has been described above, but it can also be prepared simply for use with meals. To do this, take 100 grams of the fruit of the plant and two glasses of water. The mixture is boiled down in a water bath to a state of syrup. Sugar is added to taste (or not added - remember that in berries it is enough).
How to prepare juniper tincture
5 grams of dried or 10 grams of fresh fruit cooked in 100 grams of water over low heat. After boiling, 25 grams of honey and half a liter of vodka are introduced into the liquid. The tincture must be kept for about two weeks in a dry, dark place.
From fresh juniper fruits you can make a wonderful tea. For this, a teaspoon of berries is kneaded, filled with a glass of boiling water and infused for about 10 minutes.
Did you know? With the help of smoldering dried berries, plants in past centuries fumigated the room where the sick and their personal belongings were.Video: how to make juniper tincture
Learn about the use of propolis tincture, aconite, bee sting, horse chestnut, lilac.
Harm and contraindications of berries
Despite all the positive aspects of the use of juniper berries, it is necessary to pay attention to the possible harm from them. In the following cases, it is worth refraining from using these fruits:
- ulcerative diseases of the gastrointestinal tract during an exacerbation;
- exacerbation of renal diseases;
- acute course of colitis and gastritis;
- pregnancy.
Juniper application: reviews
The method is as follows: 1 drop of essential oil is dripped onto a finger and massaged into the ear over the cartilage: from above to the lobe - as if rubbing the essential oil.
True, it does not say how long you can continue this method to get rid of kidney stones ...
