Has antibiotic and
cleansing abilities and is often recommended by herbalists to
help ease urinary tract infections.
Acts as a diuretic
May help relieve
sinus congestion.
Lotions containing
Juniper may help relieve pain when rubbed on rheumatic or
arthritic joints.
Some herbalists
recommend Juniper during labor to stimulate contraction. Never
take at any other time during during pregnancy.
Side
Effects Prolonged use or over use
of Juniper can cause kidney damage. Do not take preparations containing
Juniper for more than six weeks at a time.
No interactions with other drugs
are known at this time.
Safety
Issues Do not use Juniper if you
are pregnant as it may stimulate uterine contractions and cause
miscarriage.
Do not use Juniper if you have
have inflammation of the kidneys or any form of kidney disease.
History
of Juniper This aromatic evergreen
has been used for medicinal purposes since the time of the Egyptian
pharos. In fact several recipes, written on papyrus, and dating from
1550 B.C. still exist today.
Throughout the ages Juniper has
also played a vital role in the ritual cleansing and purification rites
in temples.
In Europe it was a popular
cure-all. Herbalists used it to treat a wide variety of complaints from
typhoid and cholera to tapeworms.
Juniper is perhaps most famous
for the distinctive spicy-sweet flavor that it adds to gin. This was all
due to an error made by a Dutch pharmacist who, in attempting to make a
diuretic, created gin. The word 'gin' comes from the Dutch word for
Juniper which is 'geniver'.
