Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis) is a wonderful plant that gives one the courage to face the fear and be open to learning the lessons. I haven’t met a person yet who does not have some kind of irrational fear – even a rational fear – of something.  I know I have nightmares from time to time. Yes, I know that nightmares are also opportunities to learn a lesson. However, I do not welcome the experience of frequent nightmares.  Fortunately, Juniper Berries helps with irrational fears, recurring nightmares, and restless sleep issues. Juniper Berry activates the process of exploring the hidden aspects of ourselves and the issues that have not been resolved.  Juniper Berry also supports courage and active protection during the night, striving to balance light/dark and hidden/revealed knowledge.

Background Information:

Family Name:  Cupressaceae
Other common names:  cade oil, cedron, Genievre, juniper tar, pencil cedar, zimbro

General Characteristics:  Juniper is an evergreen conifer related to cedar and cypress; it has a resinous odor; the “berries” are actually seed cones; the green berries take two years to ripen into the blue-black berries that can be utilized; Juniper grows in the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere

Active Constituents:  monoterpenes (alpha & beta pinene, sabinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, borneol, myrcene, camphene, camphor), diterpenes, neolignan glycosides; lignans; tannins; flavonoids, resin

Actions:  antiseptic, expectorant, diuretic, abortifacient (shown in animal studies), anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic effects

WARNING:  NOT to be used by anyone with a kidney infection or kidney disease; do NOT use during pregnancy.

PRECAUTIONS:  Do NOT eeat the “berries” raw, or apply the essential oil directly on the skin; take caution and only use as recommended by qualified health-care professionals or qualified manufacturers

Medicinal uses:  

Diluted in a carrier oil:  used to treat joint pain and issues of the urinary tract; to treat respiratory infections, congestion, coughs, and chronic skin conditions.

Extract:  essential oil used topically for skin conditions (dilute in a proper carrier oil).

Decoction:  to treat urinary tract infections.

Folklore: 

Burning Juniper wood to banish evil spirits and (in Medieval times) to ward off the plague.  Planting a Juniper bush at the entrances to a home will prevent evil forces from entering.

Magickal:  

• Being an evergreen with resinous qualities, collect and dry the resin and use in incense.
• The berries (cones) can be gathered, dried and used in amulets for protection.
• Can be combined with Rosemary to cleanse and purify the air or purify a space
• Can be combined with Rosemary and placed under the bed to protect from frightful and evil dreams.
• Associations are Mars / Aries / Sun (masculine)
• Spellwork:  to banish fear; to support inner exploration of Self; to replace nightmares with peaceful sleep; to clear negative energies or influences from a space or from inner Self.

***The information above is for educational purposes only. The information is not meant to replace the consultation of a licensed health-care professional.  This author and CoG-OCLC are not to be held responsible for the use or misuse of the information contained within this blog.

 

References

Emotions & Essential Oils: A Modern Resource for Healing. Second Edition. Enlighten Alternative Healing    2013   Pg. 39

Juniper Berries in the Wild. Retrieved from Flickr: Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/52421717@N00/4111118586/”>pchgorman</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com/”>Foter</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)</a>

Juniper Berries. Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowpeak/6785601518/”>snowpeak</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com”>Foter</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)</a>

National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs. Rebecca Johnson & Steven Foster; Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. & David Kiefer, M.D National Geographic Society Publishers. 2010 Pgs. 240 -243

Sigma-Aldrich :  Plant Profiler. National Standard (2010 / 2014) Retrieved from www.sigmaaldrich.com/…/juniperus-com

The Healing Spices. Bharat B. Aggarical, PhD.  With Debora Yost. Sterling Publishing    2011    Pgs. 146-149

The Master Book of Herbalism.  Paul Beyer.  Phoenix Publishing Co.   1984   Pgs. 228, 245, 346