Juniperus communis

Juniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resins
Juniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resinsJuniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resinsJuniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resinsJuniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resinsJuniperus communis, Cupressaceae, Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resins
Botanical Nomenclature Juniperus communis
Common Name Juniper
Taxonomy- Family Cupressaceae
Distinguishing Features of the Plant Juniperus communis is a perennial, small tree growing from 1 to 3m, with short, thorny leaves and small yellow flowers. The firt year the fruits are green, while during the second year they are black. The flowering lasts from May to June and the harvesting takes place from October to November
Region Found Ioannina (Smolikas, Gramos, Pindos), Arta (Tzoumerka)
Part of the Plant with Active Substances The whole plant
Active Substances Essential oil, which contains b-myrcene, a-pinene, limonene, a-phellandrene, seskiphelladrene, s-cadinene, cadimine, terpineol, camphene. The fruits also contain organic acids, carbohydrates, bitter agents, flavonoids, tannins and resins
Pharmacological Effects - Therapeutic Applications The whole plant has diuretic, analgesic, antiseptic, digestive and carminative properties. It is administered for the treatment of gastrointestinal infections, gout, epilepsy, typhoid fever, cholera, cystitis and rheumatism. It is also recommended to strength the immune system and to stimulate the appetite, while in France the fruits are used to treat gonorrhea and leucorrhoea.
Method of Administration The plant is administered to stimulate the stomach, the appetite and the immune system in the form of infusion (a spoon of the powdered, dried fruits to a half cup of boiling water) and herbal tea (a spoon of powdered, dried fruits in four cups of boiled water, a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening, one hour before going to bed). Also, it is administered as orexigenic in the form of syrup (a spoon, twice a day in adults and a spoon, 3 times a day in children). The fruit is used for the preparation of the alcoholic beverage known as "Gin".
Warning: The use of herb preparations is not recommended without seeking advice from your physician or pharmacist. The substances they contain may interact with the subscribed drugs that the patient already takes, thus eliminating their therapeutic efficacy or inducing toxicity. They may also burden further weakened vital functions of the body thus exposing the patient to increased morbidity and life threatened conditions.
Toxicity- Adverse Effects Overdose may cause irritation of kidneys and the urinary tract. Also, it may cause renal failure, convulsions, acute cystitis and skin irritation.
References 1)Βιβλίο: Οδηγός των φαρμακευτικών φυτών, Paul Schauenberg, Ferdinand Paris, Εκδότης Μ. Γκιούρδας, Αθήνα 1981, σελίδες 298 2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3347805/pdf/ARYA-6-001.pdf 3)COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF LOVASTATIN AND CORNUS MAS FRUIT ON FIBRINOGEN LEVEL IN HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RABBITS, Sedigheh Asgary, Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei, Azadeh Adelnia, Somayeh Kazemi, Fatemeh Shamsi, ARYA Atherosclerosis Journal 2010, 6(1): 1-5. 4)http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/Juniper.html 5)http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/j/junipe11.html