An infusion of juniper fruits is prepared as follows: chop 10-12 berries, pour a glass of boiling water over them, infuse 4 Drink 1 tbsp. 3-4 times a day for bronchitis, colds, edema of cardiac origin, lethargy of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating and cholelithiasis; externally for rubbing for pain in joints and muscles.
Infusion of dried juniper berries: pour 400 ml of chilled boiled water and 15 g of dried berries for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1 tbsp. 3-4 times a day before meals as a diuretic.
Decoction of juniper berries: brew 200 ml of boiling water and 15 g of berries and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink 50 ml 3-4 times a day for bladder diseases, cholecystitis, colitis.
Decoction of juniper berries: brew 400 ml of boiling water for 100 g of berries, boil for 10 minutes, then add sugar and cook until the consistency of syrup, then remove from heat and strain. Drink 1 and. L. 3 times a day before meals for diseases of the stomach, intestines, bladder, to improve appetite.
Decoction of juniper berries: pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 tbsp. Dried ripe fruits, crushed to a homogeneous powder, boil over low heat for 5 minutes under the lid, leave for 0.5 hours, strain. Mix 40 ml of decoction with 1 tbsp. Oatmeal or starch and apply to the skin of the face and neck for 20 minutes, then rinse the skin with warm water. This procedure has a tonic, multivitamin and antimicrobial effect on the skin.
Chew juniper berries daily on an empty stomach, one berry, adding 1 more each day. Increase intake to 15 pcs. , then reduce the rate also by 1 piece. Recommended to improve the quality of blood.
Juniper berry lotion: pour 1 cup of boiling water over 4 tbsp. Leave juniper berries, previously crushed in a coffee grinder, for 1 hour, strain. Mix with 1 tbsp. Glycerin and 100 ml of 70% ethyl alcohol. Wipe the skin 1-2 times a day for 3-4 weeks for rosacea and juvenile acne, dandruff, hair loss, herpetic fever on the lips.
Juniper berry extract: grind 2 tbsp in a coffee grinder. Berries, pour vodka over the powder level, leave for 14 days, squeeze and strain. Use 2-3 times a day if you have or are prone to herpes on the lips (herpetic fever).
Juniper extract can be prepared by infusing the berries with wine, vodka or alcohol.
Pour crushed juniper branches (200-300 g) into 10 liters of cold water for 2 hours, then boil over low heat for 20 minutes, strain into a bath (36-37 ° C). Take a bath before bed. The course of treatment is 10-12 procedures every other day. For itchy dermatoses, a tendency to allergies and herpetic manifestations.

Juniper is a coniferous plant that can grow in the form of a bush or tree. In its first variety it reaches a height of 1-3 meters, when the average height of the tree is 6, and the maximum is sometimes 12 meters. The main positive property of common juniper is its ability to purify the air around it. But, besides this, this plant is very often used for the preparation of medicines according to folk and pharmacological recipes.

Description and chemical composition of common juniper

Common juniper is a very common plant. Its scientific name is Juniperus Communis (Latin), and popularly these coniferous trees are also called heather. It can be found almost throughout North America, in all European and most Asian countries. Juniper also grows in northern Africa. In the Russian Federation, this plant can most often be found in Eastern and Western Siberia, as well as in the European part of the country.

The main part of juniper fruits is occupied by resins (about 10%), as well as sugar (about 40%). Also contains up to 2-3% essential oil, including:

• cadinene;
• pinene;
• camphene;
• borneol and other terpenes.

In addition, the plant contains many useful microelements, including iron, aluminum, copper and manganese. Juniper needles contain ascorbic acid, and the roots are rich in tannins and dyes.

The healing properties of juniper berries and roots

Juniper root and berries are excellent remedies for many diseases. Infusions and decoctions from this plant can be taken when diagnosed by a doctor:

• kidney stones;
• inflammatory processes in the bladder;
• digestive problems;
• respiratory tract diseases;
• gout and rheumatism;
• asthma and tuberculosis;
• skin diseases and ailments associated with the genitourinary system.

Among all the herbs used in folk medicine for the preparation of medicines, it is the common juniper that is one of the leaders in terms of the power of its bactericidal effect. The oil from this plant can be used to improve appetite, warm muscles, relieve pain and cleanse the body.

Despite all its benefits, juniper has pronounced toxic properties. When using it, you should not exceed the recommended dosage and consult your doctor. Otherwise, there may be negative consequences in the form of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Are juniper berries edible (video)

Preparation and benefits of juniper tea

For tea from common juniper berries, you need to take a tablespoon of ready-made dry raw materials and pour 200-250 milliliters of boiling water. You need to infuse the product for at least half an hour., after which the resulting decoction can be used in a tablespoon 2-3 times a day. Juniper tea can also be mixed with black or green tea, or added to infusions of other herbs.

This drink has a characteristic odor, which is explained by the presence of essential oil in the tea. The advantage of this decoction lies in a large set of vitamins that slow down the aging process, improve the functioning of the immune system, lower cholesterol levels, and also have a beneficial effect on the general condition of the body.

The use of common juniper in folk medicine

The type of juniper in question is of particular value for men. This plant helps treat sexual weakness and fights impotence. You need to use the bark from young branches of the bush, soaking it in a thermos for about 11 hours (use warm water). Then the infusion is placed in a saucepan, covered with a lid and boiled over medium heat for 15 minutes. After filtering and cooling, you can drink 100 grams of the product 3 times a day.

Also The plant is excellent for fighting colds and sore throats. To do this, you need to prepare a decoction of juniper cones and needles, and then gargle with it until recovery. For allergies, joint diseases, skin diseases and similar problems, it is recommended to use juniper infusions externally and use baths. Depending on the disease, the method of preparing the medicine differs:

1. Skin problems and allergies. About 250 grams of common juniper needles and branches should be poured into 10 liters of cold water and brought to a boil. Then the product is boiled for another 20-25 minutes and diluted in a bath with warm water until the temperature reaches 45 degrees. To achieve the best result, the procedure should be repeated 10 times every other day.
2. Joint diseases. You need to infuse 200 grams of pine needles in a liter of boiling water for 20-40 minutes. Then the product is poured into the bath, into which the patient needs to immerse himself for half an hour.
3. General strengthening of the body. In this case, it is recommended to prepare a tincture with a broad spectrum of action. To do this, you will need needles and shoots of the plant, which need to be placed in a vessel. Then the raw materials are filled with very high-quality vodka or alcohol diluted in half with water. After this, the tincture is hermetically sealed and placed in a dark place for 3-4 months.

Preparation and storage of medicinal raw materials

It is during this period that the berries of the plant ripen and become suitable for creating raw materials. While collecting, it is recommended to wear thick gloves or mittens, because the needles of common juniper are quite sharp and can injure your hands.

In order not to lose a large number of ripe fruits, which fall off even with a slight shaking of the branches, you need to lay burlap under the tree. If the berries still have a green color, then it is better not to take them for harvesting. The color of ripe common juniper fruits is blue-black.

After picking the berries, you can start drying them, but doing this in an accelerated manner is strictly prohibited. In this case, almost all the essential oil will evaporate from the fruit, and the medicinal properties of the fruit will decrease many times. Drying should be done in the most natural conditions possible: under a canopy on the street, in well-heated rooms, in an attic with excellent ventilation.

Useful properties of juniper (video)

After drying, the fruits are poured into fabric bags or cardboard boxes. Berries should be stored in a dry place and separately from other herbs or food products. If you ignore this rule, the workpieces can easily deteriorate. It also needs to be taken into account that The storage duration of dry raw materials cannot be more than two years. After this, juniper berries lose their original medicinal properties.

In addition to the fruits of the plant, sometimes, but less often, its needles and bark are also used. The first can be carefully collected from branches on the tree or from them after pruning, if this option seems more convenient to you. The bark should be cut off from any but not dried branches, because in this case you will not get enough useful properties. Such preparations must be dried and stored in a similar manner to berries. However, in the bark and needles, beneficial microelements are retained somewhat longer.

Contraindications to the use of common juniper

There are also a number of precautions that need to be taken into account before taking remedies from common juniper. Any berry infusion or decoction from this plant is irritating to the kidneys., therefore, for nephritis and a number of other kidney diseases, their use is strictly prohibited. The same rule is true if a person has chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

It is highly not recommended for expectant mothers to take products based on juniper. This is due to the fact that almost all such medications (both those prepared independently and those purchased at the pharmacy) can cause contractions of the uterus, harming the baby, and even provoke a miscarriage.

Before consuming any medicine from common juniper, you should first check with your doctor. In the absence of any contraindications for use, You should check with your doctor for the recommended timing of use. In most cases, juniper-based medicines can be consumed for about a month, two at most. If this period is exceeded, damage to the kidneys and other organs (including internal bleeding) is likely.

What are the benefits of juniper (video)

Common juniper is one of the best folk remedies for treating diseases. However, in appearance it is very similar to the Cossack variety, which contains a large amount of poison. If you plan to make the blanks yourself, then you need to be extremely vigilant. At the same time, you should not forget about care even when collecting the right variety of juniper, because without the correct dosages and proper use of products, you can only harm your health.

In order not to lose the material, be sure to save it to your social network VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook by simply clicking on the button below.

Juniperus communis L.

Description of the plant

Juniper is an evergreen coniferous shrub of the cypress family, reaching a height of 1-3m, or a tree with a branched trunk up to 8-12m in height.

The youngest branches are yellowish, somewhat glossy, triangular. The bark is dark gray or grayish-brown, cracking, flaking.

Leaves are 4-16 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, spiny, hard, linear-subulate, spinose-pointed, almost triangular, sessile, whorled. Male cones are yellow, small, almost sessile, oval, located in significant numbers at the ends of branches in the axils of the leaves. Female cones consist of lower coverts and three upper fertile scales, each containing one ovule; they are numerous, oblong-ovate, pale green. After fertilization, the three upper fertile scales grow, become fleshy and juicy. The edges of the scales grow together with the seeds and turn into a cone berry. In the first year, the coneberry is green and ovoid; on the second, after ripening, it is spherical, shiny, black, with a bluish waxy coating; there is a three-ray suture at the apex. Juniper is renewed by seed. Blooms in May; Cone berries ripen in the fall of next year - from mid-August to early October.

The fruits of juniper cones are used in medicine. Diuretics are prepared from them, and pharmacies sell the fruits for making an infusion at home.

Habitats. Spreading

Common juniper grows in forest-steppe and forest zones of the European part of the country, Western and Eastern Siberia. It is found in a wide variety of habitats. It grows in the undergrowth of dry pine forests on sandy soil, on the tops of sand dunes, in spruce forests with excessive moisture, in raised bogs, in spruce-pine grass, blueberry and blueberry-lingonberry forests, in cutting areas and forest edges, and sometimes forms thickets. It grows best in moderately moist soils in open areas. Frost-resistant. Can tolerate shade.

Procurement and quality of raw materials.

Juniper cones are collected in the fall (from late August to late October), during the period of their full ripening, when they turn black and blue. For collection you need burlap and canvas mittens. The pricks of the leaves (needles) hurt the hands, so pickers collect the cones by shaking the bushes onto a burlap bed. In this case, the mature cones fall off, and the green ones remain on the branches. The crumbled cones are cleaned of needles, twigs, pieces of bark and unripe fruits. Particular attention should be paid to cleaning the raw materials from grass bugs, which give the raw materials an unpleasant odor.

It is not recommended to knock down the cones with sticks; this leads to shedding of green fruits, pine needles, insects and clogs the raw materials, harming the plant, reducing the yield next year. You should also not cut down plants or cut branches from them.

It is recommended to dry the raw materials slowly. Cones are dried, stirring daily, in the shade, under sheds, in sheds, in attics under an iron roof with good ventilation, in heated rooms; It is not recommended to dry raw materials in ovens, this deteriorates the quality of the cones. With sufficient cleaning carried out before drying, the raw material does not require further processing.

According to the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia and GOST 2802-69, juniper fruits are spherical cone-berries 6-9 mm in diameter, smooth, shiny, less often matte, black-brown or almost black, sometimes with a bluish waxy coating, at the top with a three-ray seam. The pulp is loose, greenish-brown, with 1-3 seeds. The smell is peculiar, aromatic. The taste is spicy, sweetish. The raw material must contain at least 0.5% essential oil. Total ash allowed is no more than 5%; ash, insoluble in 10% hydrochloric acid, 0.5%; unripe or brown fruits 9.5%; including green ones - 0.5%; organic and mineral impurities 0.5% each; foreign non-poisonous berries 0.5%. The admixture of other types of juniper, especially the poisonous Cossack juniper, is unacceptable. The loss in weight during drying should be no more than 20%.

Dried raw materials are packaged in 40-50 kg bags. Store in a well-ventilated dry place. When storing juniper fruits, intense loss of essential oil occurs.

The shelf life of raw materials is up to 2 years.

Chemical composition

The fruits of common juniper contain up to 2% essential oil, which includes pinene, cadinene, terpineol, dipentene, borneol, isoborneol, juniper camphor, cedrol and other compounds. They contain up to 40% sugars, about 9.5% resins, coloring matter, fatty oil, organic acids (malic, formic and acetic).

Application in medicine

Infusions and diuretics, which include juniper cones, are advisable to use in complex therapy, combining them with other medicinal plants that have anti-inflammatory, diuretic and bactericidal properties. They are usually prescribed as a diuretic, as well as for chronic respiratory diseases, to thin mucus and improve expectoration.

Juniperus communis
Taxon: Cypress family ( Cupressaceae)
Other names: heather, heather, heather, heather tree, grouse bush, juniper
English: Juniper, Fairy Circle, Hackmatack, Horse Savin, Gorst, Aiten, Dwarf Juniper, Mountain Common Juniper

Generic name Juniperus comes from the Celtic word jeneprus- prickly, Latin word communis means ordinary.

Botanical description of common juniper

Evergreen coniferous dioecious, less often monoecious shrub 1-3 m high or a tree with a branched trunk up to 12 m in height. The bark is gray or reddish-brown, flaky; on trees that are 100-200 years old, it cracks and peels off in ribbons. The branches are pressed upward or spaced apart. The leaves are needles 4-20 mm long, sessile, hard, linear, elongated into a prickly point, grooved with a white stripe on top, shiny green below, with a blunt-rounded keel. The needles change gradually, once every 4-5 years. Falling to the ground, it quickly mineralizes and forms a loose litter, beneficial for soil formation. Male spikelets are almost sessile, yellow, rounded-oblong, 2-4 mm long, with 2-3 whorls of bracts at the bottom, with 3-4 whorls of stamens at the top. Juniper blooms in May. The flowers are dioecious. The female cones are numerous, oblong-ovate, up to 2 mm long, sitting singly in the leaf axils on very short stalks. After fertilization, their scales grow and form a fleshy coneberry. It tastes juicy, aromatic and sweet with a slight spicy aftertaste of resin. In the first year, the coneberry is green, ovoid, in the second (on maturity) it is spherical, shiny, blue-black with a bluish waxy coating, 7-9 mm in diameter, with 1-3 seeds. Juniper seeds are oblong-triangular, yellow-brown, convex on the outside and flat on the adjacent sides, 4-5 mm long. Male and female inflorescences are located in the leaf axils.

Where does juniper grow?

Juniper grows on sandy soils, limestone, dry hills, in spruce forests where the soil is sufficiently moist, and is also common in the undergrowth of dry pine forests and mixed forests in the European part of Russia, in the Urals, Siberia and the Caucasus.
Juniper is very light-loving, drought-resistant, and not afraid of frost.
In total, about 60 species of juniper are known. It lives up to 600 years, but grows very slowly, 10-15 centimeters per year. Juniper, growing in the mountains of Central Asia, is called juniper. In harsh conditions of a sharp change in air temperature from plus 40 degrees in summer to minus 40 degrees in winter, juniper grows very slowly: in the first 50 years - up to 1.5 m.

Collection and preparation of juniper

Cone berries and juniper needles are used as medicinal raw materials. Cone berries are harvested in the fall from the end of August to the end of October during the period of full ripening, when they turn blue-black. They have a bountiful harvest every 3-4 years. When collecting cones, spread a cloth or paper under the tree and lightly shake the branches so that only ripe berries fall. Dry under a canopy or in an attic with good ventilation, but not in dryers and ovens, since such drying destroys biologically active substances. Store in a dry, ventilated area. Properly dried fruits have the correct rounded shape, black color and retain the delicate aroma of juniper.

Chemical composition of juniper

Juniper berries contain essential oil, sugars, resins, dyes, fatty oil, organic acids - malic, formic and acetic, tannins and trace elements (, and aluminum).
Essential oil, consisting mainly of cadinene, camphene, etc., is contained in all organs of the plant: in fruits - 0.5-2%, in stems - 0.25%, needles -0.18%, bark - 0.5 %. In addition, the fruits contain up to 40% invert sugar and about 9.5% resins. The bark contains up to 8% tannins; pine needles - 266 mg/% ascorbic acid.

Pharmacological properties of juniper

Fully ripened juniper fruits have diaphoretic, expectorant, antiseptic (disinfectant) and properties. . It has been found that juniper volatiles kill up to 30% of airborne microorganisms.
The fragrant air of juniper trees is healing for pulmonary patients.

Use of juniper in medicine

Juniper is used for edema as a remedy, as well as for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract as a disinfectant, sometimes with potassium acetate.
An infusion of juniper berries is used for cardiac edema, lung diseases accompanied by profuse purulent sputum, sluggishness of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating, cystitis and cholelithiasis.
An infusion of juniper berries can be used for rinsing the mouth and throat and for inhalation of the upper respiratory tract, in the form of baths for rheumatism and skin diseases and diseases of the peripheral nervous system.
A decoction of berries and juniper branches is drunk in the absence of.
A decoction of juniper branches is used for diathesis. An external remedy for scabies is prepared from mashed juniper berries.
In folk medicine, juniper cones are used for women's diseases.
Essential oil from juniper is used for rubbing for rheumatism, paralysis, gout, neuralgia, polyarthritis, and for the treatment of trichomonas colpitis.
The decoction is used to prepare baths and compresses used for rheumatic and gouty joints, as well as to strengthen hair and get rid of baldness.
In addition to the fruits, juniper branches also have medicinal properties. They ozone the air, destroy microbes, and help with joint diseases as baths. When burned, the air in the room is disinfected, since the smoke destroys all infectious bacteria.

Juniper medicinal preparations

Juniper fruit infusion prepare as follows: chop 10-12 berries, pour a glass of boiling water over them, leave for 4 hours. Drink 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day for bronchitis, edema of cardiac origin, lethargy of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating and cholelithiasis; externally for rubbing for pain in joints and muscles.
Infusion of dried juniper berries: pour 400 ml of chilled boiled water into 15 g of dried berries for 2 hours, strain. Drink 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day before meals as a remedy.
Juniper berry decoction: Brew 200 ml of boiling water for 15 g of berries and cook them over low heat for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink 50 ml 3-4 times a day for bladder diseases, cholecystitis, colitis.
Juniper berry decoction: Brew 400 ml of boiling water 100 g of berries, boil for 10 minutes, then add sugar and cook until syrup consistency, then remove from heat and strain. Drink 1 and. l. 3 times a day before meals for diseases of the stomach, intestines, bladder, to improve appetite.
Juniper berry decoction: pour 200 ml of boiling water 1 tbsp. l. dried ripe fruits, crushed to a homogeneous powder, boil over low heat for 5 minutes under the lid, leave for 0.5 hours, strain. Mix 40 ml of decoction with 1 tbsp. l. oatmeal or starch and apply to the skin of the face and neck for 20 minutes, then rinse the skin with warm water. This procedure has a tonic, multivitamin and antimicrobial effect on the skin.
Juniper berries Chew one berry every day on an empty stomach, adding 1 more each day. Increase the intake to 15 pcs., and then reduce the rate by 1 pc. Recommended to improve the quality of blood.
Juniper berry lotion: pour 1 cup of boiling water over 4 tbsp. l. juniper berries, previously crushed in a coffee grinder, leave for 1 hour, strain. Mix with 1 tbsp. l. glycerin and 100 ml of 70% ethyl alcohol. Wipe the skin 1-2 times a day for 3-4 weeks for rosacea and juvenile acne, dandruff, hair loss, herpetic fever on the lips.
Juniper berry extract: Grind 2 tbsp in a coffee grinder. l. berries, fill the level of the powder with vodka, leave for 14 days, squeeze and strain. Use 2-3 times a day if you have or are prone to herpes on the lips (herpetic fever).
Juniper extract can be prepared by infusing the berries with wine, vodka or alcohol.
Pour crushed juniper branches (200-300 g) into 10 liters of cold water for 2 hours, then boil over low heat for 20 minutes, strain into a bath (36-37 ° C). Take a bath before bed. The course of treatment is 10-12 procedures every other day. For itchy dermatoses, a tendency to allergies and herpetic manifestations.

Contraindications for the use of juniper

Common juniper has toxic properties, so overdose should not be allowed.
Juniper fruits are contraindicated for pregnant women (oral consumption can lead to abortion), patients with acute inflammatory kidney diseases - nephritis and nephrosonephritis (as they cause irritation of the kidney parenchyma), gastric and duodenal ulcers, acute gastritis and colitis. As a rule, they are not prescribed for a long period (more than 6 weeks).

Using juniper on the farm

Juniper branches are placed in barrels with sauerkraut and pickles. Juniper eliminates all unpleasant odors formed during fermentation and gives pickles a pleasant fresh aroma.
A bath with juniper helps clear throat, especially for heavy smokers.
Juniper berries are used to make the famous juniper vodka - gin.
Beautiful and fragrant juniper wood is used for a variety of crafts and plywood production.
The pleasant smell of juniper has a strong insecticidal (insect repellent) effect.
Juniper trees (Central Asian juniper) play a large role in the nature of mountainous regions. By holding soil and stones with their roots, they prevent mudflows (mud flows from the mountains) and mountain collapses. It is no coincidence that where juniper forests were cut down, catastrophic mudflows and avalanches sharply became more frequent.
Juniper releases 6 times more aromatic substances that kill bacteria than pine. In the places where it grows, the air is clean and healthy, almost sterile. One hectare of juniper forest can clean the air of a city like Moscow.
It is believed that the juniper branch drives away snakes and protects against their bites. Juniper seed heals those possessed by demons.
The beauty of juniper was also noted by the artist Ilya Repin, who planted an alley of “northern cypress” on his estate “Penates”, which has survived to this day.
The energy of juniper cleanses and nourishes at the same time. This is one of the few trees whose wood practically retains its energy even after being cut down. Juniper blocks can serve as a source of energy in every home. You can communicate with juniper at any time of the year and at any time of the day.
Roasted juniper seeds are used as... Juniper tea is made by boiling the stems and leaves of the plant.

Since ancient times, juniper berries have been used as a seasoning for roast game, as they fight off unpleasant odors. To do this, you first need to prepare a special juniper brine. Dried cones are crushed and brewed with boiling water along with other fragrant spices - for example, mint. When brewing, it is better to place the spices in a cloth bag. The broth is cooled and added to the vinegar marinade, where the game meat is marinated for several hours along with onions or garlic.

A little history

Used Books

1. Maznev N.I. Encyclopedia of medicinal plants. 3rd ed. -M.: Martin, 2004
2. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Margaret Grieve Paperback, 1931
3. Chiej R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald ISBN 0-356-10541-5, 1984
4. Launert E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, London Lim TK, 2012
5. Lust J. The Herb Book. Optima Books, 1993
6. Mills S.Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. Healing Art Press, Rochester Vermont, 1988
7. Kunkel G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984
8. Yanovsky E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
9. Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines. Hammersmith Press Limited. 2007
10. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. London: Reader's Digest, 1996

Photos and illustrations of common juniper

Juniper fruit - FructusJuniperi

Common juniper - Juniperus communis L.

Cypress family - Cupressaceae

Other names:

- Bruzhdevelnik

- movel

- juniper

- grouse berries

- veres

- grouse bush

Botanical characteristics. An evergreen shrub up to 2-3 m high, less often a small tree with needle-like leaves arranged in whorls of 3. The plant is dioecious. Male cones are yellow and small. The female cone consists of lower covering scales and three upper fruiting scales, each containing one ovule. After fertilization, the fertilizing scales swell, become fleshy and grow together, forming a fruit - a cone-berry. The fruits are initially green, but after ripening they are black with a bluish waxy coating. It blooms in spring, the fruits ripen in the second year in autumn.

Spreading. Almost ubiquitous, but does not form large thickets.

Habitat. Mainly in open places. Often found as undergrowth in pine forests and coniferous-small-leaved forests. Renews itself only by seed.

Harvesting, primary processing, drying. The fruits of common juniper are collected in the fall (from late August to late October), during the period of full ripening. Place a cloth under the bush and carefully shake it by the trunk or branches, while the ripe cones fall off and the green ones remain on the plant. Hands are protected with thick gloves. When collecting, it is not recommended to hit the trunk and branches with sticks, as this leads to shedding of green fruits and needles and contamination of the raw materials. When harvesting, cutting down bushes (trees) and juniper branches is prohibited.

After harvesting, the raw materials are cleaned of pine needles, twigs, and unripe fruits on winnowing fans, sieves or wooden slides. Grass bugs, which give it an unpleasant odor, must be removed from the raw material.

The prepared raw materials are dried under canopies or in thermal dryers when the raw materials are heated to no higher than 30°C. In dry weather, drying raw materials in the open air is acceptable.

Standardization. The quality of raw materials is regulated by the State Fund XI.

Security measures. It is forbidden to knock fruits from the bush with sticks.

Microscopy. When determining the authenticity of powdered juniper raw materials, stony cells located in layers, yellowish, round or 5-6-gonal, in the narrow cavity of which calcium oxalate crystals are sometimes visible, are of diagnostic importance. Fetal epidermal cells - with brown contents

Numerical indicators. Essential oil content not less than 0.5%; humidity no more than 20%; total ash no more than 5%; brown fruits no more than 9.5%; green fruits no more than 0.5%; organic impurities - no more than 1.0%, mineral - no more than 0.5%.

Storage. Store raw materials in a dry, well-ventilated area, protecting them from being eaten by rodents. Shelf life: 3 years.

External signs. According to GOST and GF XI, mature fruits should be smooth, shiny, round, brownish-black, sometimes with a preserved bluish bloom, with a three-ray groove at the top with a diameter of 6-9 mm. The pulp is greenish, with 1-3 triangular-shaped seeds. The taste is sweetish-spicy. The smell is aromatic and unique. The quality of raw materials is deteriorated by the admixture of unripe and wrinkled berries, stem parts, and sand. The admixture of fruits of other types of juniper, especially the poisonous Cossack juniper, is unacceptable.

Distinctive features of different types of juniper

Plant name	Diagnostic signs
	life form	leaves (needles)
Common juniper - Juniperus communis L.	Shrub or small tree up to 3 m high (less often 8-12 m)	Linear-lanceolate, strongly spiny, 4-16 (20) mm long, arranged in whorls of 3, deviated from the branches	Globular, bluish-black, with a triradiate groove, have 3 (rarely 1-2) seeds
Cossack juniper - Juniperus sabina L.	Creeping shrub up to 1.5 cm high	Scaly, arranged in opposite pairs, tightly pressed to the branches, with a pungent unpleasant odor	Round-oval, brown-black. Usually 2 seeds.
Siberian juniper - Juniperus sibirica Burgst.	A squat creeping shrub 30-50 cm high (less often about 1 m)	Linear, short-pointed, almost non-thorny on top, with a white stripe in the middle, located in whorls, pressed to the branches	Globular, black with a bluish coating, on short stalks, seeds including 2-3

Chemical composition. All organs of the plant contain essential oil, which differs little in its constituent parts. The content of essential oil in cone berries is 0.5-2%, stems - 0.25%, needles - 0.18%, bark - 0.5%. The essential oil mainly contains d-a-pinene, cadinene, camphene, a-terpinene, a-phellandrene, dipentene, sabinene, terpineol, borneol, isoborneol, cidrol, etc. In addition, cone berries contain invert sugar (up to 40%), about 9.5% resins, pigment - uniperine, fatty oil, organic acids (malic, formic, acetic), resinous substances. The bark contains up to 8% tannins; pine needles - 266 mg% ascorbic acid.

Storage. In a dry, ventilated area, in a draft, packed in bags, in pharmacies - in closed boxes, jars. Raw materials should be protected from rodents. Shelf life 3 years.

Pharmacological properties. Juniper fruits have diuretic, choleretic, antipyretic properties, and stimulate digestion. An essential oil is obtained from juniper needles by distillation, which in experiments has a disinfectant, phytoncidal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and deodorizing effect, promotes regeneration and accelerated healing of wounds. The healing effect of essential oil is due to the amount of substances it contains. Of the essential oil components, the most studied is terpineol, which has diuretic properties. Bulgarian scientists have found that it enhances glomerular filtration and prevents the reabsorption of sodium chloride in the convoluted tubules of the kidneys. In addition, terpineol enhances bile formation and secretion of gastric juice, disinfects the pulmonary tract, sanitizes, deodorizes sputum, dilutes it, which facilitates its faster removal. Turkmen juniper essential oil has high antimicrobial and wound-healing activity. In experiments on mice, when using 5% juniper ointment, wound healing was noted 1-2 days earlier than in the control group.

Medicines. Juniper fruits, infusion, oil.

Application. Juniper is used as a diuretic in patients with cardiac edema and salt metabolism disorders. For chronic pyelonephritis, cystitis, urolithiasis without signs of renal failure, juniper preparations are prescribed as a disinfectant and diuretic. Juniper preparations are used for lung diseases accompanied by purulent, foul-smelling sputum (bronchiectasis, lung abscess, chronic pneumonia), as well as for inflammatory diseases of the oropharynx in the form of rinses. To improve digestion, juniper preparations are prescribed to patients with insufficient secretory and motor activity of the stomach and intestines, flatulence, cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. Infusions of juniper cones are used for inhalation and rinsing for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. The needles are used for medicinal baths in patients suffering from insomnia, neuroses, vegetative-vascular dystonia, and radiculitis. Local baths with pine needles are indicated for patients with obliterating endarteritis, trophic ulcers of the legs, and joint diseases to improve blood circulation in the affected organs.

The infusion is prepared at the rate of 10 g of fruit per 200 ml of water. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day after meals for 2 weeks.

Juniper fruits are contraindicated for nephritis and nephrosis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, acute gastritis and colitis.