What are the healing properties of juniper?

Juniper - it is an evergreen shrub or cypress tree. In appearance, juniper looks like a tiny cypress. This plant is a real long-liver: it can live from 600 to 3000 years in comfortable conditions.

Many peoples juniper bushes are revered as a symbol of eternal life.

Juniper chemical composition

Juniper cones contain up to 40% carbohydrates, and in addition they contain resins, waxes, tannins, and dyes, more than 2% of essential oils, organic acids, macro and microelements (copper, iron, manganese and aluminum), and also vitamins. The composition of the essential oil present in the berries includes terpenes camphene, terpeniol, cadinene, pinene and borneol.

Needles plants - this is a storehouse of ascorbic acid, and at the root of the juniper there are about 8% tannins, saponins, resins and essential oils.

Calorie and nutritional value of juniper berries

Calorie juniper is 116.3 kcal. The nutritional value of the plant is very low, because it contains only about 40% of carbohydrates, although there are no proteins or fats at all.

The benefits of juniper for the human body

Juniper allocates a huge amount of phytoncides, which explains its beneficial properties and makes it possible to use in a variety of diseases.

Due to the pronounced antimicrobial action, juniper is ideal for use in the treatment of many ailments. The oil obtained from it has a pronounced disinfecting, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anesthetic effect, which allows its use with trichomonas coleitis, radiculitis, neuralgia, polyarthritis, rheumatic joint pain. Juniper-based drugs are an effective cough medicine. They have expectorant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bactericidal action. The benefits of juniper berries are due to their choleretic, diuretic and anchoring effect. In addition, taking juniper eliminates flatulence and dyspeptic disorders, improves appetite and digestion.

Use in folk medicine: the prevention and treatment of juniper diseases

Juniper hundreds of years ago found application in traditional medicine. The high therapeutic effect of a decoction of juniper cones allows its use in the treatment of many diseases of the respiratory system. It contributes to the rapid dilution, separation and removal of sputum in asthma and tuberculosis. Juniper baths are taken to relieve pain and relieve inflammation in gout and polyarthritis, the plant is washed with poorly healing wounds with a decoction, and its infusion is rubbed with arthritis.

Juniper berries contain an impressive amount of essential oils and resins, thanks to which they have a tart smoky aroma that has a sedative and anti-stress effect on the human body. In addition, juniper oil is characterized by a pronounced tonic and invigorating effect.

Fresh juniper berries - an excellent prophylactic and therapeutic agent for gallstones, and during rampant influenza and viral infections, juniper decoction can work wonders. In order not to get sick, eat one tart berry every day, and you will not be afraid of viruses.

For the treatment of cough

Long walks through the juniper groves are the best cure for diseases of the respiratory system. They are shown to those who suffer from asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis. The thing is that the volatile substances that juniper secretes have a pronounced antiviral and anti-edema effect, which allows you to quickly get rid of the disease. Now on the basis of juniper developed many drugs for the treatment of the respiratory system. However, the best results in the treatment of cough gives the use of fresh berries.

To get rid of dry coughing, buy or collect about 0.5 kilograms of juniper berries. They must be taken on the first day of one berry, on the second - two each, and so on, until you reach the twelve fruits. Then start the countdown and eat one less fruit each day than you did yesterday. Juniper decoction is also effective when coughing occurs on the background of a cold.It also helps with purulent pleurisy and pneumonia. However, in order for the remedy to cope with the illness, it is necessary to know exactly how to brew the juniper. Take a tablespoon of the fruits of the plant and fill them with two cups of boiling water, boil for 20 minutes, strain and bring the volume of the drug to half a liter with water. Take a decoction of a tablespoon four times a day.

For the treatment of herpes

The treatment of herpes in traditional medicine is limited to taking antiviral drugs that do not completely cure the disease, but only translate it into remission. At the slightest hypothermia or weakening of the immune system, the disease makes itself felt with redoubled force. However, not everything is so hopeless.

An excellent herbal remedy for herpes is tea with juniper, whose beneficial properties are due to the high content of phytoncides and antiviral substances in the plant. Making tea is easy. Take half a teaspoon of dried fruit or needles and pour 250 milliliters of boiling water, letting the medicine stand for 25 minutes. Take the drug should be three times a day.

To improve digestion

Digestive disorders can deliver a lot of unpleasant moments to a person. Pain, bloating, intestinal colic and indigestion will disappear if you systematically take tincture of juniper. To prepare it, you need to pour 15 berries with 100 milliliters of 70% alcohol. Insist drug 10 days. After this period, filter the tincture and squeeze the berries. You need to take medicine 30 days three times a day, but not more than 25 drops.

Pharyngitis for gargling

Those who suffer from chronic pharyngitis, know how painful this disease can be. Malaise, fever, as well as pain, tickling and dry throat, accompanied by a dry cough can permanently chain the patient to bed. The infusion and decoction of the juniper for gargling are considered to be the right remedies for this ailment. To prepare a juniper infusion, take a tablespoon of bark or plant berries, pour them into a thermos and pour half a liter of boiling water, let it brew for an hour and use to rinse the throat.

Excellent results and gargling with a decoction of juniper. To prepare it, take a tablespoon of chamomile, calendula and juniper. Pour all with a liter of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Let the broth stand for 45 minutes and strain.

With pyelonephritis and cystitis

Pyelonephritis is a kidney disease that is inflammatory and infectious in nature; it occurs against the background of kidney damage by pathogenic microorganisms that enter them from the lower parts of the ureter. Very often, pyelonephritis develops on the background of cystitis.

For the treatment of pyelonephritis or cystitis, it is necessary to prepare a collection consisting of equal parts of juniper berries, bearberry leaves and licorice root. Tablespoon of the collection should be filled with a glass of boiling water and insist 20 minutes. Take the fourth part of the glass 4 times a day. Equally effective is a herbal blend consisting of equal amounts of juniper fruits, stalice root, violet grass, elderberry flowers, goldenrod grass, mint leaves and quince seeds.A tablespoon of a mixture of herbs poured a glass of boiling water and insist 10 minutes, take the drug in 1/3 cup 3 times a day.

Diuretic

Drugs made from juniper are often used as a diuretic. To make a decoction, you will need to take a tablespoon of dry or fresh berries and pour them with a glass of boiling water. Boil the drug for 10 minutes over low heat and let it brew for 30 minutes. Take a decoction of 1/3 cup three times a day. Juniper tea also has a pronounced diuretic effect. To prepare it, you will need to pour a teaspoon of dry, shredded cones and let the medicine stand for 30 minutes. Take the third part of the glass three times a day.

Useful properties of the juniper bath

A decoction of juniper berries is added to baths for the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism and gout. After 2-3 baths, patients feel significant relief: the intensity of pain decreases, inflammation disappears and swelling in the affected joint decreases. For the preparation of therapeutic baths, it is necessary to pour 100 grams of dry crushed berries with a liter of boiling water and boil for 20 minutes. Apply in the form of heat.To prepare baths for the treatment of poorly healing wounds, eczema and dermatitis, you will need to take 200 grams of dry raw materials and pour a liter of boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes in a tightly closed container.

Harvesting and storage of raw juniper for medical purposes

When collecting juniper, it is very important not to confuse the plant varieties, since for medical purposes only juniper is used, but its poisonous relative - Cossack juniper, it is better to stay away.

Ripe juniper berries usually have a blue-black color. Shishkoagod begin to collect in September and end in late October. In the process of gathering under the bush they spread thick paper, cardboard or cloth, put on mittens, grab the branches and shake the bush strongly. After that, just pick the fallen berries. Next, the fruit is cleaned of pine needles and plant debris, and then spread out in a dark, well-ventilated place. When drying in dryers, it should be remembered that the temperature in the device should not exceed 40 °, since otherwise its therapeutic properties may be reduced.

Contraindications and harm from juniper

Drugs from juniper are prohibited to take those who suffer from kidney disease, gastrointestinal tract organs and are susceptible to the occurrence of hypertensive crises. In addition, in any case, when treating with juniper, observe the dosage, since its excessive intake may cause undesirable and sometimes even life-threatening consequences. In fruits, bark, and also the needles of juniper is hidden powerful therapeutic potential, able to give health, strength and longevity, and that the plant is fully able to open it, you need to know how to properly prepare therapeutic drugs.