Did you know that juniper berries are not berries at all! They are coated seed cones with scales that are typically blue when mature, although they ARE berry like in appearance. Many of you gin drinkers may be familiar with the taste as it tends to be a flavouring found in gin, in fact if there is not s specific amount found it cannot be called gin at al!

There are many species of juniper berries and all will vary in appearance as well as taste, although most are edible (except the more toxic Juniperus sabina species) and medicinal I would personally put them more into the medicinal side of things. In TCM Juniper is considered to have an affinity to the kidneys and liver while being associated with the spleen and lungs.

Juniper is a powerful anti fungal, infused into vinegar (like my Four Thieves) it can be used to clean black mold (especially when the leaves, branches and berries are all used). It’s great as a bitter for digestion – we see great success using juniper for indigestion. There are many fold remedies using juniper that have now been backed by research and science proving that sometimes our grammas old wives tale really does hold true! I find it to be most effective for both colds and digestive issues (a tea of young twigs or berries is still a great option for UTI’s though).

The twigs and berries are also considered diuretic as well as antibacterial making it great for UTI’s. I enjoy pairing this with other barberine containing plants like Oregon grape) and a few others, but in tea format not tincture as the alcohol can irritate the kidneys, bladder and urinary tract during an active infection.

Not safe during pregnancy I would avoid due to the abortifacient properties. While some say smaller doses may be safe I find it not worth the risk.

My grandmother used to like to burn juniper, energetically it cleanses the air and the spirit. Its a celt tradition during the fall months for protection on many levels (spiritual, physical and energetically) including against plague, black magic and negativity. I tuck a little into my wreath that is at my front door. In Canada we tend to have a low shrubby version known as Juniperus Comminus although there are a sprinkling of other varieties.

When the time comes to set boundaries we can sain our surroundings with intention using the twigs or leaves (saining is celt for smudging although we do not use that term due to it belonging to our native brothers and sisters). Juniper belongs to all of us, it has native roots to places around the globe.