JUNIPER

Description

It’s a small shrub of 1 to 6 m in height. Verticil, acute, rigid, linear leaves are displayed in three lines, with a notorious white line at the center. Male and female flowers are yellow and a little attractive. The fruit developed in the female flowers, is a blueish-black fleshy cone-shaped galbulus (by the second year). When fused together, the three upper bracts form a triradiated-shaped star.

Distribution and ecology: Underbrush and forests in the mountains, most part of the northern hemisphere.

Part used

Berries (ripe fruits), sometimes the wood.

Indications

Folk medicine uses

• Diuretic.
• Urinary antiseptic.
• Abortive.

Internal use

• Diuretic.
• Urinary antiseptic.
• Digestion stimulant, orexigenic.

External use

• Local analgesic, muscle or joints pain.
• Dermatological rubefacient-antiseptic.

Bibliography

Agrawald, OP., Santosh, B. y Mathur, R. Antifertility effects of fruits of juniperus comunis. Planta Med. 1980; (Supple):98-101.

Janku, I., Háva, M., Kraus, R. y Motl, O. Das diuretische Prinzip des Wacholders. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch Exp Path Pharmakol. 1960; 238: 112-113.

Lasheras, B., Turillas, P. y Cenarruzabeitía, E. Etude pharmacologique preliminaire de Prunus spinosa L. Plant Mèd Phytothèr. 1986; 20:219-26.

Maskolo, M., Autore, G., Capasso, F., Menghini, A., y Fasulo, MP. Biological escreening of Italian medicinal plants for antiinflamatory activity. Phytother Res. 1987; 1: 28-31.

Prakash, AO. Potentialities of some indigenous plants for antifertility activity. Int J Crude Drug Res. 1986; 24:19-24.

Sánchez de Medina, F. , Gamez, MJ.,  Jiménez,I..,  Jiménez, J., Osuna, JI. y Zarzuelo, A. Hypoglycemic Activity of juniper “berries”. Planta Med. 1964; 60:197-200.

Wollmer, H. y Hübner, K. Untersuchungen über die diuretische Wirkung der Fructus juniperi, Radix levistici, Radix ononidis, Folia betulae, Radix liquiritiae und Herba equiseti an Ratten. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch Exp Path Pharmakol. 1937; 186: 592-605.

Wollmer, H y Weidlich, R. Untersuchungen über die diuretische Wirkung der Fructus juniperi, Radix levistici, Radix liquiritiae und Herba violae tricolores an Kaninchen und Mäusen. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch Exp Path Pharmakol. 1937; 186: 574-83.