Want to learn how to make juniper berry powder and how to use juniper berry powder at home? Continue reading and find out.
Juniper berry powder (Juniperus communis) is one of the best natural remedies for digestive problems, namely bloating, cramps, and indigestion. Before we show you how to make juniper berry powder at home, learn where to find juniper and how to harvest its berries.
In This Article You Will Find:
Where to Find Juniper?
Juniper grows especially in the submontane and mountain areas, in open and well-sunned spots, as this shrub needs a lot of light. It is often found in the vicinity of hawthorns and rose hip bushes, as they share the same light and soil preferences. At high altitudes, juniper is usually found at the edge of pine, and beech forests.
How to Harvest Juniper Berries
Juniper berries can be harvested from about September through to December when they are fully ripe (are deep purplish-blue with a waxy appearance). Picking juniper berries is one of the most complicated berry-picking operations of this kind. Juniper leaves are extremely tough and can sting while its berries are much too small to be picked one by one. Hence, unless you make it your purpose to harvest juniper berries yearly, we recommend purchasing the berries from a local health shop.
If you still want to pick by hand, you will need a thick pair of gloves and a tarp to place under the juniper bush. Give the bush a good shake and collect the juniper berries that have fallen on the tarp, then separate the berries from the vegetable remains and you have your freshly harvested juniper berries.
How to Make Juniper Berry Powder
To make juniper berry powder, finely grind the dried juniper berries using an electric coffee grinder. Store the powder-sealed glass jars, in dark and cold places, for a maximum period of 2 weeks (since the essential oils vaporate very quickly). As a general rule, the daily dosage for an adult is 1 teaspoon 3 times a day, on an empty stomach. Juniper berry powder is mainly used before meals as an aperitif, against dyspepsia, as a mild diuretic, and antispasmodic.
2 Juniper Berry Powder Uses
1. Bloating & Stomach Cramps
Juniper berry powder has a slightly bitter taste, due to some active substances that stimulate the peristalsis of the digestive tube and increase the secretion of gastric juices, thus normalizing digestion, and preventing the occurrence of intestinal gases. For bloating and cramps, the dosage is 1/2 teaspoon of juniper berry powder, 10 minutes before the meal, and 1/2 teaspoon, 30 minutes after the meal. This remedy is also effective in cases of difficult digestion.
2. Loss of Appetite
Taken in small doses, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of juniper powder before meals is an excellent appetite and digestion stimulant. However, in larger doses, 2-3 teaspoons before the main meal, juniper powder inhibits appetite and instead stimulates the digestive function.
Juniper Safety and Contraindications
When using juniper internally, do not exceed the maximum daily adult dose (10 grams of plant). If this dose is exceeded, one may experience kidney irritations, digestive disorders, mouth irritations, and even spasms. A juniper cure should last no more than 4 weeks, followed by a minimum 3-week break, after which it can be resumed. Using juniper for too long can lead to loss of potassium from the body, very low blood sugar, hypotension, and even hypocalcemia. Other juniper contraindications to consider:
- Never use juniper during pregnancy (in any form), because this plant has proven abortion-inducing effects, being often used in folk medicine to trigger and accelerate childbirth or abortion.
- Avoid juniper treatments if you want to become pregnant (both partners), as juniper has a surprising effectiveness as a contraceptive. Animal studies have confirmed that the reproductive rate of laboratory animals treated with juniper for several months was reduced by 60-70%.
- If you are already suffering from kidney infections, you should use juniper internally cautiously – at first only 1/4 of the recommended daily dose. If you feel any intensification of the irritation when urinating, kidney pain, or irritation in the reno-urinary system, stop using juniper.
For a long time, it was believed that juniper is nephrotoxic and harmful in cases of kidney and urinary infections, but recent studies show that inflammatory phenomena due to juniper are isolated, rather due to individual predispositions. Please consult an herbal medicine specialist before using juniper internally.
More Juniper Remedies:
Juniper Berries Cure
Juniper Berries Tea
Juniper Berry Tincture
Juniper Essential Oil
If you’ve enjoyed learning how to make juniper berry powder and how to use juniper berry powder as medicine, please share this article so more people can use this information. Let us know in the comments below how you use juniper berries at home. Stay healthy, naturally!
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