Cheers Goatboy, once again I just needed someone to give my head a nudge! I've carried juniper berries since I started my woodland activities, never once thought to use them for a tea. I take it it's just flavour - no vitamin C as per the needles. Good enough for me, I get plenty C already so the taste is all I'm really after.
Thanks everyone for your time, have a good one.
Well there's a little in there: -
"Juniperus communis commonly known as juniper berries are found widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The juniper berry plant is a small evergreen shrub that can reach up to 10 feet in height. The berries are the medicinal part of the plant, although they are not a true berries but dark blue-black scales from the cones of the shrub. In mature trees, the berries arrive in the fall and will ripen to blue by spring. A plant can have unripe and fully ripened berries, as it takes several years for the berries to become fully ripened.
Constituents
Juniper berries are mainly used for their volatile oils, also known as essential oils, which gives the berries a bitter taste and turpentine-like smell, according to vitamin-supplements.org. The oils also contain tannins, sugar, flavonoid glycosides, resin, tar and terpenes. Other nutrients of the juniper berry include copper, chromium, calcium, iron, limonene, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and vitamin C. Due to the presence of these compounds, the berries stimulate the kidneys and are used as a diuretic, according to healthy.net.
Uses
In traditional herbal medicine, the berries have been used to treat digestive issues, cancer, gout, water retention due to its diuretic effects, along with urinary tract and kidney diseases such as urethritis and cystitis. For various digestive disorders, juniper berry is used for indigestion, bloating, belching, heartburn, flatulence, diabetes or menstrual problems. According to vitamin-supplements.org, juniper increases the production of stomach acid by warming the digestive system, which helps stimulate the appetite, relieve gas and settles the stomach. Juniper berry infusions have been used in the past as antibiotics to treat various skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema. Various inflammatory conditions including rheumatism, gout and arthritis have benefited from junipers anti-inflammatory properties, as the diuretic effect helps to reduce fluid retention from around the joints. Externally, a compress is used for skin growths, warts, athletes foot, dandruff and acne.
Dosage
To prepare an infusion, according to healthy.net, 1 teaspoon of lightly crushed berries is added to a cup of boiling water, steeped for 20 minutes and drained. You can drink the infusion two times daily. Juniper oil can also be added to a hot vapor bath to aid respiratory infections. For dried juniper berries, 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams are usually taken in two to three divided does with recommendations to limit use to no longer than six weeks, according to vitamin-supplements.org.
Precautions
Due to juniper berries' effect on the kidneys, it should be avoided by those with kidney disease. Juniper should not be used on open wounds, as the topical oil may lead to swelling and irritation at the application site. Juniper may decrease fertility and cause uterine spasms and should be avoided by women who are pregnant or are attempting to become pregnant. If used in excessive amounts, side effects of juniper overdose include blood in the urine, kidney pain, diarrhea, intestinal pain, purplish urine, a quickened heartbeat and elevated blood pressure, according to vitamin-supplements.org. Juniper may also interfere with the absorption certain minerals, including iron when taken orally."
