MEDICAL MONDAY: Juniper: Herbal Medicine for Preppers

Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. I hope everybody's enjoying this blazing hot July weather. I'm actually going to talk about a tree today as we continue our series herbal medicine for preppers focusing on the trees with a tree that actually grows in very hot climates but is more associated I would say with cooler climates and it's juniper. Now in the southeast And I think throughout most, at least the eastern United States, we have what's called the eastern red cedar, which is not a cedar at all. It's a juniper. It's juniperus virginiana, I think, or virginius. I can't remember. I could probably look that up real quick. But, you know, it's not important. Wherever else you might be, you might have California juniper. You know, you might have... Shore juniper. That's a juniper that likes, you know, coastal areas. You might have any number of ornamental junipers. Like, well, gosh, there's so many. I don't even think I could get into them. You can have everything from trees to bushes to a low ground cover. They're all in the same family. The, yeah, the juniper, the eastern red cedar, so-called, is Juniperus virginiana. And that just means it was first identified in juniper. In Europe, they have so many varieties. There are varieties of junipers that just grow in the Alps. There are varieties of juniper that grow in England and France. I mean, you can go all over the place. There are Asian junipers, many Chinese varieties and Japanese varieties that have been brought here. The cedars of Lebanon are a closely, you know, related plant. We, well, let's see. Normally, I use juniper berries. Actually, the needles, you know, they're never green. And they have like almost like little tiny scaly pine needles or something. You know, I don't know how you want to describe it. Those are useful as well. Various parts of the tree do have uses. But mainly, we use the juniper berries. Going way back. to ancient Greek medicine Galen stated that juniper berries cleanse the liver and kidneys and with thin thick and viscous juices mucus and such and actually there's certain bladder conditions which are pretty nasty that can make your urine thick it's a really serious condition and they were used for that as well and he said And for this reason, they are mixed in health medicines. So, uh, Dioscorides wrote in Demateria Medica, uh, after describing several varieties that were known to him in ancient Greece and Rome and Egypt is his region. Um, he was all over. He appears to be mostly based in, um, in, in Greece, but he was very familiar with, um, the herbal medicine traditions of basically the entire Middle East and Northern Africa. So either the guy really got around, you know, or that knowledge was just really being shared at the time, which is probably a little more likely. He said that he mainly used the fruit, the berries. They're not actually berries. That's one thing that can confuse you. Those little blue berries that form on a juniper bush, are actually little cones, like little tiny pine cones. But they're sweet and piney, and it's what they're used to flavor gin. So if you've ever had a gin and tonic or a gin martini, which I really enjoy gin martinis, you know the taste of juniper. And anytime you see a juniper with berries, it doesn't matter what variety they are. They're delicious, nutritious, and medicinal. Don't take them in too great a quantity, though. because they can irritate the kidneys. They have terpenes that can just be a little tough on the kidneys and cause a little bit of inflammation in large amounts or over a large period of time. I have a little juniper berry in my bitters formula every day. Never bothered me. I eat juniper berries. I cook with juniper berries. They're absolutely fantastic with game. whether it's game birds or a fattier piece of meat like a wild boar, wild pork of any kind. I mean, you know, we usually just call them wild boar, but, you know, it's feral pigs, basically. Bear meat, I mean, you know, juniper is fantastic. So I would not overstate that irritating quality. But he said that they were sweet and a little bitter, and they are. Mildly warming and astringent, good for the stomach, taken and drink for infirmities of the chest, for coughs, gaseousness, griping, and the poisonous venom of creatures. So I don't know about that. It's also diuretic and as a result is good for convulsions and hernia and those who have congested or blocked wombs. It has sharp leaves and applied as a plaster and taken to drink. So he's actually talking about like the needles now. or the juice taken in wine, they're good for those bitten by vipers. So I sure hope I'm never bitten by a viper. But if you are, maybe a juniper poultice would help. I have no idea. The bark burned and rubbed on with water removes leprosy. But the scraping dust of the wood, like sawdust, he said if you took it in water or something, it would kill you. So I'd be very careful with that. He talks about the cypress, not the cypress like our eastern cypress, our swamp cypress, but these are more like the cedars of Lebanon and Rome, and he talks a little bit more about that, and talks about what it was called in various languages in his time and in his general region, which, like I said, he was pretty cosmopolitan. He also, interestingly, gave a recipe for juniper wine. And I have tried this. It's very good, actually. A little odd. Tastes a little like pine salt. Smells. I've never actually tasted pine salt. But, no, it's actually pretty good. He said you could use cedar, juniper, cypress, bay, pine, or fir. They're all the same way. You take the newly cut needles. And he actually also used the newly cut wood. and would lay it in the sun or the fire so it would kind of sweat out the sap a little bit. And pound this, he said, in four and a half liters of wine. And this is just infused. I actually took the needles and boiled them in water, added some sugar, let it cool, pitched some yeast in there, and made an evergreen wine when COVID was going around. And it seemed to have some great antiviral properties. So you could go either way. Okay. So anyway, he said these medicinal wines are warming, good for the urinary tract and astringent. He said wine could also be made from the berries of juniper trees, as well as the fruit of the cedar, which has the same effect. And in my research, I found a juniper beer was very popular in Scandinavian countries before hops came into common use. And it's still used in some craft brewers and Yeah, I mean, having tried using cedar or juniper berries, juniper I meant to say, in different beverages, I found them to be quite pleasant, quite good, and very good for the immune system, very good for the stomach and the lungs, and really good. I don't have any problem with, like, urinary stones, kidney stones, bladder stones, anything like that, but it's an old remedy for such as that. So if you do, you might want to look into it. By the 1080s, St. Hildegard von Bingen said, Take its fruit, the fruit of the juniper, and cook it in water. Strain this through the cloth. To this add honey and a bit of vinegar and licorice and a little bit of ginger and a little less ginger than the licorice, she says. She doesn't give an exact amount. Cook it again and place it in a little bag and make a spiced wine. Drink it often, whether on an empty stomach or having eaten. It diminishes and mitigates pain in the chest, lungs, or liver. Also take the green twigs and cook them in water. Make a sauna bath with that water. Often bathe in it, and it diminishes the bad fevers in you. Of course, juniper is widely used in saunas in Scandinavian countries and such as that. Juniper has, and Russians love it. Russians go crazy over it. Juniper has been widely used among British herbalists. Gerard in the 1500s said, that the fruit of juniper tree doth cleanse the liver and kidneys. And let's see what else he might say here. Good for gripings and gnawings in the stomach. And maketh the head hot. I don't know about that. It neither bindeth nor looseneth the belly, and it provoketh the urine. He said it is a... certain that the decoction of these berries is singularly good against old cough and against that which children are now and then extremely troubled, called the chin cough. That's actually whooping cough, in which it's used to basically as an expectorant. It gets the congestion out. And he said it was especially good if that mucus had blood mixed in with it, which would be a very serious condition, that a decoction of juniper berries would be especially good, he said. I don't know. Never tried it. You know, take it with a grain of salt. He said in Bohemia, so we're talking like Germany, he said they used wine and beer with the berries steeped in it and lived to a wonderful good health. This is also drunk against poisons and pestilent fevers and is not unpleasant to drink. That's very true. The smoke of the leaves and wood driveth away serpents and all infections and corruptions in the air. Jennifer's been used as a fumigation for centuries, probably thousands of years in times of plague or anything. But apparently snakes don't like it. And there's a lot of tradition about that. Snakes don't want to go anywhere near where juniper is being burned or cedar or anything like that. I don't know if that's true, but people really used to believe it. They would actually kind of burn it in a perimeter around their campsite to keep snakes away. It said, the juice of the leaves is laid on with wine and drunk against the bitings of the viper. The ashes of the burned bark being applied with water take away the scurf and filth of the skin. That's basically anything from scabies to... psoriasis or anything skin issue like that the powder of the wood being taken inwardly is pernicious and deadly so again don't take the sawdust internally I don't know why you would so the fume and smoke of the resin or he says the gum does stay phlegmatic humors he's talking about congestion in the head and the lungs the nose especially and good for a sick stomach taken inwardly Killeth all manner of worms in the belly, stayeth the menses and the hemorrhoids. So it has an astringent effect. It'll stop bleeding. Can be used against spitting of blood, used to dry ulcerated wounds, and mixed with the oil of roses was particularly good for that. He said there is made of this and linseed together a liquor called a varnish. Oh, they made a varnish out of it. Okay, so it was used to color wood and for pictures and such, picture frames. So about 100 years later, Culpepper wrote, it was a most, this is Juniper again, a most admirable counterpoison and a great resistance of pestilence. They are excellently good against the biting of venomous beasts. They provoke urine exceedingly and therefore are very good Very against strangury and diceres. I can't remember how you pronounce that. But anyway, just difficult urination and edema, retaining fluids and such. Also a powerful remedy against the dropsy. That's the retaining fluid. And a lye made of the ashes of the herb being drank cures the disease. Don't know about that. I'm not going to recommend anything taken internally with lye, obviously. It's a very caustic substance. It provokes the terms. That means it actually brings on menses, as opposed to what Gerard just said is drying it up. Helps the fits of the mother, strengthens the stomach exceedingly, expels the wind. Indeed, there is scarce a better remedy for wind in any part of the body or the colic than the chemical oil drawn from the berries. Such country people as know not how to draw the chemical oil may content themselves by eating 10 or a dozen ripe berries every morning, fasting, or an empty stomach. Very old cure. We'll get more into that in a minute. Very popular in German folk medicine. They are admirably good for cough, shortness of breath, and consumption, pains in the bellies, ruptures, cramps, and convulsions. They give safe and speedy delivery to women with child. Remember, I never recommend anything like that. They strengthen the brain exceedingly, help the memory, fortify the sight by strengthening the optic nerves. are excellently good for all sorts of agues or fevers, help the gout and sciatica, and strengthen the limbs of the body. The ashes of the wood is a speedy remedy to such as have the scurvy to rub their gums with. The berries stay all fluxes, help the hemorrhoids or piles, and kill worms and children. A lye made of the ashes of the wood and the body bathed with it cures itch, scabs, and leprosy. The berries break the stones, kidney and bladder stones, Procure appetite when it is lost and are excellently good for all palsies and falling sickness, which is epilepsy. Don't know if that's true or not, but you can see. The old herbalists swore by juniper berries. I mentioned gin and tonic or gin martini. That's actually an herbal concoction of berries soaked in, steeped in, that's what I'm trying to say, alcohol. It began as an herbal medicine and became the national drink of England, basically. Going to the Irish tradition, John Kehoe said in, I guess, the 1800s, the berries provoke urine and cure old coughs, good for flatulence and colic pains. The gum of the tree expels worms from the body and stops excessive menstrual flow. So it's actually the sap that's good for that, or the gum of the tree, as they said. Juniper is also an excellent herb to stimulate the appetite and help the liver. It is a natural bitter, and just thoroughly chewing a few berries before a meal can actually be among the best helps in digestion, especially for elderly and chronically ill people. If you can get some juniper berries, and if you've got someone who's chronically ill or elderly, this is just me talking, I'm not quoting anybody, eating a few berries before a meal, just one or two, can really help digestion. But again, remember, they can irritate the kidneys in large doses, so don't overuse them. Juniper is also good for the immune system, and it's called a blood cleanser or spring tonic. And that's where we get into the German folk use. Father Nape wrote, Juniper is used for fumigation, spreads an agreeable odor throughout the room, and improves the air. He said... He was really the only fumigation he thought was worth using, and he talks about how he didn't like some of the others that were in use at the time. He said it destroys all fungi and whatever the volatile infection and disease bringer may be called. He's talking more germs than fungi, actually. Juniper works with similar effects upon the interior of the human organism. The berries fumigate, as it were, the mouth and stomach and ward off contagion. I'm getting tongue-tied here. Very good sip of water. He says, those who are nursing patients with serious illness such as scarlet fever, smallpox, typhus, cholera, etc., and are exposed to contagion by serving the patient or by speaking with him should always chew a few juniper berries, six to ten in a day. They give a pleasant taste in the mouth and are a good service to digestion. They burn up, as it were, the harmful bacteria miasms or germs, exhalations, etc., when those seek to enter through the mouth or nostrils. Those who are suffering from a weak stomach may try the following little course with juniper berries. Now, this is what's known as the juniper berry cure. Now, I mean, I think as far as prepper medicine, knowing this property of juniper to help prevent contagious diseases from spreading, which has been documented for thousands of years. I don't think modern science puts much credence in it. But for thousands of years, it's been used by people in many different countries that weren't communicating with each other. You know, that alone should be a reason to learn to identify, which is super easy. It's one of the easiest trees to spot and use this herb. Okay, so here's the famous Father Nape Juniper Berry Cure. The Spring Cure, as it's often called in German folk medicine. The first day, they should begin with four berries. The second, take five. the third day six, the fourth seven, and so increased by one berry every day until the twelfth, on which they would take fifteen berries. Then they may continue for five days longer, taking each day one berry less. I know many whose stomachs filled with gases and thereby weakened have been purified and strengthened by this simple berry cure. Juniper berries have been noted since olden times as a remedy for stone and gravel and for complaints of the kidneys and liver's and liver. Also, in all cases where foul gases, foul, watery, and slimy matter are to be removed from the body, not only the berries, but also the young shoots of juniper are made use of for tea in the first stages of dropsy and also as a purifying medicine. The oil is best bought from the chemist. Obviously, we don't really make oils of juniper in our home. We could, you know, if you get into that. The tincture can be made at the home with wine, brandy, or any other spirit. I would not praise the father or mother of a family who were certainly very careful and diligent in preserving their meat and vegetables with berries from the juniper bush and were punctual and careful in fumigating their dwelling of the same, but who allowed their body, the dwelling of their soul, to lie in dust and dirt. they ought to apply such a fumigator as for more important dwellings at least a few times in the year. In other words, Father Neve was a wonderfully poetic writer, and he was saying that at the time in Germany, I guess it's around 1880, 1890, people were using juniper berries very commonly to preserve meat and fish. You may know like Swedish and Norwegian gravlax, where you take Juniper and dill and sometimes a little vodka and preserve your fish with it. You make that wonderful, wonderful cured salmon. I absolutely love that stuff. I could eat my weight in it daily. Juniper has these antimicrobial properties and was very much used in sausages and curing meat. And it gives a wonderful flavor. As I said, you learn to use juniper in cooking and preserving meats and fish. And you're really going to be a fan of it, as am I. Very popular in Polish food. I mean, really anywhere where the plants are common. But also it was used to fumigate the house. You know, give a good scent to get bad odors out and to prevent disease and such as that. And he was saying people also ought to eat the berries because they'd be just as good for your body as the other uses. Brother Aloysius was Father Nape's protege. And I believe he was Swiss. He wrote, the berries and young twigs are used medicinally. The berries principally have diaphoretic, warming, and wind-breaking properties and promote digestion. They are especially used for gastric weakness accompanied by wind, accumulation of mucus, etc. They are also recommended as a protection from intermittent fevers, rheumatism, and gout pains. The young twigs mixed with woodruff and wild strawberry leaves make a delicious and healthy drink and can be taken in the place of Indian tea or black tea, Chinese tea, and it is certainly much healthier and milk and sugar can be added according to taste. One of the preparations is juniper oil, which has excellent diuretic properties. Juniper berries strengthen the nerves, cleanse the blood and the stomach, and are used for kidney, lung, and liver complaints, gravels, stones, bladder, cataract, diarrhea, and migraines. The decoction of the twigs and berries is a half cup per two cups water. And remember, decoction is just a strong tea, kind of boiled down about a third to a half. The decoction of young twigs and wood is two-thirds to one cup per two cups water. And it can be taken for rheumatism, gout, syphilis, chronic cough, and congestion in the chest. Or use three tablespoons of berries ground to a powder, And cooked with two tablespoons of lard is an excellent remedy for scurf and children. And that's like psoriatic dandruff usually, but it can be caused by other skin conditions. The head should be smeared with it twice a day. I think even cradle cap would fall into that category, but I'd have to double check, so do double check me on that. Useful as a remedy for phlegm in the chest and for coughs. In that case, three Tablespoons of juniper berries should be boiled in two cups of barley water, reduced by half. Add a little sugar candy and drink this quantity throughout the day. So you're making essentially a cough syrup of juniper and rock candy, you know, the sugar candy. Yeah, you know what rock candy is. I mean, hopefully you do. I haven't seen it in stores in, gosh, since I was a little kid. And even that would have been like, you know... like mass general store or something, you know, in the mountains where tourists come to see old fashioned stuff. So I guess you can still get rock candy. If not, you can certainly make it very easy. I remember, um, I learned to make it in school and yeah, used to make mine. So easy stuff. So father Johan Kunzel also in this same tradition wrote of, um, juniper. And this is in the book that, uh, herbs and weeds, father Johan Kunzel, which I, um, co-wrote, uh, and translated with, uh, um, an Austrian herbalist, and if you don't have that book, you may want to get it because it's a pretty cool book, actually. I'm pretty proud of that one, actually. He said the juniper, and in his language, was he Austrian or Swiss? I can't remember. It was Reckholder. But anyway, juniper is a medicinal plant of the first rank. Everything about it is medicinal, from the woods, the needles, berries, and bark. It has the power to warm up, relieve internal colds, cleanse everything wherever it can reach. The stomach, intestines, lungs, blood, and is therefore used in all herbal mixtures, except for hot diseases such as fever. Now, he didn't like it for fever. Even stronger than common juniper is the kind found in the high Alps that creeps along the ground. We often, well, that actually grows in the mountains of North Carolina, and, um, I mean, it's a variety of the same plant. And then you often see this used ornamentally as well. Juniper baths are usually a good remedy for old rheumatisms. That's arthritis, essentially. I have seen old people twisted by gout become straight and healthy again through continued use of such baths. And how people who stayed in bed stiff like a piece of wood for six months were healed by washings and later bathing in juniper decoction. Of course, the green juniper twigs have been boiled in have to be boiled for three hours, and the patient is washed with this warm water 10 times a day all over his body until he is able to take a bath. Because the bath is very sharp and aggressive, it is advisable to mix it with fir tree or green pine tree twigs. The bath must be warm and last for a half an hour. At the end, the whole body has to be poured over with cold water. If you fail to do that, it is better not to take the bath, otherwise rheumatism will come back more severely. Now, in the German folk medicine tradition, they're very big on cold water baths. And whenever you take a hot bath, especially infused with herbs, you then have to take rinse in cold water. And that actually has a remarkable effect. It causes the body to burn what's called the brown fat. And in the process, that's incredibly anti-inflammatory. So you can see why he would say it would be very good for arthritis and gout. Jolanta Witteb was the Austrian herbalist I worked with on that book, and she wrote, Whenever I see a juniper with berries or cones on my walk in the forest, I collect a few juniper berries, ripe, whether they're black or dark blue ones, and chew on them while walking. I do the same thing. I love them. They have a Swedish and very aromatic taste, and I know that they will strengthen my body and spirit. Father Sebastian Nape, who has already been mentioned more than once in this book, suggested the juniper cone therapy after a long illness, for exhaustion, after cancer treatment, etc., because juniper cones cleanse the body, cleanse the blood, and improve metabolism. They are good for rheumatism and arthritis, and they have an antibacterial effect. Besides, they are tasty and disinfect one's mouth and leave a nice flavor. I agree 100%. So now, getting to the American tradition. Now, here we're talking, this is Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests. written by the Confederacy. They hired a French botanist to do this. And so we're mainly talking the Virginia, the Eastern Red Cedar or Virginia Juniper. He says the expressed oil is very useful as an application to rheumatic pains and swellings of the joints. He says putting it on like a liniment, essentially. And he actually says how to make it. So I'll give you the recipe, but it may not be something you want to do in your own kitchen. He says take one bushel of of the dried shavings heated in an inverted iron vessel, and that will yield a half a pint of oil. So you can easily do this, actually. Yul Gibbons actually has a design in his book, Stalking the Helpful Herbs, of how to make a distillation still for your stovetop. But we're talking a bushel of dried shavings. So to me, that's a bit much to actually do in my kitchen. I'd have to, I don't know, Get an old burn barrel or something and give it a try. A decoction of the berries promotes diaphoreses. It's also beneficial in rheumatic pain, stiff joints, etc. Remember, that's just a tea, a strong tea made of the berries. The leaves act very much as the shavings, being stimulant and a menagogue, meaning brings on menses, and are employed in catamenial obstructions. I'm not even sure what that is. Uh, The cedar berry is used in a popular remedy for dropsy, which is claimed by some to be highly efficacious. We can readily understand the reason that it may prove useful when we remember its close alliance to the juniper berry. And the eastern red cedar is actually juniper. As it follows, take one handful of the seed of the cedar, the same of mullein, the same of the root of dogwood, and put in two quarts and a pint of water, boiled down to one quart, Add one gill of whiskey. That's about a teacup full of whiskey. Dose is a wine glass full morning and night. and you can also be used as I guess a solve for blisters and that was used by boiling the leaves and twice their weight of lard and adding a little wax it was anthelmintic means gets rid of worms and yeah, so we're getting a lot of the same uses here. I'm going to go on, but interestingly, he said the roots make a beautiful purple dye, so that's interesting, and he said that cedar box, of course, you know this if you have ever had cedar in a closet or something, or if you have cedar boxes you keep cigars in, humidors, keeps bugs out, and he said that they were very popular at this time for making buckets, for putting in houses to get rid of bugs, and for building boats, and Cedar strip canoes are gorgeous. I mean, that's such an art in itself. Another wonderful use of cedar. Cedar baskets are fantastic. You can take the bark and strip it. Anyway, so many things you can do with cedar. 1898, King's Medical Dispensatory says, Both the berries and oil are stimulating, carminative, and diuretic. The oil is said to act like, I don't know, copaiba. I don't know. But he said it's good for arresting mucus discharges, especially from the urethra. It is contained in a spirituous liquor called hollands. So they had sort of an infused gin. Well, yeah, holland gin, of course. There you go. We're just talking about gin. One of its best forms is a diuretic. So the berries are employed principally as an adjunct to other diuretics, found to be efficient in gonorrhea, glee, leukorrhea, Cysteria, affections of the skin, scorbutic diseases, cystitis when chronic, particularly in old people, is relieved by the juniper. Uncomplicated renal hyperema is cured by it. Yeah. Okay. They've actually got a house. They actually have a recipe for a juniper pomade. Pomade is, if you've ever seen an old brother of art, you know what a pomade is, right? You put it in your hair and slick it back, you know. But it was also used as a salve. And it was juniper combined with lard for the most part. There were several, it went under several different brands. But it says it was good for all eczema, itching, good for scaled or vesicled, you know, where you can see kind of reddish with the veins through it, skin. Good for sore nipples, good for the nasal cavities. Earaches, I mean, there's just so many things people were using it for around 1900. And yeah, it was probably quite efficacious. More modern use. Rodel Herb Book, I guess it's from the 60s, says, Juniper is considered one of the most useful medicinal plants, stimulating the appetite and digestion, helpful in coughs and to eliminate mucus. It has a diuretic effect, stimulating the function of the kidneys and bladder, a strong tea of the berries, is considered an excellent wash for bites and poisonous insects, snake bites, dog bites, and bee stings. Well, see, it has that antimicrobial effect. It kind of helps, and it's astringent. It's going to help pull down swelling. They said it's particularly good for rheumatism, arthritis, bruises, ulcers, and wounds. Ulcers and wounds are said to be relieved by juniper poultices and rubs. A handful of leaves in warm bath water is said to soothe aching muscles. For poultices, berries can be simmered in olive oil or simply mashed and applied to the sore area. American Indians simply tied the bundles of the bowels to sore limbs. Juniper tincture has been used externally on painful swellings, bruises, and sores. I mentioned this tradition of using and making beers. There's a really good book with an odd title. It's called Sacred and Healing Herbal Beers, okay? Herod Brunner was one of the greatest herbalists of the 1900s. He just died last year, so I'm saying recently. He did have some outrageous titles, but he really did great research. In his book, he said, Generally, juniper is a marvelous herb to use in brewing, and the taste of juniper ale is good and very refreshing. Given the many benefits of the herb as a preservative and a medicine, especially on nutrition and digestive health, and as a potentially useful herb for the treatment of colds and flu, it seems an excellent herb to use in ales and beer. And that's true. You just make your ale or beer as you normally would, and instead of adding hops, put your juniper in there to steep, and you're going to have a very different, very interesting, and very medicinal ale or beer. And it's going to preserve it, just like the hops would, and bitter it, just like the hops would, but it's going to be more aromatic. So, Peterson Field Guide to Eastern and Central Medicinal Plants says, Eastern Red Cedar. American Indians use fruit tea for colds, worms, rheumatisms, coughs to induce sweating. Chewed the fruit for canker sores. Leaf smoke or steam inhaled for colds, bronchitis, purification, and rheumatism. said to contain the anti-tumor compound potophyloxatoxin, best known from Mayapple. So it may actually have some potential there, but that's more of a chemistry type of thing, not something we're going to do in kitchen medicine, obviously. Now botany a day says of cypress. Now these are somewhat related plants, okay? A tea of the leaves is used internally or externally to stop bleeding and for colds. Of juniper or red cedar. Juniper berries can be eaten or used in tea. The bitter berries are the main ingredient in gin. Most people would consider them unpalatable. I don't, and he says, but I have acquired a taste for them. Juniper berries contain volatile oils and resins. They are eaten as a carminative to expel gas. I mean, it's just like sell your stomach and get rid of gas, basically. And the distilled oil is rubbed on painful joints. Additionally, juniper berries are diuretic but may irritate the kidneys with prolonged use. They are not recommended for pregnant women at all. Anything that says... We'll kill worms. You don't take them when you're pregnant, okay? A boiled tea of the fruits and leaves is used as a treatment for coughs. You may be able to decrease the risk of catching a virus by keeping juniper berries in the mouth while around others who are infected. Yep, going back to ancient use there. Also, try chewing the berries when drinking unclean water. It can help purify the water. It may not get sick. Juniper needles can be added to bath water for a stimulating effect on rheumatism. of cedar, which also includes arborvitae. Arborvitae is much used ornamentally, especially in the mountains where I live. I have plenty of it in my yard. It makes wonderful wooden mallets. If you're a woodworker, arborvitae makes some of the very best mallets for using gouges and chisels and such as that. But cedar contains toxic volatile oils. It is used as a diaphoretic to promote sweating. an amenagogue to promote menstruation, and as an irritant poultice to stimulate healing from rheumatic pain. So in other words, it's warming. It should not be used without medicinal supervision. It is also an expectorant. So the cedar is not as safe to use as the juniper. And finally, we will get to the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine, which says juniper has been primarily noted for its anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and dyspeptic effects. Also means it helps settle the stomach and stop the burp. Because of its ability to inhibit... This is an odd word. Okay, this is a hard one to pronounce. Cyclooxygenase, I think is the way it's pronounced. C-Y-C-L-O-O-X-Y-G-E-N-A-S-E. It is useful in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Juniper is also used to treat chronic urinary tract, bladder, and kidney infections. as well as herpes and flu infections. The diuretic effect is probably due to the vial to oil terpene 4-OL. In addition, the drug works to lower blood pressure and may regulate hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia means high blood sugar. That's very good to know, especially if you have a problem with diabetes and such. In animal experience, a hypertensive and I'm going to spell it. I'm getting tongue-tied. A-N-T-I-E-X-U-D-A-T-I-V-E. Effect was proved in vitro, and an antiviral effect was also demonstrated. Modern science is proving what herbal medicine has taught throughout centuries and millennia about juniper. that it has some antiviral properties, some antiseptic properties, some antibiotic properties, some anti-inflammatory properties, good for kidney and bladder stones, good for the lungs, good to help get rid of excess fluid, good to get rid of various skin issues, and you know, we can go on and on. Truly one of our most useful medicinal plants, one of the very easiest to identify, and because it's used so often in landscaping, like the low-lying ground one especially, very easy to find even in urban environments. Just make sure it's not getting, you know, toxic runoff from a parking lot where people have, you know, oil and antifreeze and such dripping from their vehicles and it's getting washed in there because, you know, that would not be good for you. But yeah, I can walk out my door pretty much anywhere in North Carolina or I know like in the next five states surrounding me. And within about 10, 5, 10 minutes, I'm going to find Eastern Red Cedar, Virginia Juniper. You know, they're real easy to find and many, many more planted ornamentally all over the place. So y'all, like I said, one of the absolute most useful of these herbs. Hope you enjoyed this one. Have a great week, and I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine, and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb has helped me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. 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