Are you one of those who have tasted a berry that is actually not a berry? Many of you might feel puzzled at this point and must be thinking is there anything like that. To your surprise, the answer is Yes. Have you ever heard of Juniper Berries? If no then don’t worry because here we have sited each and everything you should know about the Juniper Berries. So, stick till the end of the article to know the details and astonish your mind.
The Juniper Berries are also known as the detoxifying agents which have many good effects on the body. It helps to build up healthy glowing skin, improves digestion, and makes your immune system strong. There were many types of research done over the Juniper Berries and all of them said that it is an excellent antioxidant agent which helps the skin to glow and improves the digestion of the body. They also have some antibacterial properties which make them very useful.
About the Juniper Berries
As said earlier the Juniper Berries are not actually berries. They are basically the seed cones of the plant Juniper which is also termed as a type of conifer. Conifer is a plant with corns. The Plants of the Juniper come in various shapes and sizes that may range from a shrub to a tree. Their fleshy scales make it seem like a berry. Thus, the name comes from there. If you are thinking of having it in the breakfast after studying its advantages then you are probably wrong. The Juniper Berries aren’t something you should eat for breakfast like the other berries, for instance, the blueberries. The Juniper Berries has used spice for bitterness.
Its flavor is very distinctive. The one thing which makes it distinguishable is that it is the only berry that comes from a tree with cones. The Juniper Berries are widely used for the extraction of Juniper Berrie’s oil. Due to its medicinal properties like being antioxidant and anti-bacterial, it is also used for medical purposes. Its oil is very essential and is used in a variety of different medicinal uses.
Background of Juniper Berries
There are various types of Juniper Berries that are present. You should be able to distinguish which are the toxic wands that are edible. Some of the edible Juniper Berries are as follows-
- Juniperus drupecca
- Juniperus chinesis
- Juniperus oxycedrus
- Juniperus excelsa
- Juniperus communis
- Juniperus californica
They are not generally consumed in the households so there is not much information which is available about the insights of nutrition and vitamins which are available in the Juniper Berries. A little bit of Juniper Berries may add a slight bitterness to spice up the food. Before they were used as food, the Juniper Berries were used by the Greeks for medicinal purposes on the athletes of the Olympics.
The Romans also used the Juniper Berries. They used Juniper Berries as an alternative to pepper. The Juniper Berries were used long before the new modern sciences found the advantages of it. It has various other qualities which are yet to be discovered and soon we will be able to take the best advantage of this berry.
10 Amazing Health Benefits of Juniper Berries
Prevents Diseases
The Juniper Berries have various qualities which make them a very powerful antioxidant that can be used for medicinal purposes. Antioxidants are vital for the body. They help in dealing with the bacteria and various free radicals of the human system. They fight with the microbes and other disease-causing germs making it a well-served medicine.
Polyphenolics are present in the Juniper Berries
They are also known as bioflavonoids. These compounds contribute to giving the properties of an antioxidant to a fruit or a vegetable. To your surprise, the Juniper Berries contain almost 87 different types of antioxidant compounds. The research also found that the ripe berries are more helpful to be working as an antioxidant as it contains a greater number of compounds as compared to an unripe Juniper Berries. There are various antioxidants that are already present in our bodies. The Juniper Berries help to boost the functioning of these compounds.
Cleaning Properties
The Juniper Berries have various antifungal and antibacterial properties which makes them a good cleaning agent. It is also suggested as a natural cleaning product for households. These Juniper Berries are very helpful in fighting the strains and dirt which is present on the surface. It fights with the fungi very well. These qualities make it desirable and many researchers also suggested that it can be used for skin infection treatments.
Doctors also suggest that Juniper Berries are very good for the treatment of such infections. It helps in dealing with itchiness and fungal infections as well. They can be used for infections of the mouth and can be used as a drug agent without any adverse effects.
Antiseptic Properties
The Juniper Berries can also be termed as an antibiotic due to their antiseptic properties. They are seen to kill many bacteria and viruses in the body or in the skin. There are various researches which are going on all around the world to find out the benefits of the Juniper Berries. The Turkish scientists found out that that the Juniper Berries are very handy when it comes to deal with microbes and fungus.
Their tests were in the lab which showed quite significant results. It helps in reducing many harmful bacteria and viruses like the Staph infection of the skin. The researchers also said that Juniper Berries can be used as an antioxidant in food and beverages. They have antioxidant agents which showed a good quality of improvement in dealing with the Aspergillus Niger which is a mold that is commonly found in many foods which are spoiled or rotten
Skin Benefits
If you Google search the benefits of Juniper Berries the most common advantage or the benefit which you would find is the skin benefits. For many years the Juniper Berries is known excellent for the skin. It improves the texture of the skin, removes itchiness and rashes. The researchers think that due to its property of being an antioxidant it is an excellent remedy for the skin as well. The researchers said that they sued the Juniper Berries for the animal wounds and found significant improvement in the wound. The wound starts to settle down and dry of because of the Juniper Berries.
The Juniper Berries helps to deal with wounds and cut due to its good antiseptic properties. The research also showed the highly anti-inflammatory property of Juniper Berries. Not only the modern science used the Juniper Berries. In ancient times where people did not know about the modern medicinal techniques, people used to love the Juniper Berries as a good skin healer which provided good texture to the skin to make the skin healthy and glow. The science is reaching the sky.
The modern world researches are now at the full speed and every then and now some positive results in the field of medication arise. The scientist of the South Coria also discovered that the Juniper Berries may be beneficial in dealing with various skin problems like vertigo. They said that in the future with the help of Juniper Berries with certain other medications we may get treatment for such skin diseases.
The oils of the Juniper Berries are very useful and also have certain healing properties. The oils of Juniper Berries have been proven effective to reduce the quantity of cellulite in the body which is a harmless protein or may be termed as fatty acids which are found in buttocks and thighs.
Digestion Improvement
The Juniper Berries are known to have acid which helps in the improvement of the digestion of the human body. The effects of the Juniper Berries were studied for a long time and the effects in the digestive tracts are quite impressive. The Juniper Berries contains a various mineral which helps in the improvement of the digestion and clears the track. The Juniper Berries contains mineral like the Diuretics which helps the body to get relief from the bloating.
Quality of Sleep
Many of the practitioners of natural health said that the Juniper Berries works as a relaxant that clams the body and provides a hormone to reduce stress and anxiety. They said that it has a positive impact on the functioning of the body and relaxes the body. Many firms studied this effect of the Juniper Berries. One such is the Mie Graduate University of Medicine located in Japan studied the effects of the fragrances of different herbs and berries on the mind.
They found that the Juniper Berries has a very theopathic smell like rosewood or sandalwood. These also calm down the people who deal with insomnia. It helps to calm down the function of the brain and the body. Thus, it helps in improving the quality of sleep that the person experiences. It releases stress and makes the body healthy without any anxiety and stress.
May be Useful Against Certain Types of Cancer
The researchers also claimed that the Juniper Berries have a very good impact on the body and due to their antioxidant nature, the Juniper Berries may also be used to reduce cancer cells. In some tests, the Juniper Berries have been proven effective against certain kinds of cells which may grow into cancer in the future.
The tests are not yet started on humans. The teats on various animals have shown that the Juniper Berries have certain kinds of anticancer properties. The scientists said that the potential of Juniper Berries is much more than we know currently and in the near future it may be used to cure cancer cells.
Improves Heart Functions
Scientist believes that due to its antioxidant nature the Juniper Berries are known to be very beneficial for the heart and improves the quality of heart functionality in the human body. For instance, in many types of research, if the Juniper Berries on animals showed that it very benefits able in reducing the blood pressure issue in animals. Doctors say that these qualities are due to their antioxidant nature. Many studies also showed that the Juniper Berries are beneficial in the reduction of high triglycerides.
The Juniper Berries can be also known for their anticholinesterase properties. The Agent helps in the making of the acetyl chloride for the nervous system. Myasthenia gravis and other diseases like Alzheimer’s can also be treated with the help of Juniper Berries. To date, not enough studies have proven this point but many scientists are optimistic. They think that in the near future the Juniper Berries may be used for medicinal purposes and improve the quality of treatment in the near future.
Diabetic Patients
Many scientific types of research have claimed that including the Juniper Berries in the diet of the diabetic patient may help in order to control the blood sugar level. To date, the tests for the sugar level are limited to the animals and soon the scientists are planning to implement the tests on humans too. The extracts and the tea of Juniper Berries have been seen as an agent to lower down the blood sugar level in the body of the diabetic patient.
Treatment of Leishmaniasis
It is also possible that by the use of the Juniper Berries the parasites or the bacteria which cause the leishmaniasis may be cured. This is a disease that is seen in the southern parts of Europe and various tropical regions. Many of the lab experiments have shown significant results in dealing with these parasites.
Conclusion
The Juniper Berries have various antioxidant properties due to which it is used for medicinal purposes. It is significant to use the Juniper Berries for skin, to improve digestion, for diabetic patients, and to deal with many diseases which can cause harm to the human body.