Juniper, antioxidant and antibacterial: here are properties, benefits, use and contraindications

Juniper is a plant that gives many beneficial properties: from antioxidant and anti-inflammatory to antimicrobial activity. Beware of use in case of pregnancy or kidney disease.

The juniper (Juniperus communis) is an evergreen plant of the Cupressaceae family with a fairly thin stem that can reach several meters in height. Its bark is grey in colour with reddish notes and the green leaves are needle-like.

In spring, juniper plants produce small yellow or green flowers, but this plant is best known for its berries, which are frequently used in the kitchen as seasonings.

The juniper fruits are dark blue and can be harvested in the autumn season; berries are usually used fresh or dried. The juniper plant has been known since ancient times for its beneficial properties by many different populations, including the Indian one.

JUNIPER: CALORIES AND NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES

The juniper berries are usually sold dried and used to flavour our recipes: it is therefore simply a small amount of this ingredient. This premise is necessary in order not to scare us in front of the caloric impact of this food. 100 g of dried juniper berries, in fact, contain almost 400 kcal, but we will not need in the kitchen to consume quantities greater than 5 g.

These fruits also contain a good amount of complex carbohydrates (37.5 g per 100 g of product), of which they are 1/5 in simple sugars. The amount of protein is also consistent: just under 20 g!

The table below shows the nutritional values of dried juniper berries, however, no data on the content of vitamins or mineral salts are available in the literature. Vice versa, numerous studies in the literature have analyzed the phytochemicals present in juniper, underlining the presence of numerous flavonoids (including quercetin), volatile oil, juniper and coumarins. Many of these substances underlie the benefits of juniper, as we will see in the next paragraph. You may be interested to read asparagus cake recipe/ Moroccan coffee recipe/ Crostini with smoked mackerel recipe/ pumpkin medallions with speck recipe.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES PER 100G OF JUNIPER:

Calorie 385 kcal
Proteins 19.8 g
Lipids 14.6 g
Carbohydrates 37.3 g
Of which sugars 7.5 g
Fibre 12.7 g

THE BENEFITS OF JUNIPER FOR HEALTH

As we have anticipated, the properties of juniper have been known for a very long time and the plant has been used since ancient times for healing purposes. In particular, we will report in this paragraph the benefits of juniper and its extracts reported in the scientific literature.

Benefits for the liver

First of all, juniper has a protective activity against the liver: in fact, in studies on mice, it was seen that in the case of liver damage, the use of juniper extract has improved the blood values ​​of transaminases and bilirubin

Positive effects on cholesterol

Consumption of juniper also has positive effects on the cardiovascular system. In particular, a beneficial activity has been seen on blood cholesterol levels, in particular on the levels of LDL cholesterol (the cholesterol defined as "bad"), which juniper contribute to lower.

Antioxidant property

Juniper is also known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties: these activities have been studied both in in vitro studies and in in vivo studies demonstrating the ability of juniper oil to increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thus resulting in an ally in countering the excessive formation of free radicals.

Oncological prevention

The substances present in juniper, such as bioactive deoxypodophyllotoxin lignan, also give it anti-cancer properties. In vivo, this compound demonstrated cytotoxic activity against tumour cells belonging to different lines (human glioblastoma, gastric carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, colon carcinoma, breast cancer).

Antibacterial property

Juniper also possesses antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and the methanolic extract of juniper has been shown to be more effective on some pathogenic bacteria than that of some standard antibiotics. In this regard, the essential oil of juniper and its composition has been studied in-depth, finding the main components that give this oil its antimicrobial action.

Neuroprotective effect

Finally, the last beneficial property of juniper is the neuroprotective one: this property has been studied in rats with Parkinson's. The animals given the juniper showed less muscle stiffness and better movement, as well as better biochemical parameters.

HOW TO USE JUNIPER IN THE KITCHEN: PRACTICAL TIPS AND COMBINATIONS

The juniper berries have a strong taste and for this reason, you should always match them with equally strong flavours. The most widely used and well-known combination is with the game or with roasted red meat: for these preparations, you can use both wholes and chopped berries using a mortar.

Another very popular combination is that with Trentino speck and sauerkraut. In addition, juniper berries are well suited to seasoning legumes or mixed cereal salads. Finally, we advise you to experiment with adding a few juniper berries in the meat or vegetable broth that you will prepare soon.

JUNIPER IN HERBAL MEDICINE: WHAT IT IS FOR AND HOW TO USE IT

In herbal medicine, juniper is widely used in different forms: it is, in fact, possible to find both the essential oil of juniper, the leaves or berries for the preparation of infusions, the mother tincture and the bud extract.

The juniper herbal tea prepares to leave infusion 1 berry spoon (if you want you the leaflets) for at least 5 minutes can also be used in boiling water and can be used in case of digestive disorders as it stimulates the production of gastric juices and in case of abdominal bloating. In addition, juniper tea is useful for relieving sore throats, coughs and clearing the airways. In the latter case, it can also be associated with mint or eucalyptus leaves.

The bud extract and mother tincture are used in drops for their hepatoprotective and diuretic properties. The beneficial effect that these products have on the kidney allows them to be used even in the case of cellulite.

the essential oil can be finally used both for internal use and is for external use. As for internal use, we suggest you always rely on an experienced professional in order to avoid unpleasant side effects. Externally it can be used both through diffusers of oils for the environment and for cutaneous use diluted in almond oil (or other carrier oil). It has excellent benefits in case of urinary tract infection and on the skin, it helps stimulate lymphatic circulation.

CONTRAINDICATIONS OF JUNIPER

First of all, as always, we recommend avoiding the consumption of juniper to anyone who has an allergy to it or in the presence of adverse reactions. In addition to this, we would like to underline other contraindications of juniper: it is not recommended for pregnant women (we are talking above all about herbal derivatives) as it could increase the contractility of the uterus muscles and promote spontaneous abortions. It is also good to be careful if you suffer from kidney problems such as chronic renal failure as juniper could worsen the disease.