Obtained from the coniferous plant belonging to the “Juniperus” genus is an essential oil known as Juniper Berry Oil. This oil is extracted from the leaves and twigs of a plant belonging to the “Juniperus communis” species within the plant kingdom. Furthermore, this oil is derived using the “steam distillation. In addition, the colour of this oil basically ranges from colourless to yellow/pale green. This oil is commonly used as a flavouring agent in the manufacturing of alcoholic beverage known as gin.
A. Chemical constituents of Juniper Berry Oil:
This oil is derived from the needles, wood, and the fruit of a coniferous plant belonging to the “Juniperus communis” species within the plant kingdom. In addition, this oil comprises of organic compounds such as Alpha Pinene, Camphene, Beta Pinene, Sabinene, Myrcene, Alpha Phellandrene, Alpha Terpinene, Gamma Terpinene, Cineole, Beta Phellandrene, Para Cymene, Terpineol, Bornyl Acetate and Caryophyllene and trace amounts of Limonene, Camphor, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Borneol and Nerol.
B. The uses and benefits of Juniper Berry Oil:
There are a number of benefits to gain on using this essential oil. However, one should also consider the adverse reactions or side effects reported from its use:
1. Anti-arthritic:
This oil comprises of a medicinal property that enables the elimination of toxic substance such as uric acid and suppresses a condition known as arthritis, and serves as an anti-arthritic.
2. Antiseptic:
This oil when used helps in destroying disease causing microorganism and helps in treating internal and external wounds.
3. Carminative:
This oil possesses a “carminative” property and thereby helps resolving gas formation i.e. flatulence issues within the GI system.
4. Diuretic:
This oil comprises of a curative property that enables the flushing of waste materials such as excess of fat, kidney stone etc from the renal system, and thereby serves as a diuretic.
5. Astringent:
This oil consists of a medicinal property that helps in contraction of blood vessels thereby reducing the probability of hemorrhage, and serves as an astringent.
C. The adverse effects of Juniper Berry Oil:
There could be a couple of adverse effects that one could experience while using this oil. They are as follows:
- The oil can cause harm in individuals who are suffering from renal issues, and hence under such circumstances it must be used in low concentrations.
- This oil when used is also extremely harmful to pregnancy, and hence pregnant women must avoid using it.
