Juniper

Juniper belongs to the genus of evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs in the family Cypress. An interesting feature of the plant is its shelf life, and it is about 600 years old. It is very resistant to droughts.

This coniferous shrub is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially in the U.S., Mexico, Russia and Southeast Asia. On the Eurasian continent is growing as the undergrowth in pine and spruce forests. It is picky about the presence of a large amount of sunlight.

Areas, overgrown juniper, have little under pathogens as juniper bush hectare per day releases from 10 to 30 kg of volatile phytoncids (antibiotics, biologically active substances).

For comparison, a conventional hectares of pine forest - only 2 kg per hectare.

The use of this coniferous shrub is extremely wide. In medicine, it is used to treat tuberculosis, acute respiratory diseases, bronchitis. Cones and berries of juniper is got raw materials for the production of medicines used in the treatment of various types of dermatitis, kidney and bladder. Oil plants are widely used for rheumatism, sciatica and neurological manifestations.

Juniper berries are used as a spice in German, French and Scandinavian kitchens. They are added to a variety of meat dishes, broths, soups, stuffing and other dishes to give them a taste of a specific game. Also the juniper is added to gin and a variety of liquors.

Juniper wood is used in the manufacture of pencils and sticks. In addition, in rural areas juniper wood is used for disinfection of indoor air. This is done as follows: finely comminuted wood poured into water and boil for 15-20 minutes. The essential oil in the wood evaporates and sanitizes the air in the room. Also, shallow grated wood, collected in bags, help protect things from moths.

In the sauna young branches of juniper may be involved in the preparations for the brooms and also used for disinfecting water containers (tubs, buckets, etc.). Juniper oil, as an aromatic sweating bath additives, diluted in a ratio of 2-3 drops of oil per liter of water. In the water you can add a few drops of lemon juice. Also in the sauna juniper successfully combined with eucalyptus, sage, citrus, lavender and cypress.