Zuccari

Natural Essential Oil

Juniper Berries

Juniper: very pure professional essential oil ...

Data sheet
• Vulgar name: Juniper
• Botanical name: Juniperus communis fructus
• Family: Cupressaceae
• Synonyms and foreign names: Black juniper, common juniper. Wacholderbeeroel, juniperberry oil, essence de geniévre.

Main constituents:
Alpha and beta-pinene (over 55%), myrcene, limonene, sabinene, germacrene, caryophyllene, gamma-terpinene.

Predominance:
The heat released by this essence and its dependence on the sun amply compensate for its astringent and reducing tendency and some feminine modes of action, so much so that it can still be defined as predominantly yang.

Note:
The medium note of the juniper berry is heart.

• Planet governor: Juniper is an other plant known for its funerary uses. Its qualities are comparable to those of cypress and incense, so much so that it is dominated by the same planet, Saturn.

Reference chakra:
Although the influence of this sacred plant works well in favor of the 2nd chakra, as there are multiple therapeutic qualities, of the essential oil obtained from it, in favor of organs located in the abdominal part of our body including the stimulus for the organs some of its energy characteristics in favor of the 7th chakra should not be underestimated.

Physical aspect:
Juniper is a bushy plant, belonging to a family of the conifer class that grows up to a height varying between 1.5 and 3 meters. It generally grows on hills and mountains in clearings exposed to the sun, both isolated and in small groves. It has stiff and narrow needle-like leaves of an intense green color. It produces berries that ripen at two years of age, changing from an initial green to bluish color. In reality, as described in FU IX, it is not a question of real berries, nor of a real fruit, but rather of a pseudo-fruit which is defined with the strange name of "galbulo" or "bacciform". In Italian they are also defined as "cuddles". The harvest is carried out by threshing from about mid-August to about mid-September, so that the ripe berries fall into baskets or sheets placed under the plant. They are then sieved and cleaned of stems and leaves and spread in thin layers to prevent fermentation which would damage the aroma.

Provenance:
Juniper is native to the northern hemisphere, it grows wild in Europe, Asia and less widely in the United States. The major producers are Italy, in the Apennine area, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Tyrol. Lately, Albania and Macedonia have appeared on the world market of this essence.

Parts used:
Ripe pseudofruits or galbuli, usually simply called berries.

Extraction methods:
The essential oil of juniper berries is extracted by steam distillation of the dried berries. The yield is between 0.7 and 1.6%.

Characteristics:
Colorless or pale yellow liquid, with a woody-balsamic, warm and rustic smell, similar to turpentine.

Storage:
It is recommended to keep it in tightly closed bottles of dark glass, possibly purple, to be kept in a cool place, away from light.

Emotional stimulation capacity:
This essence since ancient times was used for religious purposes, in fact the juniper is an atra plant, that is black. The cypress has the ability to mark the boundary between the material and the immaterial. Precisely for this reason it was used in propitiatory ceremonies and to separate cemeteries from the world of the living, the border that must be crossed in order to be able to be reborn to a new life through purification. It is used in propitiatory ceremonies, to amplify the magical power and in love spells, as an aphrodisiac filter. Like other saturnine plants, even the juniper has the ability to purify our soul and our body, before its rebirth. It gives inner strength to those without it, fights fear and frustrations in shy and not very determined people. It awakens the libido in people who are tired and unwilling to engage in activities in general.

Other Uses:
The powder from the berries of this plant is used in herbal preparations, such as diuretics and laxatives. It is also used in veterinary medicine in parasiticidal preparations. It is widely used for technical products such as air fresheners and the like. In perfumery it is used as a modifier of pine essences and gives balsamic and fresh notes to the compositions. It is also used in the cosmetic field, always as a flavoring for detergents, soaps and cosmetics. For use in the food sector, a terpeneless essence is preferred for sauces and dressings. It turns out to be the basis for flavoring many liqueurs including gin and doornkaat. Its fermentation is in fact used in the production of Gin.

Precautions and contraindications for use:

Juniper berry essential oil is generally non-toxic, does not cause sensitization, but can be slightly irritating and should be used in moderation. The oil obtained from the whole plant or from the wood is more irritating, also because it is generally adulterated with turpentine, therefore its use is not recommended. It is good to be careful not to use this oil in pregnancy and in subjects with ongoing nephritis or renal dysfunction. In case of prolonged use or overdose, slight symptoms affecting the kidneys may appear.

Historical-cultural notes:
Juniper has been used since ancient times for both religious and therapeutic purposes. In several respects it resembles the cypress. The Greeks offered the smoke, thick and acrid, produced by the burning of its branches to the infernal deities. It also finds a place in the Christian tradition as a protective plant, in fact it hid the Madonna and Jesus from Herod's soldiers and in the Bible, Elijah, eating its berries, finds relief from his deep anguish and the strength to renew himself. In the herbalist tradition, juniper is widely considered especially in the Alpine countries, where it is mentioned in the Swiss and German pharmacopoeia. It is used for urinary tract infections, respiratory problems, uric acid elimination and gastrointestinal infections. In the British pharmacopoeia it is found for cystitis and rheumatic pains.

Harmonizations with other essential oils:
US cedar, cypress, geranium, lavender 40/42, Siberian mountain pine, Scots pine, rosemary, Indian sandalwood (wood), clary sage.

Package Contents:
Boxed bottle equipped with a 10 ml dropper dispenser.