Juniper (Berry) (Juniperus communis) Research

Latin Name: Juniperus communis

Family: Cupressaceae

Topically, juniper has been used to help with joint and muscle pains, inflammation, for wounds, and even to treat snake bites.  Internally, juniper has been taken for digestive, respiratory, and urinary tract complaints.

RESEARCH

The listings of research below represent a compilation of scientific articles found on the species, with a very brief overview description of each article/study.  Research found is catalogued by therapeutic action.  This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use.

GENERAL

• Petersen, D. (2015). Aromatherapy materia medica.  Essential oil monographs.  American College of Healthcare Sciences.
• Peace Rhind, J.  (2012). Essential oils.  A handbook for aromatherapy practice.  Singing Drangon.  London.
• Tisserand, R. & Young, R. (2014).  Essential Oil Safety.  Second Edition.  Churchill, Livingstone, Elsevier.
• Extracts of wild juniper showed genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro.  From:  Fierascu, I., Ungureanu, C., Avramescu, S. M., Cimpeanu, C., Georgescu, M. I., Fierascu, R. C., … & Dinu-Pirvu, C. E. (2018). Genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of wild-growing Juniperus communis L.(Cupressaceae) native to Romanian southern sub-Carpathian hills. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 3.
• Juniper berry has been used in traditional Indian medicine to treat female disorders, as an abortifactant, for inflammation, ulcers, and more. From: Bhusnur, J. N. N., Roqaiya, M., Siddiqui, M. A., Anwar, S., Ahad, A., & Haque, Z. (2018). Unani, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review of Abhal (Juniperus communis) with Special Reference to Female Disorders. Research and Reviews: A Journal of Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, 5(3), 12-20.
• In a review of research, the antioxidant, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antifungal, antifertility, gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer, and diuretic effectis of Juniper communis are presented. From: Raina, R., Verma, P. K., Peshin, R., & Kour, H. (2019). Potential of Juniperus communis L as a nutraceutical in human and veterinary medicine. Heliyon, 5(8), e02376.
• Traditional uses and pharmacological actions of Juniperus communis are reviewed. Hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalerial, hypolipidemic, and neuroprotective studies are mentioned. From: Bais, S., Gill, N. S., Rana, N., & Shandil, S. (2014). A phytopharmacological review on a medicinal plant: Juniperus communis. International scholarly research notices, 2014.

SAFETY

• Oxidized oil can cause skin irritation (Petersen, 2015).
• Superior oil is extracted from the berries, and may be adultered with inferior oil from the leaves and twigs (Peace-Rhind, 2012).
• Toxic components include camphor, thujone, and pinocamphor; skin patch test (Petersen, 2015).
• Not for pregnancy; possible abortifactant.  May affect menstruation.  Avoid while nursing (Petersen, 2015).
• Tisserand & Young explain a possible confusion of J. communis with J. sabina.  J. sabina has shown historic documentation to be an abortifaciant, and J. communis (juniper berry) may have been confused with this other species (Tisserand & Young, 2014).
• Excessive use can cause renal damage and hypokalemia.  Do not use for over 4 weeks.  (Petersen, 2015).
• Diuretic and hypoglycemic that may interfere with some medications (Petersen, 2015).
• Contraindicated with GI conditions as it may cause irritation.  Also not for those with kidney disease, seizures, heart issues, hypertonia, fever, skin issues, and diabetes (Petersen, 2015).

ANTIOXIDANT

• Juniperus communis has in vitro antioxidant properties related to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.  From:  Elmastaş, M., Gülçin, İ., Beydemir, Ş., İrfan Küfrevioğlu, Ö., & Aboul‐Enein, H. Y. (2006). A study on the in vitro antioxidant activity of juniper (Juniperus communis L.) fruit extracts. Analytical letters, 39(1), 47-65.
• Nematode lifespan was increased with a juniper berry essential oil in vivo assessment. From: Pandey, S., Tiwari, S., Kumar, A., Niranjan, A., Chand, J., Lehri, A., & Chauhan, P. S. (2018). Antioxidant and anti-aging potential of Juniper berry (Juniperus communis L.) essential oil in Caenorhabditis elegans model system. Industrial Crops and Products, 120, 113-122.
• Juniperus communis berries showed significant antioxidant activity in vitro. From: Živić, N., Milošević, S., Dekić, V., Dekić, B., Ristić, N., Ristić, M., & Sretić, L. (2019). Phytochemical and antioxidant screening of some extracts of Juniperus communis L. and Juniperus oxycedrus L. Czech Journal of Food Sciences.
• Antioxidant, anti-fungal, genoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities of juniper extracts were demonstrated in vitro. From: Fierascu, I., Ungureanu, C., Avramescu, S. M., Cimpeanu, C., Georgescu, M. I., Fierascu, R. C., … & Dinu-Pirvu, C. E. (2018). Genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of wild-growing Juniperus communis L.(Cupressaceae) native to Romanian southern sub-Carpathian hills. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 3.
• Juniper berry, heartwood, and leaf extracts and essential oils of various species had significant hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities in vitro. From: Orhan, N. (2019). Juniperus Species: Features, Profile and Applications to Diabetes. In Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Diabetes (pp. 447-459). Academic Press.
• Juniper berry extracts were antimicrobial against bacteria that may cause autoimmune inflammatory diseases and cancers, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and multiple sclerosis. From: Fernandez, A., & Cock, I. E. (2016). The Therapeutic Properties of Juniperus communis L.: Antioxidant Capacity, Bacterial growth Inhibition, Anticancer Activity and Toxicity. Pharmacognosy Journal, 8(3).

ANTIMICROBIAL / ANTIBACTERIAL / ANTIFUNGAL / ANTIVIRAL

• Pimpinella anisum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Cinnamomum cassia Blume (bark), and Juniperus oxycedrus (seed) showed antimicrobial activity in vitro against 13 bacterial species.  From:  ATEŞ, D. A., & TURGAY, Ö. (2003). Antimicrobial activities of various medicinal and commercial plant extracts. Turkish Journal of Biology, 27(3), 157-162.
• The oils from juniper and cypress exhibited moderate antibacterial and antifungal activities.  From:  Mazari, K., Bendimerad, N., & Bekhechi, C. (2010). Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils isolated from Algerian Juniperus phoenicea L. and Cupressus sempervirens L. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 4(10), 959-964.
• J. oxycedrus leaf oil was antifungal agent against dermatophyte strains, with the carene constituent showing activity.  From:  Cavaleiro, C., Pinto, E., Goncalves, M. J., & Salgueiro, L. (2006). Antifungal activity of Juniperus essential oils against dermatophyte, Aspergillus and Candida strains. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 100(6), 1333-1338.
• Juniper berry oil showed antimicrobial activity.  From:  Filipowicz, N., Kamiński, M., Kurlenda, J., Asztemborska, M., & Ochocka, J. R. (2003). Antibacterial and antifungal activity of juniper berry oil and its selected components. Phytotherapy Research, 17(3), 227-231.  
• Laurus nobilis and Juniperus oxycedrus demonstrated significant antiviral activity against Herpes HSV-1 in vitro.  From:  Loizzo, M. R., Saab, A. M., Tundis, R., Statti, G. A., Menichini, F., Lampronti, I., … & Doerr, H. W. (2008). Phytochemical analysis and in vitro antiviral activities of the essential oils of seven Lebanon species. Chemistry & biodiversity, 5(3), 461-470.
• Juniper oil fractions with a high content of α-pinene, and mixture of α-pinene and sabinene had the highest antimicrobial activity, especially against fungi. Further, commercial antibiotics, were not as effective as the oil fractions against a wide spectra of microbes.  From: Glišć, S. B., Milojević, S. Ž., Dimitrijević, S. I., Orlović, A. M., & Skala, D. U. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and different fractions of Juniperus communis L. and a comparison with some commercial antibiotics. Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, 72(4).
• Orange, eucalyptus, fennel, geranium, juniper, peppermint, rosemary, purified turpentine, thyme, and Australian tea tree oil as well as the constituent of menthol showed antimicrobial and antiplasmid activities against the bacteria tested. From:  Schelz, Z., Molnar, J., & Hohmann, J. (2006). Antimicrobial and antiplasmid activities of essential oils. Fitoterapia, 77(4), 279-285.
• Juniper berry oil showed antimicrobial activity.  From:  Pepeljnjak, S., Kosalec, I., Kalodera, Z., & Blazevic, N. I. K. O. L. A. (2005). Antimicrobial activity of juniper berry essential oil (Juniperus communis L., Cupressaceae). ACTA PHARMACEUTICA-ZAGREB-, 55(4), 417.
• At high doses and undiluted, coriander, fennel, peppermint, dill, fir, juniper, rosemary, and lavender were active against E. coli, S. aureus, and Candida albicans.  From:   Şerban, E. S., Ionescu, M. I. H. A. E. L. A., Matinca, D. O. I. N. A., Maier, C. S., & Bojiţă, M. T. (2011). Screening of the antibacterial and antifungal activity of eight volatile essential oils. Farmacia, 59(3), 440-446.
• Tea tree, lavender, mint, thyme, and juniper showed varying degrees of in-vitro action against S. aureus.  From:  Nelson, R. R. (1997). In-vitro activities of five plant essential oils against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 40(2), 305-306.
• Origanum onites, Mentha piperita, Juniperus exalsa, Chrysanthemum indicum, Lavandula hybrida, Rosa damascena, Echinophora tenuifolia, and Foeniculum vulgare were tested for antimicrobial activity. From:  Andoğan, B. C., Baydar, H., Kaya, S., Demirci, M., Özbaşar, D., & Mumcu, E. (2002). Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of some essential oils. Archives of pharmacal research, 25(6), 860-864.
• Juniper and helichrysum essential oils had a combined activity against two mycobacterium in vitro. From: Peruč, D., Tićac, B., Abram, M., Broznić, D., Štifter, S., Staver, M. M., & Gobin, I. (2019). Synergistic potential of Juniperus communis and Helichrysum italicum essential oils against nontuberculous mycobacteria. Journal of medical microbiology, 68(5), 703-710.
• Juniper essential oil showed potent food preservative against food spoilage fungi. From: Nikolić, B., Vasilijević, B., Ćirić, A., Mitić-Ćulafić, D., Cvetković, S., Džamić, A., & Knežević-Vukčević, J. (2019). Bioactivity of Juniperus communis essential oil and post-distillation waste: assessment of selective toxicity against food contaminants. ARCHIVES OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 71(2), 235-244.
• Antioxidant, anti-fungal, genoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities of juniper extracts were demonstrated in vitro. From: Fierascu, I., Ungureanu, C., Avramescu, S. M., Cimpeanu, C., Georgescu, M. I., Fierascu, R. C., … & Dinu-Pirvu, C. E. (2018). Genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of wild-growing Juniperus communis L.(Cupressaceae) native to Romanian southern sub-Carpathian hills. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 3.
• Juniper berry extracts were effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria in vitro. From: Akhtar, S., Rauf, A., Rehman, S., & Siddiqui, M. Z. (2019). Antibacterial Screening of Aqueous, Alcoholic and Hydroalcoholic extracts of a Unani drug Abhal (Fruits of Juniperus communis). Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 9(4-s), 48-53.
• Essential oil from the berries of juniper was antimicrobial against against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Hafnia alvei. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From: Haziri, A., Faiku, F., Mehmeti, A., Govori, S., Abazi, S., Daci, M., … & Mele, A. (2013). Antimicrobial properties of the essential oil of Juniperus Communis (L.) growing wild in east part of Kosovo. American Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 8(3), 128.
• Juniper berry essential oil showed activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well as fungi / yeast species. From: Pepeljnjak, S., Kosalec, I., Kalodera, Z., & Blazevic, N. I. K. O. L. A. (2005). Antimicrobial activity of juniper berry essential oil (Juniperus communis L., Cupressaceae). ACTA PHARMACEUTICA-ZAGREB-, 55(4), 417.
• Juniper berry extracts were antimicrobial against bacteria that may cause autoimmune inflammatory diseases and cancers, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and multiple sclerosis. From: Fernandez, A., & Cock, I. E. (2016). The Therapeutic Properties of Juniperus communis L.: Antioxidant Capacity, Bacterial growth Inhibition, Anticancer Activity and Toxicity. Pharmacognosy Journal, 8(3).

PRESERVATIVE

• Juniper essential oil showed potent food preservative against food spoilage fungi. From: Nikolić, B., Vasilijević, B., Ćirić, A., Mitić-Ćulafić, D., Cvetković, S., Džamić, A., & Knežević-Vukčević, J. (2019). Bioactivity of Juniperus communis essential oil and post-distillation waste: assessment of selective toxicity against food contaminants. ARCHIVES OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 71(2), 235-244.

INSECTICIDAL / REPELLENT

• Against three mosquito species, Juniperus macropoda (Juniper) and Pimpinella anisum (Anise) were highly effective as both larvicidal and ovicidal. Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) were found to be ovicidal and repellent. Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) resulted into highest repellent values.  From:  Prajapati, V., Tripathi, A. K., Aggarwal, K. K., & Khanuja, S. P. S. (2005). Insecticidal, repellent and oviposition-deterrent activity of selected essential oils against Anopheles stephensi, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Bioresource Technology, 96(16), 1749-1757.
• Apium graveolens (celery), Citrus sinensis (orange), Eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus), Juniperus oxycedrus (juniper), Laurus nobilis (bay), Lavandula hybrida (lavender), Mentha microphylla (mint), Mentha viridis (spearmint), Ocimum basilicum (basil), Origanum vulgare (oregano), Pistacia terebinthus (turpentine tree), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), and Thuja orientalis (thuja) were effective insect repellents against Acanthoscelides obtectus.  From:  Papachristos, D. P., & Stamopoulos, D. C. (2002). Repellent, toxic and reproduction inhibitory effects of essential oil vapours on Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)(Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Journal of Stored Products Research, 38(2), 117-128.
• Thirteen oils from 41 plants (camphor, thyme, amyris, lemon, cedarwood, frankincense, dill, myrtle, juniper, black pepper, verbena, helichrysum and sandalwood) induced 100% mortality after 24 hours of mosquito larvae.  From:  Amer, A., & Mehlhorn, H. (2006). Larvicidal effects of various essential oils against Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex larvae (Diptera, Culicidae). Parasitology research, 99(4), 466-472.
• The study showed the following as possible termite fumigants:  Melaleuca dissitiflora, Melaleuca uncinata, Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus polybractea, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus dives, Eucalyptus globulus, Orixa japonica, Cinnamomum cassia, Allium cepa, Illicium verum, Evodia officinalis, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, Cacalia roborowskii, Juniperus chinensis var. horizontalis, Juniperus chinensis var. kaizuka, clove bud, and garlic as well as the constituents of Diallyl trisulfide was the most toxic, followed by diallyl disulfide, eugenol, diallyl sulfide, and β-caryophyllene.  From: Park, I. K., & Shin, S. C. (2005). Fumigant activity of plant essential oils and components from garlic (Allium sativum) and clove bud (Eugenia caryophyllata) oils against the Japanese termite (Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53(11), 4388-4392.
• Juniper showed tick and mosquito repellency.  From:  Carroll, J. F., Tabanca, N., Kramer, M., Elejalde, N. M., Wedge, D. E., Bernier, U. R., … & Zhang, J. (2011). Essential oils of Cupressus funebris, Juniperus communis, and J. chinensis (Cupressaceae) as repellents against ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and as toxicants against mosquitoes. Journal of Vector Ecology, 36(2), 258-268.
• Against the sciarid fly, good insecticidal activity was achieved with essential oils of caraway seed, lemongrass, mandarin, nutmeg, cade (Juniperus oxycedrus L.), spearmint, cumin, and red thyme.  From:  Park, I. K., Kim, J. N., Lee, Y. S., Lee, S. G., Ahn, Y. J., & Shin, S. C. (2008). Toxicity of plant essential oils and their components against Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 101(1), 139-144.

ANTI-PARASITE

• Jasminum fruticans, Mentha longifolia, Pinus nigra, Zea mays, Citrillus lanatus (watermelon), Juniperus drupacea (fruit), Juniperus oxcycedrus, and Plantago lanceolata displayed significant anthelmintic activity against pinworms.  From:  Kozan, E., Küpeli, E., & Yesilada, E. (2006). Evaluation of some plants used in Turkish folk medicine against parasitic infections for their in vivo anthelmintic activity. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 108(2), 211-216.

URINARY SYSTEM / DIURETIC

• The following herbs for the urinary system are discussed:  Solidago (goldenrod), Levisticum officinale (lovage), Petroselinum crispus (parsley), Urtica dioica (stinging nettle),  Uva-ursi (uva-uri), Juniperus spp (juniper), Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry), Rheum palmatum (Chinese rhubarb),  Lespedeza capitata (round-head lespedeza),  Serenoa repens (saw palmetto), and Prunus africana (pygeum).  From:  Yarnell, E. (2002). Botanical medicines for the urinary tract. World journal of urology, 20(5), 285-293.
• Juniper berry showed diuretic activity.  From:  Stanić, G., Samaržija, I., & Blažević, N. (1998). Time‐dependent diuretic response in rats treated with Juniper berry preparations. Phytotherapy research, 12(7), 494-497.

ANTI-DIABETIC

• Juniper berries reduced glucose levels in rats.  From:  de Medina, F. S., Gamez, M. J., Jimenez, I., Jimenez, J., Osuna, J. I., & Zarzuelo, A. (1994). Hypoglycemic activity of juniper “berries”. Planta Medica, 60(03), 197-200.
• Juniper berry, heartwood, and leaf extracts and essential oils of various species had significant hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities in vitro. From: Orhan, N. (2019). Juniperus Species: Features, Profile and Applications to Diabetes. In Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Diabetes (pp. 447-459). Academic Press.

HYPOLIPIDEMIC

• Juniper berry reduced cholesterol in rats without having an anemic effect. From: Akdogan, M., Koyu, A., Ciris, M., & Yildiz, K. (2012). Anti-hypercholesterolemic activity of Juniperus communis Lynn Oil in rats: A biochemical and histopathological investigation.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM AID

• Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.  Botanical extracts that were most effective against H. pylori included:  Carum carvi, Elettaria cardamomum, Gentiana lutea, Juniper communis, Lavandula angustifolia, Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Pimpinella anisum, Matricaria recutita, and Ginkgo biloba.  From:  Mahady, G. B., Pendland, S. L., Stoia, A., Hamill, F. A., Fabricant, D., Dietz, B. M., & Chadwick, L. R. (2005). In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to botanical extracts used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Phytotherapy research, 19(11), 988-991.

WOUND HEALING

• Oils of J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus and J. phoenicea display remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo.  From: Tumen, I., Süntar, I., Keleş, H., & Küpeli Akkol, E. (2011). A therapeutic approach for wound healing by using essential oils of Cupressus and Juniperus species growing in Turkey. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012.
• Juniperus communis berry essential oil with a main constituent of alpha pinene, demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts.  From:  Han, X., & Parker, T. L. (2017). Anti-inflammatory activity of Juniper (Juniperus communis) berry essential oil in human dermal fibroblasts. Cogent Medicine, 4(1), 1306200.
• J. oxycedrus leaf oil was antifungal agent against dermatophyte strains, with the carene constituent showing activity.  From:  Cavaleiro, C., Pinto, E., Goncalves, M. J., & Salgueiro, L. (2006). Antifungal activity of Juniperus essential oils against dermatophyte, Aspergillus and Candida strains. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 100(6), 1333-1338.

ANTI-ARTHRITIS

• Amentoflavones from Juniperus communis reduced arthritis in rats. From: Bais, S., Abrol, N., & Prashar, Y. (2017). Modulatory effect of standardised amentoflavone isolated from Juniperus communis L. agianst Freund’s adjuvant induced arthritis in rats (histopathological and X Ray anaysis). Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 86, 381-392.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

• J. oxycedrus and J. communis displayed remarkable anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities in a mouse paw.  From: Akkol, E. K., Güvenç, A., & Yesilada, E. (2009). A comparative study on the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of five Juniperus taxa. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 125(2), 330-336.
• Juniper extract reduced rat paw edema.  From:  Mascolo, N., Capasso, F., Menghini, A., & Fasulo, M. P. (1987). Biological screening of Italian medicinal plants for anti‐inflammatory activity. Phytotherapy research, 1(1), 28-31.
• Antioxidant, anti-fungal, genoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities of juniper extracts were demonstrated in vitro. From: Fierascu, I., Ungureanu, C., Avramescu, S. M., Cimpeanu, C., Georgescu, M. I., Fierascu, R. C., … & Dinu-Pirvu, C. E. (2018). Genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of wild-growing Juniperus communis L.(Cupressaceae) native to Romanian southern sub-Carpathian hills. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 3.

ANALGESIC

• Myrcene induced antinociception in mice.  From:  Rao, V. S. N., Menezes, A. M. S., & Viana, G. S. B. (1990). Effect of myrcene on nociception in mice. Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology, 42(12), 877-878.

RESPIRATORY HEALTH

• Eucalyptus smithii and J. communis were active against bacteria biofilms and may be useful as an inhalatory treatment of chronic and/or recurrent upper respiratory tract infections.  From:  Camporese, A. (2013). [In vitro activity of Eucalyptus smithii and Juniperus communis essential oils against bacterial biofilms and efficacy perspectives of complementary inhalation therapy in chronic and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections]. Le infezioni in medicina: rivista periodica di eziologia, epidemiologia, diagnostica, clinica e terapia delle patologie infettive, 21(2), 117-124.

ANTI-DEPRESSIVE / ANXIETY

• In a study of 14 stroke patients, a footbath and massage with juniper, lavender, rosemary, patchouli, and orange reduced stress, improved mood, increased body temperature, and improved sleeping satisfaction compared to the placebo.  From:  Lee, J. H., Seo, E. K., Shim, J. S., & Chung, S. P. (2017). The effects of aroma massage and foot bath on psychophysiological response in stroke patients. Journal of physical therapy science, 29(8), 1292-1296.
• In a study with 498 people, spending time in the forest improved emotions and reduced stress. From: Morita, E., Fukuda, S., Nagano, J., Hamajima, N., Yamamoto, H., Iwai, Y., … & Shirakawa, T. (2007). Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction. Public health, 1.
• This paper reviewed research on 24 studies with 12 subjects each across Japan, totaling 280 people. Each subject walked in a forest one day, and walked in the city another day. Results showed that the forest walking resulted in lower concentrations of cortisol, pulse rate, blood pressure, and improved parasympathetic nerve activity, with lowered sympathetic nerve activity compared to the city environments. From: Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 15(1), 18.

INSOMNIA

• Alpha pinene, a major constituent of pine, improved non-REM sleep in vivo.  From:  Yang, H., Woo, J., Pae, A. N., Um, M. Y., Cho, N. C., Park, K. D., … & Cho, S. (2016). α-Pinene, a major constituent of pine tree oils, enhances non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice through GABAA-benzodiazepine receptors. Molecular pharmacology, mol-116.
• In a study of 14 stroke patients, a footbath and massage with juniper, lavender, rosemary, patchouli, and orange reduced stress, improved mood, increased body temperature, and improved sleeping satisfaction compared to the placebo.  From:  Lee, J. H., Seo, E. K., Shim, J. S., & Chung, S. P. (2017). The effects of aroma massage and foot bath on psychophysiological response in stroke patients. Journal of physical therapy science, 29(8), 1292-1296.

BONE DENSITY

• Essential oils of sage, rosemary, thyme, juniper, pine, turpentine, and eucalyptus and their constituents of thujone, eucalyptol, camphor, borneol, thymol, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bornylacetate, and menthol inhibited bone resorption.  From:  Mühlbauer, R. C., Lozano, A., Palacio, S., Reinli, A., & Felix, R. (2003). Common herbs, essential oils, and monoterpenes potently modulate bone metabolism. Bone, 32(4), 372-380.

COGNITION

• Juniperus communis inhalation managed oxidative stress associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  From:  Cioanca, O., Hancianu, M., Mihasan, M., & Hritcu, L. (2015). Anti-acetylcholinesterase and Antioxidant Activities of Inhaled Juniper Oil on Amyloid Beta (1–42)-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Rat Hippocampus. Neurochemical research, 40(5), 952-960.
• Juniper berry extracts had a neuroprotective effect against Parkinson’s disease in vivo. From: Bais, S., Gill, N. S., & Kumar, N. (2015). Neuroprotective effect of Juniperus communis on chlorpromazine induced Parkinson disease in animal model. Chinese Journal of Biology, 2015.

ANTI-CANCER

• Juniper essential oil was cytotoxic against lung cancer cells in vitro. From: Vasilijević, B., Knežević-Vukčević, J., Mitić-Ćulafić, D., Orčić, D., Francišković, M., Srdic-Rajic, T., … & Nikolić, B. (2018). Chemical characterization, antioxidant, genotoxic and in vitro cytotoxic activity assessment of Juniperus communis var. saxatilis. Food and chemical toxicology, 112, 118-125.
• Antioxidant, anti-fungal, genoprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities of juniper extracts were demonstrated in vitro. From: Fierascu, I., Ungureanu, C., Avramescu, S. M., Cimpeanu, C., Georgescu, M. I., Fierascu, R. C., … & Dinu-Pirvu, C. E. (2018). Genoprotective, antioxidant, antifungal and anti-inflammatory evaluation of hydroalcoholic extract of wild-growing Juniperus communis L.(Cupressaceae) native to Romanian southern sub-Carpathian hills. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 3.

By: Kathy Sadowski

Updated 9/17/19