Associations
Element: Fire
Planetary Ruler: Sun
Aromatherapy: Clarifying, strengthening, detoxifying.
Folkloric/Magical Use: Protection, purification.
History
11,700 years ago, the ice age finally receded in Britain and slowly the barren landscape began to come back to life. Juniper was one of the first trees to sink its roots back into the soil in Scotland, along with the willow and dwarf birch. For the next 10,000 years Juniper would flourish, dotting the mountains and forests of ancient Caledonia with purpose and dignity. So, it is hard to accept that in only the last two hundred years, Juniper along with other noble native species like the Scots Pine have been deforested to near extinction in Britain, and their habitats severely threatened by deforestation and the destruction of natural landscapes by new building projects. Thankfully, there are charities like Trees for Life who are fighting back and working to re-wild Scotland's forests, and Equinox very proudly sponsors a grove to that end.
There are many kinds of Juniper evergreens, but the ones which yield the berries so beloved by gin drinkers and aromatherapists alike are from the Juniperus communis. It has been prized by humans for thousands of years, as medicine, purifying incense, and as a flavouring. Archaeological records suggest that Juniper berries were used in ancient Egypt as early as 1500 BCE, where they were found in tombs and embalming materials, likely because of their drying effect. In the Greco-Roman world, Juniper berries were used both in medicine and as a culinary spice, often as a local substitute for the more expensive black pepper. Pliny the Elder wrote of their diuretic properties in Natural History (77 CE), while the Greek physician Galen included them in remedies for indigestion and chest complaints.
By the Middle Ages, Juniper was a common feature in European physic gardens and monastery apothecaries, particularly in the colder, mountainous regions of Scotland, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe where it once grew wild in healthy numbers.
In modern times, Juniper is most famous perhaps for its pivotal role in the flavouring and evolution of gin, which derives its name from genièvre (French) or jenever (Dutch), both meaning Juniper. Early versions of the spirit were distilled for their medicinal properties, particularly for kidney and urinary complaints—a tradition echoed in the writings of early herbalists.
Traditional Uses
Juniper was well known to the medieval apothecary. Gerard lists in his Historie of Plants (1636) Juniper's purgative and drying effects to remedy all manner of "clammy and gross humours" which I think describes it quite aptly even today.
In Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653), he describes the berries as "hot in the third degree [very strong] and dry in the first [mild]" and a cure for dropsy (a swelling in the lower limbs), gout, sciatica, and all manner of "pestilence." All which are equally modern uses for Juniper to control and reduce swelling in lymphatic tissue and in water retention across the body (Han et al., 2017).
Juniper berry essential oil is rich in monoterpenes such as alpha-pinene and sabinene—constituents that modern science recognises for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and detoxifying actions. These properties lend support to its traditional and modern use in massage oils for muscular discomfort, topical blends for congestion, and to aid lymphatic drainage or urinary tract support for the kidneys.
Folklore
Given Juniper's antimicrobial and cleansing effects corroborated by modern science, it is not perhaps surprising that our ancestors had this traditional knowledge from their own experiences. Juniper's reputation for protecting and healing sick animals goes beyond folklore, knowing now that its powers of cleansing are very real.
"A fire was kindled in each byre on Christmas morning, and in parts of the country the byres were purified by burning Juniper in them. [... When cows were sick] fumigating the byres with Juniper was a method adopted to ward off disease."
- Walter Gregor,Notes on the Folklore of the North-East of Scotland (1880)
Nevertheless, folklorists often called this a "primitive" practice and were shocked by the ancient "rituals" of driving cattle over burning Juniper branches at Beltane, or hanging it over barns and homes to ward off sickness and evil.
One charm recorded in the mid-1800s by John Gregorson Campbell regarding the harvesting of Juniper (also called Mountain Yew, or in Gaelic Iubha-beinne or aiteal) bears resemblance to other plant harvesting charms recorded in Carmichael's Carmina Gadelica (1900). It shows that beyond the practical use of purification, Juniper eventually took on the properties of a strong protection charm, like its sister in the forest the Rowan:
I will pull the bounteous yew*
Through the five bent ribs of Christ
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Against drowning, danger and confusion
*Mountain Yew aka Juniper
Today, Juniper remains a symbol of clarity, protection, and strength. Its resilience as it returned from an ice age is inspiring, and its proud protective aura is comforting to anyone who passes by it. May it live long into the future as one of Britain's most precious native trees.
Aromatic Profile
- Note: Middle
- Scent Family: Woody, fresh, slightly spicy
Essential Oil Safety Information
- Never ingest/take internally.
- Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes.
- Keep away from children and pets.
- Full safety information and directions will be provided in a safety card upon purchase, please read fully.
Bibliography & Sources
Battaglia, S. (2003). The complete guide to aromatherapy (2nd ed.). International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy.
Culpeper, N. (2007). Culpeper’s complete herbal: Illustrated and annotated edition. Wordsworth Editions. (Original work published 1653)
Darwin, T. (1996). The Scots herbal: The plant lore of Scotland. Mercat Press.
Fife, H. (1994). Warriors and guardians: Native Highland trees. Argyll Publishing.
Galen. (1826). De simplicium medicamentorum temperamentis ac facultatibus [On the temperaments and faculties of simple medicines] (K. G. Kühn, Ed.), Claudii Galeni opera omnia (Vol. 11, pp. 375–646). Leipzig: C. Cnobloch.
Gerard, J. (1975). The herbal or general historie of plantes (Rev. & ed. by T. Johnson, 1636). Dover Publications. (Original work published 1597)
Grieve, M. (1971). A modern herbal: The medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and economic properties, cultivation and folk-lore of herbs, grasses, fungi, shrubs & trees (Vols. 1–2). Dover Publications. (Original work published 1931)
Häkkinen, R., Heinonen, M., & Kärenlampi, S. (1999). Antioxidant activity of berry phenolics on human low-density lipoprotein and liposome oxidation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 47(11), 3952–3957. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf990145w
Han, L., & Parker, T. (2017). Anti-inflammatory activity of Juniper (Juniperus communis) berry essential oil in human dermal fibroblasts. Cogent Medicine, 4, Article 1306200. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331205X.2017.1306200
Kalle, R., Sõukand, R., & Pieroni, A. (2018). Devil is in the details: Use of wild food and medicinal plants among the Seto people in the borderlands of Estonia and Russia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 210, 455–467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2017.08.035
Mabey, R. (1996). Flora Britannica. Sinclair-Stevenson.
Milliken, W., & Bridgewater, S. (2004). Flora Celtica: Plants and people in Scotland. Birlinn.
Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2013). Essential oil safety: A guide for health care professionals (2nd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
Trees for Life. (n.d.). Deforestation. https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/habitats-and-ecology/human-impacts/deforestation/
Wilkinson, R. H. (2003). The complete gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
