Juniper Berry Uses - What To Do With Juniper Berries

The most common culinary use of the juniper berry is as a spice used to flavor gin. It's used for its medicinal purposes as an essential oil, made by steam distillation of the crushed, dried, or fermented berries. Other ways the juniper berry is used is as dried fruit.

What can you do with juniper berries?

The spicy, aromatic, dark berries of the juniper tree can be used fresh or dried, crushed or whole, to flavour casseroles, marinades and stuffings and complement pork, rabbit, venison, beef and duck. They can also be used in sweet dishes such as fruitcake. Juniper berries also provide the main flavouring for gin.

Are juniper berries safe to eat?

Certain varieties of juniper berry contain safe, low amounts of Thujone, while other varieties contain high levels and can make you very sick. The common juniper, Juniperus communis, is the variety most often used to make gin, medicines, and food dishes, as it is considered safe for human consumption.

How do you use medicinal juniper berries?

Some people apply juniper directly to the skin for wounds and for pain in joints and muscles. The essential oil of juniper is inhaled to treat bronchitis and numb pain. In foods, the juniper berry is often used as a condiment and a flavoring ingredient in gin and bitter preparations.

How do you use juniper?

It's a great adjunct to meat dishes such as beef, pork, or wild game such as venison. Scandinavians, Northern Italians, and Germans use juniper berries in many dishes. The berries add delicious flavor to vegetable dishes and things like sauerkraut. It can be used to make soaps and skin oils.

Are juniper berries good for you?

Antioxidant-rich foods are important for health, as they help protect your cells against damage that may otherwise lead to illness. Juniper berries are rich in essential oils and flavonoids that function as potent antioxidants and may help reduce inflammation.

Do dried juniper berries go bad?

Juniper berries will have a shelf life of 2 to 3 years when stored correctly. Juniper berries perform a unique role by contributing as much to the character of food through their freshening ability, as they do by way of their specific taste profile.

How can you tell if a juniper berry is edible?

Look for a plant with berries that appear blue on it in this open sunny area. The berries are a little smaller than regular blueberries and grown at the ends of the branches. You will smell a pine aroma that is very strong as you come closer to the juniper plant. They hang in clusters.

Are junipers poisonous to dogs?

The University of California - Davis list Juniperus (Junipers) in their Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants list as having a minor toxicity (class 2) for pets and children. This rating means ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea.

What animals eat juniper berries?

Rabbits, coyotes, and many small mammals also eat the juniper berries, spread- ing the seed across the landscape.

Are juniper berries good for kidneys?

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) juniper berries have been used for centuries as a stimulant for the kidneys and bladder to flush out impurities and toxins. It has also been used as a general antibiotic herb to heal infections, as well as a digestive tonic for the stomach, intestines, and spleen.

Is juniper berry good for skin?

Balance. Juniper Berry Oil helps to regulate hormones and improve skin conditions caused by hormonal imbalances, leaving the skin healthy and more even, as well as less reactive to external aggressors. To further calm your skin, look to other Essential Oils such as Chamomile Oil and Rose Oil.

Is Juniper berries same as allspice?

Also asked, is allspice the same as juniper berries? Allspice does not have the strong pine characteristic that you would get from the juniper berries. Juniper berries have a much less complex flavor, which makes them less versatile. Unlike allspice berries, they are not usually used in desserts.

What does Juniper mean in the Bible?

The juniper tree is believed to possess the ability to cleanse and make us pure and true to ourselves. ... Juniper was a symbol of the Canaanites' fertility goddess Ashera or Astarte in Syria. In the Bible's Old Testament, a juniper with an angelic presence sheltered the prophet Elijah from Queen Jezebel's pursuit.

Are juniper berries poisonous?

All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. ... But the berries of some species, such as Juniperus sabina, are toxic and consumption of them is inadvisable.

Can juniper berries kill you?

Eating the leaves will make you mighty sick and eating the root could kill you. Juniper berries – Also known as a cedar tree, junipers are evergreens that produce a blue or purple berry. ... Eating any part of the plant will cause severe stomach pain and vomiting.

Is Juniper good for hair?

Juniper oil can certainly permeate the scalp and its cleansing effect works well for detoxifying the hair follicles. The essential oil of juniper berries will help with combating dandruff. The astringent as well as anti-fungal qualities of juniper oil assist in decreasing dandruff growth.

Is Juniper good for arthritis?

Juniper is an old world remedy for rheumatism and arthritis. It contains essential oils, terpenes and vitamin C. The medicinal benefits of juniper berries have been described and proven.

Where do you get juniper berries?

Juniper berries can be typically found in the spice aisle. In fact, if you look at how juniper berries are categorized in websites like Walmart, they come up as “condiments, sauces, and spices”. That being said, you may also be able to find them in the dry goods section.

Is it OK to use old spices?

When a spice is said to have gone bad, it simply means that it has lost most of its flavor, potency, and color. ... It's still generally safe to consume dried herbs and spices that are past their prime, although they won't add nearly as much flavor as their fresh counterparts.

How long do dried juniper berries last?

Like most spices, juniper quickly loses its potency once ground, so grind only as much as you need for a given recipe. Stored in a tightly sealed container, whole berries will last for up to 2 years.

Should I throw out old spices?

Throw Out the Old Spices

Unlike fresh food, spices don't actually spoil or go bad. What does happen, though, is that they lose flavor and potency over time. Old spices won't season your cooking in the same way and can add disagreeable, off flavors.