Juniper Berry Essential Oil is steam distilled from only the berries of Juniperus communis bushes. Juniper Berry Essential Oil varies, significantly, from the regular Juniper, sometimes called Alpine, and it's important to know which one are considering.  The regular, or Alpine, Juniper, distilled from a combination of the twig, leaf, and berries, must be used with caution, and never by anyone with high blood pressure or kidney disorder, as it has a very powerful diuretic activity. Juniper Berry Essential Oil has a diuretic effect, as well, where it aids in fluid retention, and build up, but with a much more gentle impact than the regular Juniper.

Juniper is a short to medium-height tree that grows wild in some parts of Europe, North America, and Asia. There are many varieties of juniper, but Juniperus communis is the most common in North America. People use the juniper berry to make medicine. Medicinal preparations include the extract of juniper berry, as well as the essential oil of juniper berry. Juniper is used for digestion problems including upset stomach, intestinal gas, heartburn, bloating, and loss of appetite, as well as gastrointestinal (GI) infections and intestinal worms. It is also used for urinary tract (UTIs) and kidney and bladder stones. Other uses include treating snakebite, diabetes, and cancer.

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. The extract and essential oil are used as a flavoring ingredient in foods and beverages.

Juniper extract and juniper oil are used in cosmetics including lipstick, foundation, hair conditioners, bath oils, bubble bath, eye shadow, and many other products.

Juniper essential oil is beneficial for any type of skin condition including chapped and sagging skin. It will help to prevent wrinkles, speed the healing of wounds and fade scars. You will see it in many skin care products for this reason. It is a diuretic and will increase the circulation through the kidneys plus help them detoxify. Juniper will also help with kidney stones and urinary tract or bladder infection.

Benefit & Uses: Juniper Berry Essential Oil is well known for its disinfectant, and purifying, activity and it is one of the most popular oils for diffusing, especially combined with White Sage, where it is used for spiritual clearing and cleansing.  It also improves circulation and in massage oils can help with muscle aches, as it eliminates the lactic acid build up at the heart of pain and inflammation. 

Juniper helps to eliminate excess water and is used as a mild diuretic to treat to treat urinary problems, usually in combination with other herbs. In 1984, the German Commission E approved the use of juniper dried fruit in teas and extracts to relieve dyspepsia (disturbed digestion or indigestion), but did not approve juniper as a single-ingredient quadratic (an agent that increases urine flow, without affecting electrolyte balance). Juniper's detoxifying properties are also employed in the treatment of wounds and inflammatory diseases such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis and according to studies inhibited the formation of inflammatory prostaglandins.

In addition juniper berries help clear congestion so are often included in cold remedies to relieve congestion and improve breathing indeed; juniper berries have such a wide range of uses that no herbal medicine chest should be without them.

Juniper berry oil has a fresh, warm, balsamic, woody-pine needle odor. Juniper is noted as being a detoxifying essential oil and is often used in massage formulas for pain. Juniper oil is also astringent, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic and can be very beneficial in cleansing and toning the skin in cases of acne and other skin inflammations such as eczema. Juniper oil has a strengthening, tonic effect on the nerves; its sedative action will help those who find sleeping difficult because of worries and tensions.