Juniper essential oil comes from Juniperus communis, of the Cupressaceae family. Extracted from the fruit part of the plant through crushing & steam distillation process, it blends well with bergamot, lavender, vetiver, lime and other constituents and assists in calming nerves, relieving anxiety, nervous tension as well as mental exhaustion. Juniper berry essential oil is the abstract of fresh & dried berries and leaves of Juniperus plant species. These plants are well-known as the powerful immunity booster and detoxifier. These attributes make the essential oils more effective.

The berries are used to flavour gin – another name for which was geneva, from the French “genièvre”, meaning juniper. Used for a “spring clean” in Central Europe. Used in herbalism for gastro-intestinal infections, eliminating excess water, rheumatic pains. Sprigs of juniper were burnt with rosemary in French hospital wards to protect from infection. The colours of the berries differ in various species; in some, they are red-brown or orange but in most they are blue. Each juniper berry contains a resin (10 per cent), an essential oil (juniper berry oil, 0.5-2 per cent) with pinene and borneol, inositol, a flavonoid glycoside and a bitter compound (juniperin) which make it a rich source of aroma. Usually, the male and female flowers grow on different trees and only trees with female flowers bear fruit. The seed maturation time varies between species from6-18 months after pollination. The juniper berry takes two or three years to ripen, so that blue and green berries occur on the same plant. Only blue ripe berries are hand-picked and steam distilled to obtain juniper berry essential oil.