Hello! And welcome to the 2016 A-Z CHALLENGE!!
* confetti *
This year, I’m blogging my way through a botanical alphabet.
I hope you enjoy your time here and by all means,
come back tomorrow and see what plant I’m highlighting next! Cheers!!
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JUNIPER
juniper us spp.
aka: dwarf juniper, ground juniper
photo from www.botanical.com
Juniper is steeped in holy folklore. It was once a symbol of the Canaanite fertility goddess Ashera in Syria. A Juniper with an angelic presence is supposed to have hidden the prophet Elijah from angry Queen Jezebel in the Old Testament. Even the Holy Family was supposedly sheltered by a Juniper when they took refuge beneath one to hide from Herod's army when they fled to Egypt.
Juniper was burned inside homes in the Scottish Highlands on New Year's Day to purify the house and all its inhabitants. In Central Europe, Juniper berries were also customarily burned indoors three days prior to Beltane (May 01) to fumigate the house and welcome summer.
Today Juniper is a necessary ingredient in gin distillation giving the drink its distinctive bitter flavoring. The berries can be made into a tea and drunk as a diuretic. Its antiseptic nature helps it remove toxic wastes and increase urine flow. Used externally as a poultice it can be applied to wounds to prevent infections.
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All research references can be found in my Library of Botanical Miscellany.
Disclaimer
These posts are in NO WAY medical suggestions. They are intended for informational purposes only.
If you are interested in pursuing natural, herbal remedies, get thee to a reputable herb shop (preferably one that is locally and independently owned and operated) and get educated!
Disclaimer II
It’s ridiculous that anyone writing about herbal and traditional remedies should have to put a disclaimer at the end of anything.
Use your brain and think for yourself! Just as you shouldn't take a pharmaceutical at face value,
do your herbal research and learn about the amazing plants around us.
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