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JUNIPER BERRIES

A spice with a thousand uses in the kitchen – Buy online at Terza Luna

Juniperus communis

Origin: Italy, Tuscany

Format: whole berries

Harvested in November 2023

Buy juniper berries online

Terza Luna is the answer for all those wondering where to buy juniper berries. We have selected the best producers to offer you the best quality of juniper berries for sale online. By purchasing Terza Luna's juniper berries, you will enrich your kitchen with one of the most sought-after and fragrant spices.

Plant and Origin

The plant that produces juniper berries is the juniperus communis, better known as common juniper, a conifer that can be found in wooded areas and often at high altitudes. Juniper berries grow wild in Italy, as well as in almost all the Mediterranean region. The best quality juniper berries used in recipes come from Tuscany, but Sardinian juniper berries are also well-known. The berries, also known as 'juniper cuddles', are the size of a pea and boast a beautiful black-blue color, while their pulp tends towards red. The juniperus communis plant generally blooms in March, but the juniper berries are harvested in autumn when they ripen, and it can be a tricky harvest due to the shrub's needle-like and spiny leaves.

How to use?

Juniper berries have a tart taste and very prominent aromatic notes, making them one of the most beloved spices in Italian cuisine, and beyond. Used for marinades, to flavor jams, to season red meats and more flavorful meats like game, excellent to accompany potatoes, juniper berries are also used for distilling gin and tonic, for brewing beers, and for the famous juniper berry liqueur.

From gastronomic uses, to the extraction of essential oils, to infusions for beneficial herbal teas and digestive decoctions, we discover the multiple uses and benefits of juniper berries.

Juniper Berries: Properties and Benefits

Juniper berries have numerous properties that add to the aromatic taste that makes them a unique ingredient to enrich our recipes. The juniper plant contains juniperin (a volatile oil that deposits juniper camphor), sugar, resin, potassium acetate, and calcium.

Among the major properties of juniper berries we remember:

• Benefits for the urinary tract: juniper berries facilitate the elimination of uric acid, proving to be natural remedies for the treatment of urinary calculi, rheumatism, gout, albuminuria, and many other common pathologies.
• Diuretic properties: juniper berries promote the reduction of water retention thanks to their diuretic effect, which stimulates urination.
• Antiseptic effect: the essential oil of juniper berries, extracted by distillation, has a marked bactericidal property. This is why there are good effects in the use of galenic preparations of the juniper plant in chronic bronchial conditions (in which the precious juniper berries act as a sedative), in infectious diseases of the urinary tract, and in chronic cystitis.
• Treatment of hemorrhoids: juniper berries have anti-inflammatory properties and their essential oil can be used externally to relieve discomfort caused by hemorrhoids.
• Compress: fresh juniper berries, crushed and applied as a healing poultice, can heal eczema, ulcers, and sores. Juniper berries are also used to prepare an ointment for scabies.

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Juniper Berries: Methods of therapeutic use

Juniper berries have numerous healing properties, as illustrated in the previous paragraph. In this section, we recommend how to use juniper berries to make the most of their main benefits.

• Stomachic: for stomach weakness and lack of appetite, it is recommended the 'berry treatment', which consists of chewing and swallowing juniper berries, starting with 5 on the first day, and increasing by one berry per day, taking 6 on the second day, 7 on the third, up to 15 berries. This treatment, very simple, is very effective.
• Diuretic: to take advantage of the diuretic effect of juniper berries, make an infusion of 15 g of berries in boiling water. By drinking 3-5 cups a day, uric acid and urine are eliminated, which becomes more abundant and smells of violets.
• Edemas (collection of fluid in the subcutaneous tissue): on this issue, juniper wine acts very effectively, prepared by macerating 60 g of crushed juniper berries in a liter of dry white wine for 6 days. The intake dose, after maturation, is 10 g per day, divided into two doses. Even simpler than wine is this kind of milk, always for skin care, for which we give you the recipe: thanks to a bitter substance contained in the 'berries', juniper is excellent for purifying and toning; try crushing 20 berries in a cup of cold water, boil and strain. Apply this tonic after the usual cleansing milk. Even in case of acne and impure skin, juniper berry tonic is an excellent natural remedy.
• Treating gravel, stones, colic pains, delayed menstruation: very effective in this case is the "German Teriaca". Crush fresh juniper berries and cook them in water. Squeeze them in a bag and strain the juice. Put it back on the heat until it reaches the consistency of honey, being careful to constantly stir so it does not burn. You can take a teaspoon in the morning and one in the evening.
• Against childhood tuberculosis: the beneficial effects of juniper berry juice on childhood tuberculosis have been observed. In a short time, this product manages to increase the body's reaction capacity and dynamism, restore appetite, and increase the weight of the sick. Even today, it is not known what the mechanism of action is. However, it seems that the bactericidal action plays an essential role in this sense.
• Anti-arthritic syrup: to combat arthritis, we suggest a syrup recipe made from 10 g of soft juniper berry extract, 10 g of fluid asperella extract, and 400 g of syrup of the five roots that can be taken with a dosage of two to five tablespoons a day.

Juniper Berries, are they edible? Side effects and Contraindications

Many wonder if juniper berries are poisonous. This question arises from the existence of different varieties in the juniper family, some of which produce seeds, commonly called berries, with a toxic effect. The Juniperus Communis produces edible berries, but some species, like the Juniperus Sabina, are poisonous and produce toxic berries; they have the same bluish-black color as juniper berries and the plant is cultivated for ornamental purposes.

Although not poisonous, edible juniper berries can have side effects due to excessive or prolonged use. In addition to reactions due to an allergy to the product, careless use could cause irritations to the urinary tract or kidney pains. However, these are rare effects, often occurring in subjects with pre-existing conditions. In any case, ingestion during pregnancy is not recommended, and it is advisable to avoid self-harvesting juniper berries and rely on experienced sellers.

Where to buy Juniper Berries?

Many people do not know that buying juniper berries online is easy and inexpensive. Browsing spice and cooking forums often leads to questions like "where to buy juniper berries?" or "where can juniper berries be found?". The answer is on this page.

Here, with just a few clicks, you can easily buy juniper berries at a convenient price online, relying on our experience in the world of online spices and have the desired product delivered directly to your home!

Juniper Berries in the Kitchen: The Best Recipes

The uses of juniper berries are many, given their aromatic taste and properties, but they are known especially for their use in the kitchen. If you are wondering how to use juniper berries in the kitchen in a particular way and how to combine them with other ingredients besides the classic use in meat preparation, we have selected the best recipes for you to appreciate this versatile spice.

Liqueur with Juniper Berries

To prepare an excellent juniper liqueur, you will need:

• 4 handfuls of juniper berries
• 550 cc of 90° alcohol
• 450 cc of water
• 200 g of sugar

Lightly crush the berries with a spoon and let them macerate for 10 days in water and alcohol. Strain, add the sugar, and stir to dissolve it. After a week, the juniper liqueur will be ready to be enjoyed.

Carrot Cream with Juniper

Sauté the finely sliced onion in oil. Then brush and wash the carrots and cut them into rounds. Add them to the sauté and salt, then braise. Halfway through cooking, add 100 cl of warm water. Bring to a boil and add the oat flakes. Cook for 15 minutes and blend everything in a mixer. Finally, flavor everything with crushed juniper berries in a mortar.

Pumpkin and Potato Timbale with Juniper

Peel the pumpkin and bake it for 20 minutes at 250 degrees. Boil the potatoes. Prepare a minced garlic and rosemary and lightly sauté it in oil. Pass the potatoes through a potato masher, flavor the puree with the sauté and salt, and mix it with the pumpkin pulp. Put the mixture in an oiled pan and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and crushed juniper berries in a mortar. Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.

If these recipes have piqued your interest, try the quality of juniper berries for sale on Terza Luna and delight yourself with the fruits of this fantastic plant.