Herb library · Herb · Juniperus communis
Juniper
The small blue-black "berries" (really cones) of an evergreen shrub, best known for flavoring gin. They are taken for indigestion and to increase urine flow. EU regulators accept those uses on the basis of long use; one recent trial of juniper oil capsules for indigestion was positive.
Traditional use
Juniper berries and their oil have long been used in Europe to increase urine flow and for indigestion and wind. King's American Dispensatory (1905) records the berries as a diuretic and notes that Holland gin, distilled with juniper berries, carried them. In the EU juniper oil is registered as a traditional herbal medicine taken by mouth to increase urine flow as an add-on in minor urinary complaints and for indigestion and flatulence, and in the bath for minor muscle and joint pain.
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot in the third degree, dry in the first. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 100 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Indigestion (functional dyspepsia): a 2025 randomized placebo-controlled trial in 76 adults found that a juniper oil capsule taken once a day for 4 weeks eased fullness, pressure and upper-belly discomfort more than placebo. It is a single small trial.
- Insufficient
Increasing urine flow, and muscle and joint pain (in the bath): accepted in the EU on the basis of traditional use; the EMA found no clinical studies.
Be careful of
Cautions
- ConditionDo not take it by mouth if you have serious kidney disease, including kidney infection or inflammation. Many handbooks warn of kidney damage with long use or overdose; the EMA notes this may partly trace to oils contaminated with turpentine, but still expects the kidney to be the first organ affected.
- AmountProlonged use or overdose can cause kidney irritation and pain, blood in the urine, stomach upset, a faster heartbeat and raised blood pressure, and rarely seizures and uterine bleeding. Keep to the product's dose, and see a doctor if symptoms last more than 2 weeks.
- ConditionNot for increasing urine flow if you have been told to limit fluids (for example with serious heart disease) or have swelling from weak heart or kidney function. See a doctor if you get fever, painful urination, spasms or blood in the urine. Use a full juniper bath with caution if you have high blood pressure.
- AllergyAllergic skin reactions have been reported, and the undiluted oil can irritate the skin.
- PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and use then is not recommended.
- NoteNot for use by mouth under 18, or in the bath under 12, for lack of data.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The fruit or berries are the medicinal parts; those which are imported from the southern parts of Europe are the best. The American berries possess less medicinal virtue, and are seldom employed.”
“It is contained in the spiritous liquor called Hollands, one of its best forms as a diuretic.”
In scripture
Where the Bible names this plant, and which plant scholars think is meant.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
Despite the translation, almost certainly not a juniper. Tristram (1898) identified the Hebrew rotem as white broom (Retama raetam), a desert shrub that gives good shade, and wrote that it is not to be confused with any juniper. H. B. Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (1898), pp. 359–360 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Juniperi aetheroleum - herbal medicinal product (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Community herbal monograph on Juniperus communis L., aetheroleum (EMA/HMPC/12402/2010) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Juniperus communis L., aetheroleum (EMA/HMPC/12401/2010) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy and safety of Roleca juniper 100 mg in the treatment of functional dyspepsia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Phytomedicine, 2025) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.