Are Juniper Berries good for anything?

[dconklin]

So I recently found out that the tree I always thought was a cedar is really a Juniper Tree. It has a bunch of berries on it and I quite often find them in the yard too. I heard that they sometimes use Juniper berries to flavor gin, but is there anything else they are good for? Are they safe to eat a lot of or are they not worth cooking with?

I have never tried one but up until my Dad told me differently when he was visiting, I thought that the tree was a cedar.

 

[claudine]

As far as I know, some species of juniper produce poisonous fruits, so better be careful. We had a juniper in our garden when I was a child and I remember very clearly that my mother warned me not to eat any berries from it.

 

[zigs]

Not used for anything other than flavouring, the shoots & leaves used to be used in medicine till they found they cause internal bleeding.

 

[blueeyes]

I don't have any junipers but the response are very helpful. Nature gives us so many wonderful things but we still have to be careful about what we ingest. Thanks very much for the information.

 

[Steve Denning]

Juniper berries are not actually berries, believe it or not, but cones. The scales have all merged and are fleshy which gives it the impression of being a berry. It has been used as a spice in European cuisine for hundreds, probably thousands of years. Giving gin its flavour is just one application. Some species are toxic, however, so it is good to be cautious. Others produce very bitter cones which have no use. An essential oil for the perfume industry is also extracted from it.

 

[claudine]

Juniper beries are cones? I had no idea! They don't look like cones at all This is really surprising and quite funny. Thank you for letting us know.
I remember that I was equally surprised after finding out that tomatoes are fruits

 

[zigs]

They are a gift from God

 

[dconklin]

I wasn't going to try them without asking because I was afraid they may not be safe. I am sure that in flavoring they probably go through a process and not eaten right of the tree!

Sounds like it isn't a good idea to use them for cooking, thank you everybody!

 

[DonnaIReilly]

I always thought juniper berries are only used for flavouring also. They are also used however for the production of volatile oil.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I used to have a friend that was American Indian, and he showed me how to make the whole house smell good with the needles from either a cedar or a juniper. He just took a few of the small branches, and brought them in the kitchen, put them in a cast iron pan, and we turned the burner on low. As it warmed up the needles, it released the best smell !
It was like being out on a forest suddenly, and the insense-like fragrance would permeate through the whole house .

 

[firelily99]

Juniper beries are cones? I had no idea! They don't look like cones at all This is really surprising and quite funny. Thank you for letting us know.
I remember that I was equally surprised after finding out that tomatoes are fruits[/quoteThey are in the same family as cedar although the wood is softer than cedar. the cones do look lovely in arrangements though, I wouldn't use them as a edible.

 

[NaturalBeauty_35]

As far as I know, some species of juniper produce poisonous fruits, so better be careful. We had a juniper in our garden when I was a child and I remember very clearly that my mother warned me not to eat any berries from it.

I agree. Some Juniper Berries are toxic to the body. They're about 40-60 different species of Juniper Berries and only a few can yield edible fruits. Some of them can be very bitter to eat. I have a few of them grown in my backyard and I make good use with them like making rum, wine, pie, cheese cake, cake, tea, and juice. They're is few Juniper Berries that are not poisonous, but a majority of them are.

 

[NaturalBeauty_35]

Juniper Berry is good for bladder diseases and for ureteral infections. It has many anti-inflammatory properties. It is helpful for gout and for other arthritic conditions associated with acid waste in the body.

 

[claudine]

I agree. Some Juniper Berries are toxic to the body. They're about 40-60 different species of Juniper Berries and only a few can yield edible fruits. Some of them can be very bitter to eat. I have a few of them grown in my backyard and I make good use with them like making rum, wine, pie, cheese cake, cake, tea, and juice. They're is few Juniper Berries that are not poisonous, but a majority of them are.

To be honest, I had no idea that there are so many different species of Juniper berries. Thank you for this information, it's really interesting.
I remember that the berries which I saw when I was a kid were very small and red. Even birds didn't want to eat them.