Nativilis Juniper Berries Organic Essential Oil 30 ml (Juniperus communis ) - High in nutrients and powerful plant compounds anti-inflammatory antioxidant antifungal activity - Copaiba Properties

The juniper tree, Juniperus communis, is an evergreen shrub that grows in many parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia.

It produces seed cones that are commonly known as juniper berries. Though the berries’ coloring varies, most are deep blue. Their aroma is often described as woody or spicy.

They have a tart, pine-like flavor and are commonly used in small amounts as a spice or flavoring agent.

These small berries have been used for culinary and medicinal purposes since ancient times, and current research suggests that they may offer various health benefits.

Here are 5 emerging benefits of juniper berries.

1. High in nutrients and powerful plant compounds
Though nutrition information on juniper berries is limited, they’re known to provide certain vitamins and an array of plant compounds.

Like most other berries, they’re a good source of vitamin C, delivering 10% of the Daily Value (DV) of this water-soluble nutrient in a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving (2).

Vitamin C is essential for immune health, collagen synthesis, and blood vessel function. It also acts as a strong antioxidant, protecting your cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals.

The berries also pack many plant compounds, including flavonoid antioxidants, volatile oils, and coumarins, which are chemical compounds with various protective properties.

The volatile oils in juniper berries contain substances known as monoterpenes, including limonene, camphor, and beta-pinene. Monoterpenes have been shown to provide anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties.

Coumarins and flavonoid antioxidants also offer an array of health-promoting effects. Consuming a diet rich in these compounds can promote health and may protect against chronic conditions, including heart and neurodegenerative diseases.

SUMMARY
Juniper berries are high in vitamin C, flavonoid antioxidants, monoterpenes, and coumarins, all of which may offer various health benefits.

2. Provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects 
Antioxidant-rich foods are important for health, as they help protect your cells against damage that may otherwise lead to illness.

Juniper berries are rich in essential oils and flavonoids that function as potent antioxidants and may help reduce inflammation.

One test-tube study detected over 70 compounds in juniper berry essential oil, with the monoterpenes alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, myrcene, limonene, and sabinene making up the majority. All of them add to the oil’s strong antioxidant effects.

The study found that the oil reduced cellular damage in yeast cells by increasing the activity of the enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase. The main role of these enzymes is to protect cells from free radical damage.

Another test-tube study showed that juniper berry essential oil significantly reduced inflammation in human skin cells, an effect that researchers attributed to the oil’s high concentration of monoterpenes.

Juniper berries are also rich in the flavonoids rutin, luteolin, and apigenin, which test-tube, animal, and human studies have shown can act as powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

SUMMARY
Juniper berries contain essential oils and flavonoids that offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

3. May have antidiabetic properties
Juniper berries were used in traditional medicine practices to treat diabetes, and recent studies confirm that they may have antidiabetic properties.

A study in rats with diabetes observed that supplementing with juniper berry extract significantly reduced blood sugar and increased heart-protective HDL (good) cholesterol 

Similarly, another study on the antidiabetic effects of Chinese juniper berry extract found that it significantly reduced blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in rats with diabetes.

Researchers believe that these antidiabetic effects are due to the berries’ high concentration of antioxidants.

Though these findings are promising, research in humans is needed to confirm this potential health benefit.

SUMMARY
Some rodent studies indicate that juniper berry extract may improve high blood sugar levels, though research in humans is lacking.

 4. Could promote heart health
Juniper berries may promote heart health by improving HDL (good) cholesterol levels and reducing high triglyceride levels, as well as LDL (bad) and total cholesterol.

A study in rats with diabetes demonstrated that treatment with juniper berry extract reduced total cholesterol and triglyceride levels by 57% and 37%, respectively, compared with a control group.

Another rat study found that juniper berry extract increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels as well.

Though human studies are lacking, research shows that eating berries is an excellent way to reduce heart disease risk factors.

However, until more human research on the effects of juniper berries on heart health is available, it’s unknown whether eating these berries can reduce heart disease risk.

SUMMARY
Some animal research suggests that juniper berry extract may improve heart disease risk factors, but studies in humans are lacking.

5. Antibacterial and antifungal activity
Test-tube and animal studies show that juniper berries have powerful antibacterial and antifungal properties. These are attributed to potent compounds in their oil, including sabinene, limonene, myrcene, and alpha- and beta-pinene.

In one test-tube study, juniper berry essential oil demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal effects against 16 species of bacteria, yeasts, yeast-like fungi, and dermatophytes, a type of fungus that grows on your skin, causing diseases like ringworm.

The strongest fungus-killing activities occurred against dermatophytes, as well as Candida species, which cause fungal infections like mouth and yeast infections.

Another test-tube study found that juniper berry essential oil significantly inhibited the activity of three bacteria that can cause serious infections in humans — M. gordonae, M. avium, and M. intracellulare.

Extract from the berries also may have antibacterial effects against many bacteria, including Campylobacter jejuni, which commonly cause food poisoning, and Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that may cause skin, lung, and bone infections.

While it’s clear that juniper berries have antibacterial and antifungal properties, human studies are needed to examine whether their extract can be used to treat fungal or bacterial infections in people.

SUMMARY
Test-tube and animal studies indicate that juniper berry extract provides strong antibacterial and antifungal effects. However, human studies are needed to confirm these benefits.