Linn.
Family: Pinaceae; Cupressaceae.
Habitat: Native to North America; introduced into India.
English: Pencil Cedar, Red Cedar.
Action: The berries in decoction are diaphoretic and emmenagogue like those of common juniper; leaves are diuretic. Red cedar oil is used in the preparation of insecticides. Small excrescences, called cedar apples, are sometimes found on the branches. These are used as an anthelmintic. (Yellow Cedar is equated with Thuja occidentalles.)
Juniperus procera Hochst. (East African Cedar), J. bermudiana Linn. (Bermuda Cedar) andJ.ChinensisLinn. (Chinese Juniper) have also been introduced into India.
Linn. var. saxatillis Palias.
Synonym: J. communis auct. non L.
Family: Pinaceae; Cupressaceae.
Habitat: Native to Europe and North America. Distributed in Western Himalayas from Kumaon westwards at 1,700-4,200 m.
English: Common Juniper.
Ayurvedic: Hapushaa, Havushaa, Haauber, Matsyagandha.
Unani: Abahal, Haauber, Hubb-ul- arar, Aarar.
Action: Berries—diuretic, urinary antiseptic, carminative, digestive, sudorific, anti-inflammatory, emmenagogue. Used for acute and chronic cystitis, renal suppression (scanty micturition), catarrh of the bladder, albuminuria, amenorrhoea, leucorrhoea. Aerial parts—abortifacient.
Key application: In dyspepsia. (German Commission E.) Juniper berry may increase glucose levels in diabetics. (ESCOP.) As a diuretic.(The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends the dried fruit in malabsorption syndrome.Animal studies have shown an increase in urine excretion as well as a direct effect on sooth muscle contraction. (German Commission E, ESCOP.)Con- traindicated in kidney disease. (Sharon M. Herr.)(In Kerala, Hapushaa and Mundi are considered to be synonyms; Syphaer- anthus indicus,Asteraceae, is used as Hapushaa.)The major constituents of the volatile oil are alpha-pinene, sabinene and alpha-terpinene. Methanolic extract of the plant gave several labdane diter- penoids and diterpenes. The leaves contain the biflavones, cupressufla- vone, amentoflavone, hinokiflavone, isocryptomerin and sciadopitysin. The berries also contain condensed tannins. Seeds gave haemagglutinin.Juniperus recurva Buch-Ham ex D. Don, syn. J. excelsa auct. non-Bieb. (temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan) is known as Weeping Blue Juniper. J. macropoda Boiss. (the Himalaya from Nepal onwards) is known as Himalayan Indian Juniper. Both the species are used like J. communis var. saxatillis.The berries gave a diterpene ketone, sugrol, beta-sitosterol glucoside and 10-nonacosanol.Plant extract can be used in toothpastes and mouth-rinses to reduce dental plaque and bleeding.
Dosage: Dried fruit—2-6 g powder. (API, Vol. III.)... juniperus communis
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