Juniper clears your mind. She is the friend who lifts confusion and doubt, and who helps you to see true. She is a breath of fresh air when you need it most.

Juniper berry oil is best known for its detoxifying and mind-clearing properties. It comes from the blue-black berries of the juniper conifer tree and, like many essential oils from tall forest trees, its effects are purifying, uplifting and revitalising.

Juniper berry has a sharp, piercing balsamic smell which makes it a potent burning oil – the perfect antidote to January.

Cleanse and clear

Add 3–4 drops of juniper berry oil to an oil burner. Make sure all windows and doors are shut, and burn the oil for 30 minutes to banish the staleness of the previous year. Inhaling its vapours will help remove toxins from your body due to the over-indulgences of Christmas and New Year, and clear your mind of the January blues.

Hair of the dog

Juniper berries are used to flavour gin. If you have not yet kick-started your New Year resolutions and find yourself suffering from left-over Saturday hangovers, burn juniper berry to relieve your headache and clear your mind.

Detoxifying skin oil

If you are suffering post-Christmas and New Year party breakouts, get your skin off to a good start with this detoxifying juniper berry oil cleanser:

• 30ml jojoba oil
• 6 drops juniper berry oil
• 6 drops tea tree oil
• 6 drops lavender oil

Massage a teaspoonful of this blend on your face. To enhance the blend’s detoxifying effects, massage the oil using small circular movements and work from the centre of your face towards temples, earlobes and the neck. This helps to drain toxins from your skin through your lymph vessels and nodes. Remove the oil with a hot damp cotton flannel. Repeat twice. Use the blend throughout January and discard any left-over oil at the end of the month. This facial blend removes make up but do not use on the eyes.

Cellulite-busting oil

Juniper berry is often used in massage to help treat cellulite, because of its powerful action of eliminating toxins from the body. Massage this cellulite busting oil into orange-peel skin:

• 30 ml olive oil
• 6 drops juniper berry oil
• 6 drops geranium oil
• 6 drops grapefruit oil

Exercise also helps to improve the appearance of cellulite.

A bit gouty

If your indulgences have been of the excessive kind and left your toes a bit gouty, rub this ointment on your foot to help relieve this painful condition. Juniper berry’s detoxifying properties help eliminate the build up of uric acid crystals that cause gout, and arthritis, for which juniper is also helpful.

• 30ml unfragranced ointment cream
• 6 drops juniper berry oil
• 6 drops cypress oil
• 6 drops fennel oil

And, er, lay off the booze for a bit!

This post is dedicated to Christine who is always the life and soul of the party

Profile of juniper:

Latin name: Juniperus communis
Plant family: Cupressaceae
Plant type: wood
Perfume note: middle
Botany and origins: evergreen tree or shrub native to the northern hemisphere and growing up to 6m high, with blue-green narrow needles, small flowers and round berries; main producers of juniper berry oil are France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia
Extraction: steam distillation of the berries (oil from the needles or wood are also extracted by this method but not used in aromatherapy due to their toxic properties)
Chemical properties/active components: rich in monoterpenes (80 %), which indicates its actions are likely to be stimulating, expectorant, bactericidal and antiviral
Blends with: benzoin, cedarwood, citrus oils, clary sage, cypress, fennel, geranium, lavender, lavandin, pine, rosemary, sandalwood, vetiver
Key actions: analgesic, anti-rheumatic, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, astringent, detoxifying, diuretic, vulnerary
Common conditions: cellulite, acne, oily skin; gout, arthritis and rheumatism, painful joints, stiffness, eliminates uric acid, fluid retention, obesity; cystitis; anxiety, nervous tension, stress-related conditions, intellectual fatigue
Contraindications: Non-sensitising and non-toxic, juniper berry may cause irritation in some; it has a reputation as an abortifacient, however, this may be due to confusion concerning its Latin name; it should only be used in moderation due to adulteration of the wood with turpentine oil
Further reading: This profile is based on my own experience and knowledge of using this essential oil. Other aromatherapy texts will list a wider range of properties and uses. The most comprehensive essential oil profiles that I have read are given by Salvatore Battaglia’s The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Second Edition, published by Perfect Potion, 2003, Australia. ISBN:  0-6464-2896-9

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