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Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)

Tree
J. pyriformis.
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Carminative, contraceptive, and widely used as a strong diuretic. Commercially harvested for diuretic and laxative products. Also used in folk remedies for flatulence, urinary cystitis, colic, coughs, and stomachaches. Juniper berries are used to flavor gin. Medically Approved in Germany for use in teas as appetite stimulants and stomach soothers.

Common Name Latin Name Plant Family
Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis
Cupressaceae

The bark is employed as a tinder and is also made into a slow match[216, 257]. The crushed bark was twisted into a rope, tied at intervals with yucca (Yucca species), and wrapped into a coil. The free end was set on fire and kept smouldering by blowing on it at intervals. Fire could be carried in this fashion for several hours[257]. The bark can be wound around a stick and used as a torch to provide light and carry fire to a new campsite[257].

The bark can be rubbed between the hands until it is soft and the fibres can then be woven into clothing[257]. The bark can also be rolled into rope, coiled and then sown to form sandal shoes[257].

The root fibre is used to make twined baskets[257].

The branches have been burnt as an incense and fumigant in the home[257].

The dried seeds have been used as beads or as the ‘rattle’ in rattles[216].

Wood – very close-grained, light, soft, exceedingly durable. It is easily worked and can be exquisitely finished. Because of its small size, however, it is mainly used for fencing, fuel[46, 61, 82, 229].

  • Medicinal Use

    Western juniper was quite widely employed as a medicinal herb by a number of native North American tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, especially those related to the kidneys and the skin[257]. It is rarely, if at all, used in modern herbalism.

    The leaves are blood tonic and laxative[216]. A decoction is used in the treatment of constipation, coughs and colds[216]. An infusion of the leaves has been taken by pregnant women prior to giving birth in order to relax the muscles[257]. A poultice of the pounded moistened leaves has been applied to the jaw to treat swollen and sore gums and toothaches[257].

    The berries are analgesic, blood tonic and diuretic[257]. A decoction is used to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps and to induce urination[257]. Externally, the decoction is used as a poultice on rheumatic joints[257].

    The young twigs are antiseptic, blood tonic and febrifuge[257]. A decoction is used in the treatment of kidney problems, fevers, stomach aches, smallpox, influenza and haemorrhages[257]. The branches have been used in a sweat bath to ease rheumatism[257]. A poultice of the twigs has been used as a dressing on burns and as a drawing agent on boils or splinters[257]. A decoction has been used as an antiseptic wash on sores[257].

    The leaves or young twigs have been burnt and the smoke inhaled to ease the pain of headaches[257].

  • Edible Use

    Fruit – raw or cooked[46, 61, 105]. A thin dry flesh[82] with a resinous flavour[2, 82]. The fruit is sweet and nutritious[2], it can also be dried or ground into a powder and mixed with cereal flours to be made into a bread[161].The cones are about 10mm in diameter, they take 2 years to mature[200].

  • Cautionary Notes

    None known

Cultivation & Habitat

The seed requires a period of cold stratification. The seed has a hard seedcoat and can be very slow to germinate, requiring a cold period followed by a warm period and then another cold spell, each of 2 – 3 months duration[78, 81]. Soaking the seed for 3 – 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process[11]. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Some might germinate in the following spring, though most will take another year. Another possibility is to harvest the seed ‘green’ (when the embryo has fully formed but before the seedcoat has hardened). The seedlings can be potted up into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow on in pots until large enough, then plant out in early summer. When stored dry, the seed can remain viable for several years[1]. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 – 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn[1, 78]. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months[78].
Succeeds in most soils, including chalk, so long as they are well drained[1, 11], preferring a neutral or slightly alkaline soil[11]. Established plants are drought tolerant, succeeding in hot dry positions[200]. Plants are slow-growing, though they can live for 3000 years in the wild[200, 229]. They are much shorter-lived in cultivation[200], growing better in dry areas with hot summers[200]. Western Britain is generally to cool and wet for this species to thrive[200]. Plants are usually monoecious but are sometimes dioecious. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed and fruit is required. The fruit takes two summers to ripen[229]. Plants are resistant to honey fungus[88].
Western N. America – British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada.

Become ungovernable, break the chains of the matrix; grow and forage your own food and medicine.

*None of the information on this website qualifies as professional medical advice. Take only what resonates with your heart and use your own personal responsibility for what’s best for you. For more information [brackets] [000], see bibliography.

As with ALL things; Take only what resonates with your heart and higher self, and leave the rest behind.

Repository of Divination tools, News, Elements, Spells, Rituals, Clearings, Entities, Ascension; Kitty is a magpie at heart, gathering information trinkets from everywhere and sharing them here in hopes that some might shine a light on your journey in this Incarnation. Please only take what resonates with your heart and leave the rest behind. Tionscadal Mo Chroi (Project of my heart) Lovingly curated by Kitty, bean draío leabharlannaí (Librarian Witch)

  • For any question, you can cast a handful or bag of Runes and read the meaning of the runes that land face up only.
  • You may cast them into a circle (drawn with chalk or as a pattern on a cloth). Read the runes that land inside the circle AND face up.
  • If The Eye (Witches Rune) or Tiwaz (Elder Futhark) appears amongst the runes when cast, pay extra attention to where the eye is looking or Tiwaz is pointing.
  • Pro Tip: You can also use runes just as you would the Tarot, with ANY tarot spread. Simply pull one at a time from your bag to fill the layout.

*while Witches’ and Elder Futhark are different sets of runes, (just as English and Gaelic are different languages) I use mine together;  my rune casts are “bilingual”. I have made the same choice in my online rune layouts. Alainn Tarot interactive includes both sets at the same time. 

These are plants that grow in my own yard or elements that I keep in stock personally, gathered in a single category for my own quick navigation.
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