- Latin name
- Juniperus communis
- Element
- fire
- Planet
- Sun
- Safe to eat?
- Yes, in normal kitchen amounts
How to use it
- Burn a sprig to cleanse a home, as in old Scottish saining
- Hang a dried bundle over the door
- String dried berries as a protective charm
- Use a few berries to flavour game, stews or sauerkraut
Lore
In the Scottish Highlands juniper was burned at Hogmanay in a custom called saining, filling the house with smoke to cleanse it for the new year. Its berries give gin its flavour, and the word gin comes from the Dutch for juniper.
Safety
Only Juniperus communis berries are used in cooking; many other junipers, such as savin, are poisonous. Avoid medicinal amounts in pregnancy and if you have kidney problems. Burn with good ventilation. Keep plants and berries away from pets.
More fire herbs
- Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus
- Peppermint Mentha x piperita
- Calendula Calendula officinalis
- Bay Laurel Laurus nobilis
- Basil Ocimum basilicum
- Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum
- Rowan Sorbus aucuparia
- St John's Wort Hypericum perforatum