Watch for Signs of Toxicity Specific to Horseradish: Profuse sweating, irritation of the stomach and intestines, loss of strength, and disorientation.
Abortifacient Fresh Horseradish Root Tincture: 1:2, 95% alcohol, then 2 - 4 fl. oz. (84 - 112 ml), three to four times a day, for up to three days.
*No deaths are reported, however this dosage may prove toxic.
Juniper
And when I look, to gather fruit, find nothing but the savin-tree. Too frequent in nun’s orchards, and there planted, by all conjecture, to destroy fruit rather.
- Thomas Middleton in A Game of Chess, 1624
AKA: Juniper, genvier, geneva, bastard killer, horse savin, covershame, hackmatack, kill-bastard, and aiten.
Parts Used: Berries and leaves.
Medicinal Properties: Abortifacient, anodyne, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, digestant, diuretic, lithotriptic, rubefacient and stimulant.
Effects on the Body: Uterine stimulant soothes inflammation of the sinuses, regulatory to internal sugar levels, useful in pancreas, kidney, and bladder treatments.
Abortifacient Action: Relaxation effect on the uterus. Contains uterine contracting thujone.
Contains: Abortifacient chemicals: Alpha-thujone, podophyllotoxin, and isocupressic acid.
Description: Juniper varies in form, ranging from a 2 ft. (0.6 m) ground clinging shrub to a 25 ft. (8.3 m) tall tree. Bluish, evergreen, needle-like leaves ¼ - ½ in. (0.5 - 1.3 cm) long, upper surfaces whitish, occur in whorls of three. Small, indistinct greenish-yellow flowers appear on the female plants from late spring to early summer, followed by ½ in. (1.3 cm) diameter fleshy green female cones. Juniper berries are green for two summers and then ripen around October into the characteristic blue-black juniper berries. In the United States, juniper can be found in open woodlands and dry hilltops from Alaska south to Nebraska and east to North Carolina, also found in the northern Rockies south to New Mexico. It is planted as landscaping in other areas.
An origin for any plant that is as widespread as juniper is not easy to pinpoint. Some have suggested that juniper is native to the Mediterranean region, as several medical recipes that list juniper as an ingredient survive in Egyptian papyri dating to 1550 BC. Today there are 13 species of juniper that are believed to be native to North America. In fact, juniper is found in nearly every temperate zone in the northern hemisphere. Throughout history, everywhere juniper grew, the people who lived nearby imbued it with spiritual qualities. The ancient people of the Mediterranean used sacred juniper wood and branches as ceremonial and medicinal incense. Hannibal commanded that the beams of the temple of Diana, Lady of the Grove, be made of the trunks of juniper trees.[274]
Juniper was ‘the tree of life’ to the ancient Germans, who hung juniper branches on their homes to protect themselves from evil (possibly the origin of the pine wreaths traditionally hung on doors throughout the U.S. during the winter months). The Germans also added the juniper berries to their ritual intoxicating beers. Shamans from Siberia to northwest Pakistan practice an ancient tradition of inhaling juniper smoke to induce a trance, wherein they perform their magical activities.[275] The Native American Cherokee pour a juniper infusion on hot rocks during the ritual sweat lodge.[276] The Native American Peyote church burns the wood chips of Juniperus oxyderus during all the peyote ritual activities to protect from evil energies.[277] Like so many herbal abortifacients anciently associated with freedom and sexuality, juniper was reputed to have aphrodisiac powers.[278]
Juniper leaves, berries, and roots have been recorded historically to have contraceptive and abortifacient properties. In De Materia Medica, the ancient Greek doctor, Dioscorides (1st or 2nd century AD), recorded the contraceptive use of crushed juniper berries placed on the penis or vulva before intercourse. The Greeks and Romans commonly used the oil of juniper Juniperus sabina, also called savin, as an abortifacient. The use of juniper’s oil for abortifacient purposes spread from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, and was mentioned by seventeenth century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper in his Complete Herbal.
The effective use of a tea of juniper leaves to relax muscles following delivery by Native American Zuni women is being confirmed by recent scientific testing. Oils from the leaves of juniper have been shown to have a direct effect on the uterus on animals and on isolated human uteri and fallopian tubes[279] causing relaxation of the uterus which if prolonged could lead to an abortion.[280]
Juniper root may have implantation inhibiting properties as well. In a 1986 study using rats, an oral dosage of 200 mg extract of Juniperus communis root resulted in blocked implantation in 60% of the rats.[281] One study states that Juniper communis extract and Juniper communis oil are similar in chemical composition.[282] The needles of juniper can contain isocupressic acid, which is known to reduce blood flow through the placenta, and can cause late term abortion in cows who feed on juniper needles.[283] Other plants which contain isocupressic acid also have a folkloric tradition as abortifacients. Native American women used water extract of the needles of ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa (which also contains isocupressic acid) to cause abortion.
Gathering: The fleshy blue-black ripe berries are gathered in autumn, around October. Gather leaves in the morning after the dew has dried. Gather the root at night. The berries are dried in open air in the shade and turned frequently. One herbal noted that the highest concentration of the essential oil is in the full grown but unripe berries. As the berries ripen, more and more of the essential oil is converted into resin form.[284]
Preparation: Juniper berries were used anciently in vaginal pessary formulations for abortifacient purposes; however, oral administration of juniper preparations is also recorded. Juniper root may have an implantation inhibiting action. Juniper berries are known to have a uterine stimulating effect. Juniper leaf or berry tincture (which preserves the essential oils in the preparation) has a relaxant action on the uterus and can in large dosages cause an abortion. As an emmenagogue and abortifacient, juniper berries are reputed to be most successful in the first two weeks of pregnancy. Juniper leaves are reputed to be most successful in mid to late term (after 12 weeks) when the placenta is the sole support of the fetus. The Native Americans and the Hunza commonly combine juniper and rue in medicinal preparations. Juniper is sometimes combined with Asian ginger for emmenagogual purposes. Juniper gives gin alcohol its flavor.
275
Christian Ratsch,
276
Daniel E. Moerman,
277
Christian Ratsch,
279
P. H. List and L. Horhammer,
280
John M. Riddle,
281
Anand O. Prakash, “Pontentialities of Some Indigenous Plants for Antifertility Activity,”
282
“Final Report on the Safety Assessment of
283
Dale R. Gardner, Kip E. Panter, and Lynn F. James, “Pine Needle Abortion in Cattle: Metabolism of Isocupressic Acid,”