The following summary is given for information purposes only: it is a synthesis of the properties described in recognised aromatherapy books and/or in accordance with ancestral and popular traditions. It is in no way a medical information or a list of indications.
This shrub is common around the Mediterranean. It is part of the maquis vegetation and likes poor, calcareous and acid soils. The essential oil in question is obtained by distillation of the wood; the needles and berries are not distilled. This strong woody character impacts the aroma and explains the presence of rather heavy molecules such as sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenols.
It is necessary to dilute prickly juniper essential oil sufficiently to benefit from its properties without risk of irritation. A concentration between 1 and 5% in a vegetable oil base or any other excipient suitable for its use, such as a neutral shampoo or a rhassoul paste, seems optimal. Prickly juniper essential oil is a rebalancing active ingredient for irritated scalps and oily and/or dandruff-prone scalps. Prickly juniper will also give shine and body to dull and tired hair.
In a general way, the essential oil of prickly juniper will be used, alone or in synergy, to rebalance the skin prone to dermatosis of all origins. It will be taken into account in case of psoriasis or parasitosis. Let us add to this the potential of venous and lymphatic decongestion brought by sesquiterpenols and which will make intervene the essential oil of prickly juniper to make move back the phenomena of water retention and the cellulite.
Prickly juniper essential oil is very characteristic of the wood identity and is very similar in this respect to Atlas cedar. The wood, like the sesquiterpene family which is very dominant here, is soothing, learning to be detached: a strong anxiolytic action. The vigour of prickly juniper, its familiarity with the earth, nourishes inner security and the ability to assert oneself.
