Herb: Himalayan Juniper


Latin name: Juniperus recurva


Synonyms: Juniperus religiosa, Juniperus repanda


Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress Family)



Medicinal use of Himalayan Juniper:

Smoke from the green wood is emetic and produces long-continued vomiting.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Tree

Height:
12 m
(39 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Wetter areas of the Himalayas, to 4600 metres. Forests and thickets at elevations from 1800 - 3900 metres in SE Xizang and NW Yunnan.

Edible parts of Himalayan Juniper:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The cones are up to 11mm long and 8mm wide.

Other uses of the herb:

The wood and leaves are used as an incense. The resinous twigs are burnt as an incense. The leaves contain about 1.7% essential oil.

Propagation of Himalayan Juniper:

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. Soaking the seed for 3 - 6 seconds in boiling water may speed up the germination process. 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. Cuttings of mature wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. Plant out in the following autumn. Layering in September/October. Takes 12 months.

Cultivation of the herb:

Wetter areas of the Himalayas, to 4600 metres. Forests and thickets at elevations from 1800 - 3900 metres in SE Xizang and NW Yunnan.

Known hazards of Juniperus recurva:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.