Use caution when starting new treatments

In an e-Alert from last week titled “A Royal Pain” (7/3/02) I told you about a friend of mine named Carol who was using an herbal remedy to treat her arthritis. Carol has had remarkable pain relief by eating gin-soaked golden raisins along with a few juniper berries each morning. In her e-mail she referred to a book titled “The Doctors Book of Herbal Home Remedies.” She says, “It recommends juniper oil rubs on affected joints to alleviate the pain. So that would seem to explain the ‘gin’ connection since gin is made from juniper berries.”But an HSI member named Mary B. doesn’t agree, and sent an e-mail with this correction: “Gin is NOT made from juniper berries. It is made from rye & other grains and flavored with juniper berries.”

Not to quibble, Mary, but if gin is flavored with juniper berries, then that’s one of the things it’s made from. But the point is well taken – gin IS made from rye and other grains – and while I was confirming this I came across some additional important information about juniper berries that I want to pass along.

Juniper can be effective in treating arthritis, gout, bladder infections, cystitis, digestive problems and even high blood pressure, but it can also irritate the kidneys and urinary tract, so should be limited to short-term internal use. In addition, juniper should not be used by pregnant women because it may stimulate contraction of the uterus.

As always, when we enjoy the benefits of herbal remedies and dietary supplements we need to keep in mind that many of these treatments can be just as potent as synthetic drugs. Before starting a regimen of any alternative medication I hope you’ll thoroughly research the subject to learn the warnings about possible side effects.

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

 

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