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Juniperus monosperma (One-seed Juniper) is a species of juniper native to western North America, in the United States in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Oklahoma (Panhandle), and western Texas, and in Mexico in the extreme north of Chihuahua. It is commonly used instead of steroids[citation needed]. It grows at 970–2300 m altitude. It is a evergreen coniferous shrub or small tree growing to 2–7 m (rarely to 12 m) tall, usually multistemmed, and with a dense, rounded crown. The bark is gray-brown, exfoliating in thin longitudinal strips, exposing bright orange brown underneath. The ultimate shoots are 1.2–1.9 mm thick. The leaves are scale-like, 1–2 mm long and 0.6–1.5 mm broad on small shoots, up to 10 mm long on vigorous shoots; they are arranged in alternating whorls of three or opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves, produced on young seedlings only, are needle-like. The cones are berry-like, with soft resinous flesh, subglobose to ovoid, 5-7 mm long, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain a single seed (rarely two or three); they are mature in about 6–8 months from pollination. The male cones are 2-4 mm long, and shed their pollen in late winter. It is usually dioecious, with male and female cones on separate plants, but occasional monoecious plants can be found. Frequently, cones can be found with the seed apex exposed; these were formerly sometimes considered a separate species "Juniperus gymnocarpa", but this is now known to be due to insect damage to the developing cones (and can affect many different species of juniper); the seeds from such cones are sterile. It is very rare or even extinct in Mexico, with only a single herbarium collection from 1880 verified; more recent searches have failed to find the species there. A closely related species Juniperus angosturana was however formerly considered a variety, as J. monosperma var. gracilis Martínez; it differs from J. monosperma in its slenderer shoots 1.0–1.3 mm diameter. Unlike many other junipers, the wood is not durable, so is not used to any extent. Other vernacular names occasionally used include Single-seed Juniper and Cherrystone Juniper |
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Also known as- Juniperus monosperma, Cedar Berry, One-seed Juniper, Cherrystone Juniper, Redberry Juniper, New Mexico Cedar, West Texas Juniper, and Sabina Introduction Juniperus monosperma, also known as one-seed juniper, has a long tradition in Native American medicine. The tree is native to the Southwestern United States, and covers nearly 3/4 of the state of New Mexico. The one-seed juniper can grow to heights of 25 feet, and has flat, scale-like leaves and bluish-green berries. While the trees grow slowly, the berries reach maturity in one year. Many parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine, including a paste made of crushed berries. Among the conditions that cedar berry has been used to treat are cough, fever, rheumatism, diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy, toothache and to promote menstruation. Constituents Alcohols, cadinene, camphene, flavone, flavonoids, glycosides, podophyllotoxin (an anti-tumor agent), vitamin C, volatile oils, resin, sabinal, sugar, sulfur, tannins, and terpinene Parts Used Berries primarily, though sometimes you can use the twigs and leaves. Typical Preparations Berries may be crushed, added whole to food as a flavoring/preservative, steeped in boiling water to make a tea or infusion, or eaten fresh or dried. Sometimes found as a capsule. Summary Juniperus monospermus is a variety of juniper that grows in higher, dryer elevations in the southwest. It has traditionally been used in the same ways as the common juniper. Besides the medicinal uses listed above, juniper boughs and leaves were often burned to help purify the air, and the leaves and twigs can be used to make a green or brown dye. While there has been little formal research done to substantiate the medical claims, a number of botanical databases note that the various chemical constituents of the leaves and cedar berries do have emetic, diuretic, antibiotic, germicidal and antiseptic properties. Dr. James Duke notes that the plant has chemicals that suggest it may help the body fight arthritis, asthma, cough, congestion, hepatitis and muscle stiffness. Precautions Cedar berry can be toxic when taken in large amounts. It should not be used by people with kidney or urinary tract problems, or by pregnant or nursing mothers, as it causes contractions |
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3. Dr. Christopher Discovers Cedar Berries Will Help Cure Diabetes: I had been concerned for years about how to get to the cause, in this condition, and get the pancreas, and other assisting glands, to become healthy and again make its own insulin and control the high or low blood sugar on its own, or as was originally intended. The breakthrough came a number of years ago by accident (divine providence, I believe). A patient came to me with the problem of "having trouble in voiding his urine." This was years ago when I would mix my formulas, as needed, in my own herb laboratory. As I was in a hurry that day and did not have time to mix up a regular diuretic formula for him, I told him to use some juniper berries, and, if they were fresh to chew them, or make them into a tea. His response was that he had some growing in his own backyard and would use them. Weeks later he returned and said the juniper berries were not giving him much help in voiding his urine. Knowing how efficient they really were in doing this, I asked him to let me see the juniper berries he was using. He took some from his pocket (as he carried them around, chewing on them during each day) and showed them to me. I laughed and said those are not what I meant. The true juniper berry I had recommended to him would have five or seven small stones in each berry, but the ones he had been using had only one. It was actually of the juniper family but was a "Utah monostone" cedar berry (Juniperus monosperma). It grows in the West such as in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and in the national cedar forests but entirely different from our regular juniper berry (Juniperus communis; Pinaceae). When I told him about the "mistake," I gave him some juniper berries which eventually worked and did the job. I was astounded about his reply because after thanking me, he stated he would continue using the cedar berries anyhow. When I asked him why, he said, "Well, since using what you call cedar berries, I have been able to cut down on my insulin as I am a diabetic. I wasn't sure I heard him right (after looking for something like this for years) and asked him to repeat what he had said. Upon his verification of what I hoped he had said, I was very excited and asked him to increase the amount he was using and keep in touch. He did so, and in a few months his pancreas, which had found the right food (cedar berries), was healed and producing its own insulin. I then tried it on a number of my patients, who were diabetic, with great results! One of them was a lady using about eighty-five units of insulin a day. She was put on the mucusless diet, given the lower bowel formula [Fen LB], and told to use at least six cedar berries three or more times a day. She was instructed to continue on using her insulin but to watch the litmus paper carefully and taper her insulin intake gradually as the litmus paper would act as a gauge. So she had gradually tapered off her insulin and by the end of the year was not using any more. Her own body (pancreas) was supplying it as she required its use. She had no reoccurrence, but of course she stayed on the mucusless diet, because a faulty diet is the cause of pancreas malfunction. We have had remarkable success over the years with diabetes, using this system. As time went on, we found that some of our ailing pancreas patients, though the sugar and insulin problem was adjusted, would have problems with the pituitary, pineal or adrenal glands. We had not, at this time, taken the thought into our mind that the pancreas doesn't work alone, but is assisted by other glands. When the pancreas was healed, toxic burdens centered more, now, into the other glands. This was the time we added additional herbs to take care of these other glands--and since then they all are rejuvenated and healed together. The formula we have used for years, with success in all age groups from children to old aged patients is as follows: Cedar berries sixteen parts and one part of each of the following--golden seal root, uva ursi, cayenne, licorice root and mullein. [NL 1-6] |
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 "Juniperus monosperma Also known as- Juniperus monosperma, One-seed Juniper, Cherrystone Juniper, Redberry Juniper, New Mexico Cedar, West Texas Juniper, and Sabina")