Juniper broom has a pleasant aroma of pine needles and essential oils. It is especially useful to steam with a juniper broom for people who have problems with the skin, respiratory or nervous system, and joint mobility. It is good for use in removing toxins from the body, relieving headaches and treating migraines.
Proper steaming of a bath broom is of great importance in the effectiveness of disease prevention and the therapeutic effects of the substances contained in juniper.
Brief botanical information
Despite the fact that this plant lives for a long time - about 600 years, it is one of those plant organisms that are difficult to reproduce in natural conditions. The variety of juniper species is quite wide. It can be found in tree-like forms, about 12-15 m high, and in the form of shrubs and creeping plants, which have become so popular recently among specialists in the field of landscape design.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the durum juniper - a unique plant that is popular in Japanese culture as a key element of the bonsai composition. The leaves of young plants are coniferous, but over time they transform into scale-like leaves. The highlight of the plant is the so-called coneberry, which finds the widest application in a wide variety of areas of human activity.
Advantages and disadvantages
Benefits of juniper broom:
- availability of material;
- pleasant aroma;
- a large number of useful properties;
- low price for the finished product;
- high elasticity, durability.
Juniper has thorny branches. Even after steaming, they can scratch the skin. Therefore, you need to use the finished broom carefully. Harsh movements should not be allowed.
Juniper uses
All parts of this plant have their purpose, not even excluding the root. So:
- Shishkoyagoda finds practical application, both in official medicine and in homeopathy, as an anti-inflammatory and diuretic. Such drugs are effective for urolithiasis of the kidneys and for skin problems, dermatitis and eczema of various types. On a more prosaic level, juniper fruit is one of the key ingredients when making gin. In cooking, juniper cones are added when cooking game to emphasize its characteristic taste. It is successfully used in a variety of savory sauces, gravies, and marinades. How the spice goes into cabbage pickled with apples. In general, in the kitchen it is more characteristic of the North German and Scandinavian tradition;
- Juniper roots are used to treat bronchitis, tuberculosis, superficial skin lesions, and a wide variety of etiologies. The butt part of tree-like forms is a valuable ornamental raw material;
- The wood has long been used to make canes and pencils. In addition to the excellent business characteristics of the array, the beautiful expressive texture and persistent, pungent aroma played an important role. Branches and needles are used in the treatment of allergic manifestations. From some species, in particular Mexican, juniper oil is obtained. Freshly cut branches are an excellent antiseptic. It is not without reason that in rural areas they were used to steam wooden tubs used for pickling vegetables. The phytoncides of this plant perfectly suppressed the vital activity of pathogenic microflora.
By the way! Speaking about the antibacterial qualities of this plant, it is worth saying that 1 hectare of continuous growth of juniper in the hot season is capable of releasing about 27 - 29 kg of substances of the phytoncidal group into the surrounding space per day, which are able to suppress the spread of pathogenic microorganisms over an area of 17 - 20 times larger.
Finally, it is worth noting that junipers are in great demand for strengthening scree and landscaping rocky areas. They are also good as long-term hedges.
How to make a juniper broom
As we have already said, this plant is stored for a long time, so it can be harvested during the most favorable period - from mid-May to mid-June. At this time, the concentration of nutrients in the branches reaches its peak. However, if you didn’t have time, don’t be upset. This is an evergreen plant and can be cut throughout the year.
Preparing for the hunt for the perfect broom will not take much time: the necessary tools will be pruning shears and thick gloves. It is better to go to the forest in cool weather. It will prevent the needles from falling off.
There is no need to trim everything from the bush. After complete exposure, the plant will take a very long time to recover. You need branches from the middle, about 50 cm, not crooked or dry. You will dry them yourself, in a selected dark, well-ventilated place. However, even this process is optional. You can simply select branches, assemble a broom from them and start using them right away.
Many sauna connoisseurs say that a fresh broom is an ideal option. The best option for storing juniper is freezing. It eliminates the risk of the noble plant turning into prickly and dry sticks, and also prevents the needles from falling off.
Before it is used for its intended purpose, a properly made broom can be stored for up to three years. You will also have to knit it with gloves. Large, dense branches will be in the middle - this is the frame of the future broom. For greater “tenderness” of the broom, cover the middle with the thinnest, softest and fluffiest branches. The broom should be tied tightly, and its components should fit snugly against each other.
You can combine juniper with other plants, for example, oak, linden. Your bath product will not lose its healing properties, but will become softer. Do not use eucalyptus, otherwise there is a risk of overdoing it with essential oils.
Juniper and bath
Small household items made from its wood are not uncommon in baths. Especially popular are kitchen cutting boards, compact hangers, cup holders, and bath headrests. A separate story is a juniper broom.
Juniper is one of the noble and quite rare plants that restore their population in the natural environment quite difficult and painfully endure barbaric human intervention. Therefore, the main point of this section, and the entire article as a whole, should be considered an urgent request to approach the matter of procurement as carefully, prudently and rationally as possible. In principle, if juniper is a rare guest in your area, then harvesting should be abandoned altogether, giving preference to deciduous brooms or conifers with a similar complex of effects, in particular fir.
By the way! An excellent alternative to filling the need for an item such as a juniper broom for a bath is to cultivate this plant in a summer cottage or garden plot. Not only can this plant itself serve as a striking element of a garden and park environment, but also formative pruning will completely provide the needs of the average bathhouse with noble raw materials.
Procurement of raw materials
Let us note the most important and determining aspects of the quality of the final product:
- Harvesting must be done in dry weather. Moisture on the surface of the shoots does not contribute to the normal course of the preservation procedure. The exception is the winter season, when it is enough to simply remove snow from the branches with a few active, energetic movements.
- Procurement must be based on the principles of reasonable sufficiency. Like all conifers, it is customary to use fresh juniper brooms for baths. Drying and loss of moisture from raw materials as a result of long-term storage can initiate not only shedding of needles, but also make using a broom uncomfortable.
- Earlier we mentioned pruning of cultivated plants as a source of raw materials. It is correct to store the resulting mass of shoots in a cool, dark room, such as a well-ventilated basement. At the same time, brooms are not formed at this stage; the raw materials are simply stored in a sheaf.
- When harvesting shoots, you need to take different formats. This will provide the opportunity to combine them in the final formation of the future broom.
Features of use
Juniper brooms, we repeat, in most cases, are used fresh. This is how you can get a fragrant and healing instrument. Although, a number of juniper adherents say that it becomes most delicate after 3–4 uses. With some loss of aromatic conditions, it acquires greater softness, which allows it to be used more intensively. In general, the rules of application can be formulated as follows:
- First of all, you need to decide how to steam a juniper broom for a bath. Opinions on this matter are divided. One part of the audience of practicing specialists insists that it is not worth fussing with. Simply rinse with warm water. In this case, one important detail is indicated. Brooms of this type must be used exclusively freshly cut. The other half of the expert community believes that it is necessary to steam, and they do it according to the following scheme. The instrument is placed in cold water for 5 - 7 minutes, then transferred to a tub in which it is filled with hot, but not boiling water, about 80 - 85 degrees Celsius. It is emphasized that it is water of this temperature that can reveal the potential of juniper raw materials. Exposure time - 12 - 15 minutes. After which the broom is wrapped in a cotton or linen towel for 10 - 12 minutes to “ripen”.
- It is necessary to use juniper brooms on the second entry into the steam room. By this time, both the body and the skin have somewhat adapted to the effects of fairly hard pine needles.
- As a rule, broom therapy is divided into two stages. More often - in the form of several visits to the steam room, the second and third. In one, the person steaming is beaten with a broom, in the final one, they are stroked.
- After completing the procedures, the broom is rinsed well in warm water, excess moisture is removed from it with energetic movements and wrapped in cotton cloth, and on top of it in plastic film. Until the next procedure, the broom is stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, or in an unheated place. The main condition is a storage temperature of 2 - 4 degrees Celsius. Freezing is not allowed.
Juniper essential oil
The bactericidal properties of juniper have been known to people since ancient times. Juniper is an ornamental plant, but its essential oils contained in the needles and branches are in great demand in the field of cosmetology and medicine.
Speaking in detail about the benefits of juniper essential oil, it is worth mentioning:
- Relieves stress and fatigue, invigorates, and also strengthens the central nervous system;
- Positively affects joints, reducing pain and increasing mobility;
- Helps remove excess moisture from the body and also relieves swelling;
- Accelerates the processes of removing toxins from the body;
- Improves blood clotting, accelerates tissue regeneration;
- Promotes the removal of mucus from the lungs and bronchi, and also relieves inflammation from the respiratory tract;
- Eliminates hangover;
- Is an aphrodisiac.
All these qualities of essential oil are transmitted to some extent through a broom, but it is better to use specially prepared mixtures for spraying into the air or applying to the body.
Conclusion
The beneficial qualities of brooms for a steam room are obvious, but a juniper broom for a bath can bring not only benefits, but also harm. It is quite difficult to achieve a negative effect from a broom, but it is possible, so you should not neglect your own thresholds. It is also worth mentioning that a broom is only needed in baths with wet steam, because in dry steam baths you will not get the effect of tree branches.
Useful properties of juniper broom
A bath broom made from juniper can be successfully used in the following therapeutic and health procedures for:
- Colds of an infectious nature, at their initial stage. The main task is to prevent the development of the disease and its transition to an acute form;
- Diseases of the upper respiratory tract in chronic form;
- Relieving stressful conditions. The smell of juniper calms nervous excitement and normalizes sleep;
- Localization of inflammatory processes of the skin of various etiologies;
- Recovery from injuries, including those associated with damage to muscles and ligaments.
It would not be amiss to emphasize that juniper therapy is an excellent remedy for improving blood microcirculation, lymph outflow, and removing excess fluid and metabolic products from the body.
A word from Experienced! For people with sensitive skin, it would be more preferable to use a combined broom, when its total mass consists of 1/3 juniper shoots and 2/3 birch or linden.
Errors and recommendations
Newbie mistakes:
- Collect branches in early spring or early autumn. A bunch of such shoots will quickly become unusable.
- Use of branches damaged by diseases and pests.
- High-speed drying of bunches in the sun. Branches and leaves become too fragile.
During bath procedures, visitors should not endure pain. If severe discomfort occurs, you should stop using the broom.
To perform the procedures, you can assemble a juniper broom with your own hands. To get a greater effect, you need to do the right preparation and learn how to use a broom. Otherwise, hard branches will cause discomfort.
Indications and contraindications
Indications for use of a juniper broom for a bath:
- prolonged stress;
- muscle pain;
- colds;
- dry cough.
Contraindications:
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- high body temperature, high blood pressure;
- skin diseases;
- chronic pathologies during exacerbation;
- malignant neoplasms.
Pregnant and lactating women are also prohibited from steaming. Before going to the steam room, you should consult your doctor.
What are the benefits of maple broom
The leaves of this tree are known as an excellent antiseptic that helps disinfect rooms. They contain a number of useful substances: aldehydes, organic acids, vitamins C and E.
Using maple brooms will help you:
- eliminate long-term non-healing wounds and skin ulcers;
- cleanse and tighten pores;
- get rid of asthenia and the consequences of viral infections;
- cleanse the body of toxins.
Currently, flexible and whippy maple branches are used as an additive to birch and oak brooms for soaring.
How to steam with a juniper broom
Before using this product, it is better to warm up with birch or oak branches. A juniper massage should not exceed five to seven minutes. Since it is a coniferous plant, its physical effects are almost equivalent to acupuncture. However, you shouldn’t expect a gentle reception: the branches of this plant are tough and even prickly.
Your comfort depends on whether the broom is in skillful hands. If the bathhouse attendant is not professional, he may even damage the skin.
It is important
Don't tolerate pain, report it!
The branches should not fall on the skin tangentially, but directly, otherwise the risk of scratching a person increases significantly. The movements of the steamer will be akin to light pats. Some people prefer to simply wrap a broom in a light cloth and lie on it.
We hope our article helped you become convinced of the healing properties of juniper broom, and now you know how to realize these properties for your benefit.
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