I’ve been on a bit of a gin/tonic kick. also the occasional martini- BUT, as I am allergic to gluten, and was wondering about any/all grain alcohols and gluten content, I did a little research on gin, for starters…

so, the juniper bush came up, of course…and I found out that the juniper bush grows in many gardens, because it stays beautiful and green in summer and wintertime.

In former times juniper bushes where grown because they could heal a lot of diseases. In our days this reason for growing juniper bushes is nearly forgotten, let’s face it!

But it would be a good idea to keep a juniper bush in the garden, to have ones own pharmacy near the home, because juniper is good against a lot of health problems.

For starters, it activates the digestion, helps the kidneys and clears the lungs for good breathing. Also it kill bacterias, which is good against infections.

here’s a list of SOME of the medicinal uses/properties:

medicinal uses

• Antibacterial
• Full of iron
• Blood cleaning
• Diuretic
• Mucus-dissolvent
• Analgesic
• Sudorific
• strengthening
• Loss of appetite
• Mouth smell
• Digestive weakness
• Heartburn
• Stomach weakness
• Gastritis
• Intestinal inflammation
• Flatulences
• Liver weakness
• Metabolism strengthening
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Rheumatism
• Gout
• Musclerheumatism
• Sciatica
• Cystitis
• Bladder problems
• Bladder stones
• Circulation strengthening
• Nervous heartproblems
• Dropsy
• Irritation
• Coughs
• Bronchitis
• Breathing difficulties
• Cold
• Headaches
• Migraine
• Menstrual complaints
• Bad healing wounds
• Gingivitis
• Psoriasis

and… AND< i found out that it contains NO GLUTEN, nor does Whiskey, Rye, Bourbon, as they are all distilled! YAY! so enjoy your martini, or whatever for the holidays, or at lunch with your pals who don’t work currently!

forgot to say that the origins of Gin is the distillate of a grain mash with various flavoring agents. It gets its primary flavor from Juniper berries, but many other herbs and spices go into the make-up. The botanicals come from all over the world: Cardamom from Sri Lanka, Cassia bark from Vietnam, Orange peel from Spain, Coriander seed from the Czech Republic, Angelica root from Germany. Most of the Juniper berries themselves are imported from Italy. So there you go!

: )