The health benefits of juniper essential oil can be attributed to its possible properties as a potentially antiseptic, sudorific, antirheumatic, depurative, antispasmodic, stimulating, stomachic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, rubefacient, vulnerary, and a tonic substance.
The essential oil of juniper is obtained through steam distillation of the needles, wood, and powdered fruits of juniper, bearing the scientific name Juniperus communis. Its main components are alpha-pinene, camphene, beta-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, alpha-phellandrene, alpha-terpinene, gamma-terpinene, cineole, beta phellandrene, para-cymene, terpineol, bornyl acetate, and caryophyllene. It also has trace amounts of limonene, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate, borneol, and nerol.