The practice of employing the essences of plants for medicinal and therapeutic beauty treatments is thousands of years old. The scientific name of juniper is Juniperus communis . It belongs to the family Cupressaceae. Common names include juniper berry, genepro, and enebro. The genus has about 60 to 70 species of aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Mature leaves are awl-shaped, spreading, and arranged in pairs or in whorls of three.
The reddish brown or bluish cones are fleshy and berrylike and often have a grayish, waxy covering. They mature in I to 3 seasons and contain I to 12 seeds, usually 3. There are three junipers native to the Pacific Northwest, but chances are good that western juniper is the only one you will see. The other two, Rocky Mountain juniper and common juniper, do not typically grow together. It was originally intended as a remedy for kidney disorders.