Cedar berry is obtained from the species of evergreen coniferous tree known Juniperus monosperma. This tree is indigenous to the mountains American Southwest as well as the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. Dried cedar berries are sold as
(although technically, they are a fruit); like other herbs and spices in bulk, cedar berries are used as a flavoring in cooking and as a natural food preservative. Bulk cedar berries can also be eaten as food, although their strong and unusual flavor is an acquired taste.
The Indians of the Southwest not only used the fruit of the Juniperus monosperma, but the leaves and the wood as well - and not just as a medicinal herb. In fact, the dried wood when burned gives off a fragrant smoke, which some Native American peoples use to ritually purify the air in religious ceremonies. When made into a tincture, these wildcrafted herbs provide a safe, organic dye for fabric.
Medicinally, the
organic bulk herbs extracted from the Juniperus monosperma plant (more commonly known as the "One-seed Juniper," New Mexico Cedar and the Sabina tree) are known to contain flavonoids, vitamin C and a potential anti-cancer agent known as podophyllotoxin. However, the therapeutic effects of cedar berries have not been well-researched, although what study that has been done suggests that they have antibiotic and antiseptic properties. Among Native Americans, herbs such as cedar berries have been used for centuries to relive the symptoms of arthritis and respiratory ailments.