Is Juniper Toxic?

I can still clearly recall my first couple experiences with juniper as a green and eager forager. I had been familiar with the plant since early childhood, frequently plucking the tips of the leaves and crushing them between my fingers to inhale the uplifting aroma. When I started a regular foraging practice at the age of 19, I read about using juniper berries and leaves as a seasoning and for medicinal purposes. Several months later I contracted a UTI and remembered reading that juniper functions as a urinary cleanser. I made tea from the leaves of a local tree, and with the help of cranberry juice, my UTI cleared up in a few days. It felt empowering to me at the time and greatly increased my appreciation for juniper.

I enjoyed the flavor and made a semi-regular practice of picking juniper berries and leaves for culinary and medicinal purposes. Herbal medicine books urged a light hand, noting that it can be toxic with frequent or heavy use. Many books mentioned a contraindication with kidney disease. Therefore I never used it frequently. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that these warnings are likely conflating a known toxic species of juniper (Juniperus sabina) with edible varieties. Furthermore, I was accustomed to indiscriminately picking any species of juniper, not realizing that certain species should be avoided. While I haven’t completely untangled the mystery regarding juniper toxicity, I have learned quite a bit and share it below to help end misinformation on the subject.

Poisonous PlantMaria W.April 17, 2025poisonous, plant, edible, medicinalComment

Top Five Poisonous Plants to Be Aware Of (in the Upper Midwest)

One of the most common questions I get asked as a professional foraging instructor is “How do you not kill yourself?” The implication here is that foraging is a dangerous activity and I could suddenly die by accidentally ingesting a poisonous species—a commonly held misbelief that I do my best to assuage.

However, that is not to ridicule or condemn people who hold that fear. I remember that I felt similarly when I first started foraging over twenty years ago. Back then, we didn’t have all the great resources we do now, and foraging guides (in my opinion) often over-emphasized the danger of mistaking an edible species for a similar-looking poisonous one. In fact, still to this day, many resources make foraging sound like a risky endeavor, suitable only for grizzled woodsfolk or expert botanists or mycologists with fancy degrees.

However, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case! And I firmly believe that learning poisonous species before or while learning edible and medicinal ones greatly increases your identification skills while reducing your anxieties.

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