Needle-leaved junipers (Juniperus, Cupressaceae) are coniferous trees and shrubs with red or blue fleshy cones, distributed across Asia, Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean Basin [1]. Recognizing its medicinal properties, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has published two monographs on Juniperus communis dried cones and essential oil, highlighting their traditional use as a diuretic and for digestive, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal relief [2,3].

Phytochemically, monoterpenes dominate in Juniperus species, with the bicyclic monoterpene α-pinene being the major constituent. This study investigates the fresh female cones of five Juniperus species (J. drupacea, J. communis subsp. hemisphaerica, J. oxycedrus subsp. deltoides, J. macrocarpa, and J. turbinata) through distillation and GC-MS analysis on an Agilent HP-5MS column. The analysis revealed a total of 172 different compounds, dispersed differently in the essential oils and hydrosols. Ranging from 37 to 52 metabolites identified in each sample, the main class of compounds was terpenes, whereas the major α-pinene in essential oils ranged from 40.84% in J. communis subsp. hemisphaerica to 81.50% in J. turbinata.

The hydrodistillation protocol used to obtain essential oils and hydrosols, as well as the in vitro results related to anti-inflammatory activity assessed in macrophages using NADPH oxidase inhibition, will be discussed.

[1] Gutiérrez-Larruscain D., Vargas P., Fernández-Mazuecos M., Pausas J. G. Phylogenomic analysis reveals the evolutionary history of Paleartic needle-leaved junipers. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024; 199: 108162. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108162.

[2] EMA/HMPC/12402/2010. Juniperi aetheroleum. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/juniperi-aetheroleum. Accessed March 1, 2025

[3] EMA/HMPC/241320/2021. Juniperi pseudo-fructus (galbulus). https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/herbal/juniperi-pseudo-fructus-galbulus. Accessed March 1, 2025