Juniper Extract
The aromatic blue cones of a hardy evergreen shrub, known to most people as the defining flavour of gin.
Berries that are really cones
Juniper is a genus of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the cypress family, found across the cooler reaches of the Northern Hemisphere, from Scandinavia and the Alps to North America and northern Asia. They are tough plants, comfortable on rocky slopes and exposed ground where little else thrives.
What we call a juniper berry is, botanically, not a berry at all. It is a fleshy seed cone, with scales so soft and merged that the whole thing looks and feels like a small blue-black fruit. The cones take a year or more to ripen, turning from green to a dusty deep blue.
From northern kitchens to the gin glass
Juniper has a strong, resinous, faintly piney aroma, and it has long flavoured the food of northern Europe. It is used with game, in cured meats, in sauerkraut and braises, and in the preserves and spirits of the colder countries.
Its best-known role is in gin, where juniper is the legally required and defining botanical. A spirit cannot be called gin without it. Beyond the kitchen and the still, juniper has also long been a part of many herbal traditions across its native range.
Juniper extract in Veris
Veris uses 55 mg of juniper extract, taken from the fruit, per serving. An extract concentrates the desired components of the cone into a more consistent and measurable form than the raw, dried berry would provide.
The amount appears in full on the supplement facts panel. Listing it openly means the juniper figure is never folded into an unnamed blend, and you can read it directly against the other five actives.
How it sits in the formula
Juniper sits in the middle of the Veris ingredient list by weight, bridging the larger leaf-and-bark botanicals and the smaller, more concentrated actives that follow. It adds a distinctly northern, aromatic plant to a formula otherwise rooted in warmer climates.
It is often discussed in the context of metabolic wellness and is a long-standing part of many herbal traditions. We describe its origin and its place in cooking, and we make no claim about what the extract does once swallowed.
What we call a juniper berry is botanically a soft, scaled seed cone, not a berry at all.
This article is general wellness information and is not medical advice. Veris is a food supplement and does not replace a varied diet. Talk to your doctor about your individual needs.