Compounds in Juniper block production of slow
fiber (C-fiber) enhancement(+) neurotransmitters (NT’s) and possibly
increase the presence of inhibitory (-)NT’s, thus reducing chronic pain
signals to the brain. Some of these same compounds (certain
sesquiterpene lactones among them) may reduce the migration of Substance
P, a (+)NT, from the dorsal horn of the spinal column to the peripheral
nerve fibers.
Polyterpenoid compounds reduce production of
prostacyclin synthetase, the enzyme needed to produce prostacyclin, one
of the most aggressive of all prostaglandins, and platelet activation
factor (PAF), an inflammatory compound produced by the body. Although a
normally occurring component of the inflammation reaction, prostacyclin
hypersensitizes peripheral pain receptors. Thus, by reducing
prostacyclin levels in the tissues pain receptors are desensitized.
Inflammatory chemokines and cytokines produced
by the body create edema in the area of tissue injury or degradation by
enlarging micropores in the local micro-capillary circulation, thus
allowing plasma to "leak" into the area. Some of the compounds in
Juniper are believed to close the leaky capillary path, thus reducing or
cutting off altogether the source of the inflammatory substances and
the plasma which cause the 'swollen' condition.
Volatile oil components (4-terpineols) act as
mild nephritic tissue irritants and thus increase glomerular filtration
rate in the kidneys, creating a mild diuretic action. The first excess
fluid to go is the edemous plasma and the soup of inflammatory
biocompounds it contains.