Juniper oil: production and trade in Catalonia during the modern age. Study of the juniper ovens in “Terres de l’Ebre”

Abstract

Products to treat medicinal and veterinary problems have evolved considerably in the last century. This has displaced, almost to the point of their disappearance, traditional remedies that have had a very prominent role in the history of medicine. A resin known as juniper oil was obtained from the dry distillation of juniper trunks. This product was widely used against infections and parasites suffered by humans and domestic animals; for which it was produced and marketed for centuries (from the 17th to the 20th). Mostly it was an exploitation of the natural environment complementary to agricultural activity, of which few records remain. Even so, in the Ribera d’Ebre region and surrounding areas, large dry-stone ovens intended for this purpose have been preserved. Conservation and study of these constructions allows us to learn about this activity in our territory and interpret these elements of our heritage.