You might be wondering how gin could get any better. If you weren’t already sold on the idea of drinking gin because it tastes amazing, here are some potential health benefits of gin (to make it that little bit better).
Gin has long been used for medicinal purposes. But for what purpose exactly? We cover these points below.
What’s in Gin that has health benefits?
Firstly, what is it that gives gin its health benefits? It is a combination of a couple of things:
- Juniper Berries (gins main source of flavouring)
- The alcohol itself
Juniper Berries
The infamous Juniper Berry (the source of gins goodness) is not actually a berry.
It is a flesh cone that grows on the female Juniper Fern tree after pollination has occurred. For the sake of all arguments, it looks and feels like a berry, so let’s call it a berry.
They are a blueish colour and are far too bitter to eat on their own, however, they have been harvested across the world (mostly in the northern hemispheres) for centuries by various cultures.
Juniper Berries are high in Antioxidants
The main source of gins health benefits come directly from the Juniper berries.
- Berries, in general, are a high source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is good or immune health, collagen synthesis, and blood vessel function.
- Essential oils in the Juniper Berries contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
Is Alcohol good for you?
Besides the Juniper Berries, alcohol makes up a major element of Gin (obviously).
But is drinking alcohol good for you?
It’s an age old debate that really depends on which side of the fence you’re going to approach the question from. A purely biological or a general health (physical and mental wellbeing).
Alcohol is often considered a social/community gathering substance. In this case, bringing people together can be a good form of social health.
Regardless of how you look at it, it’s thought that small amounts of any alcohol can have health benefits, but it’s a fine line to being too much of a good thing.
Historical Use of Gin & Juniper
The health benefits of Gin and Juniper are nothing new. They have gone through various civilisations, each adding their own spin. Here are a few of the significant historical uses.
Egyptians
The use of Juniper Berries as a medicinal source dates back to around 1,500 BC in the Egyptian scrolls. It was recorded that the Juniper berries were used to initially treat stomach issues like tapeworm.
Romans
The Romans are recorded as using Juniper Berries for a range of stomach ailments.
Greeks
The Greeks used Juniper Berries for the original Olympic Games as they believed the berries improved physical stamina.
Top 5 Health Benefits of Gin
Ok, that’s enough history, what can Gin actually do for your health? Here are some health benefits of gin based on the best available data.
Note that most of these are related directly to the Juniper Berries themselves.
1. Improve Digestion and Settle Stomachs
As used historically, the Juniper in Gin is shown to be useful for an array of stomach related issues.
It’s believed that the berries antioxidants improve stomach acid recreation which help aid the digestive process.
2. Keep Your Skin Looking Young
Don’t go rubbing that bottle over your face. Alcohol can actually dry out your skin.
The antioxidants in the Juniper can actually improve cellular restoration and overall skin restoration.
3. Improve Your Blood Flow
Juniper berries contain flavonoids which can reduce array build up and clogging.
4. Flush Out Infections From Your System
Juniper is a diuretic and can aid in flushing out urinary infections with the reduced water retention.
5. Gives Your Joints A Break
Juniper is an anti inflammatory and can actually reduce the inflammation in your joints. It has been used in reducing the strain on arthritis patients around the world .
Benefits of Gin and Tonic
Apart from tasting great, Gin and Tonic has some surprising health related benefits.
The famous G&T combo actually came from the British Soldiers who were occupying India in the 19th century.
With outbreaks of Malaria effecting soldiers progress, they began to take quinine, which is extracted from cinchona bark (a tree native to South America).
The quinine was made into a tonic drink with sugar added to make it palatable. As many soldiers were afforded a ration of Gin (London was still in their gin craze faze).
People began to mix the two together (the gin made it easier to stomach the tonic).
Note that levels of quinine have changed
While historically, “tonic” was used to prevent malaria, the recipe has changed significantly in modern day “off the shelf” caught tonic water.
In most cases you’d need to drink around “67 litres of Gin and Tonic a day in order to have a dose of quinine strong enough to prevent malaria“.
Side Effects of Gin
Like all alcohol, there are potential side effects. Alcohol abuse is no joke. Gin is actually much “cleaner” than most spirits (vodka excluded), and has much less negative effects than others.
So, Is Gin Good For You?
This is not a medical report. While there are some known health benefits of gin and historical evidence proving its use for centuries, there is still very little scientific evidence around the spirit.
As with most things, moderation is the key.
So, is gin good for you? Well, if you pour a nice glass of Caribbean Gin under a palm tree on a white sand beach and feel great about life, how can that be a bad thing?
Here at Blue Light Distillery, we believe that it’s all in good fun. The gin making process, the drinking process and sharing process.
We use all natural ingredients (no preservatives or artificial flavouring) this keeps our gin as pure as possible. Which has got to be good, right?
Gin enthusiast and Caribbean Dreamer.
