Juniper tree ("Juniperus phoenicea") is applied in dotted patterns on bisque drinking cups. Gitran makes the water more fragrant and is said to be good for the teeth. Some Indigenous peoples, such as the Dineh, have traditionally used juniper for diabetes. Native Americans have also used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as well as to speed childbirth. The plant was long used as an arbortifacient and was known as 'bastard killer' in the UK. Juniper is one of the plants used in
Catholic Church and abortion treatment options by their employers, suggesting that in practice, physicians and healthcare institutions generally choose to treat ectopic pregnancies. The Church considers the destruction of any embryo to be equivalent to abortion, and thus opposes embryonic stem cell research. Catholics who procure a completed abortion are subject to a "latae sententiae" excommunication. That means that the excommunication does not need to be imposed (as with a "ferendae sententiae" penalty); rather, being expressly established by canon law, it is incurred "ipso facto" when the delict is committed (a "latae sententiae" penalty). Canon law states that in certain circumstances "the accused is