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
Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests along the southeastern fringe of the Tibetan Plateau. The Hengduan forests reach elevations higher than and extend to the treeline, beyond which are montane grasslands and shrublands classified as the Southeast Tibet shrub and meadows. The Hengduan conifer forests are separated into two arms by the Shaluli Mountains. Environmental groups have recognized this ecoregion as being threatened by "a growing human population and the resulting demand for non-timber forests and wildlife products for medicinal and other uses". Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests The Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests are a temperate forest in the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China. The