Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425248
Research Project: Approaches to Dietary and Physical Activity Guidelines Adherence

Location: Healthy Body Weight Research

Title: Assessment of juniper ash elemental composition for potential use in a traditional indigenous dietary pattern

Author
item Hess, Julie
item COMEAU, MADELINE - Former ARS Employee
item BUSSAN, DEREK - Former ARS Employee
item Jessen, Kyra
item Promschmidt, Claudia

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2026
Publication Date: 1/14/2026
Citation: Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E., Bussan, D.D., Jessen, K.M., PromSchmidt, C.J. 2026. Assessment of juniper ash elemental composition for potential use in a traditional indigenous dietary pattern. Nutrients. 18(2). Article 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020260.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020260

Interpretive Summary: Ash made from juniper trees and added to cornmeal-based dishes may have been an important source of calcium in Indigneous diets. However, little research has been conducted to determine the amount of calcium that juniper ash contains as well as its potential content of non-nutritive and toxic elements. In this study, we analyzed both lab-generated and purchased samples of juniper ash for a wide range of elements and pesticide residues. All samples provided calcium but also contained lead. As described in detail in this study, too little is known about the interactions between calcium and lead to determine the harm of consuming juniper ash as part of the diet.

Technical Abstract: Background: Ash made from juniper trees and added to cornmeal-based dishes may have provided calcium to traditional Indigenous diets. Few studies have quantified the mineral content of juniper ash. Objective: To determine whether ash made from juniper trees native to North Dakota could serve as a safe source of non-dairy calcium in the diet. Methods: Branches from two varieties of Juniper were harvested from two locations in North Dakota and burned to ash in a laboratory setting. Juniper ash from the southwestern U.S. available for retail purchase was used for comparison. All samples were tested for content of 10 nutritive elements and 20 non-nutritive elements as well as residues from n=576 pesticides. Results: Each teaspoon of ash contained an average of 445 ± 141 mg calcium. All samples contained both non-nutritive and toxic elements. The samples contained lead in amounts ranging from 1.09 ppm to 15 ppm. None of the juniper ash samples contained detectable pesticide residues. Conclusions: Information on the nutritive and non-nutritive elemental content of juniper ash and how it may interact within a food matrix is insufficient to determine its safety as an addition to food within contemporary standards.