Wintergreen

Also known as: Wintergreen essential oil is extracted from Gaultheria procumbens of the Ericaceae family, via steam distillation.  It is also known as checkerberry, teaberry and gaultheria.

Essential oil of wintergreen is extracted from evergreen leaves.  It is native to North America.

Home Remedies using Wintergreen Essential Oil:

Wintergreen has been considered effective for respiratory conditions, and to enhance breathing, but is normally used for disorders like S.I. and sacrem disorders, lower back pain, nerve pain such as neuralgia or myalgia. 

Dried wintergreen is still listed in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as an aid for rheumatoid arthritis. 

Wintergreen is a very familiar scent to most of us, and is encountered often in dental products such as toothpaste and mouthwash, and is equally recognizable in scents in many popular chewing gum and breath freshening mints which smell like the essential oil of wintergreen.

Benefits of Wintergreen Essential Oil:

The essential oil of wintergreen is very similar in chemical composition to aspirin.  Like aspirin it is good for swelling, aches, and excessive body temperatures. 

It also works well for excessive gas and flatulence, and is a fairly good diuretic.  Wintergreen essential oil is also good to increase lactation and menstrual flow.

Wintergreen essential oil is best used as a blend with other essential oils and/or in a carrier oils for massage purposes.  In a massage therapy, wintergreen is good for joints and muscles. 

It can also be used for the aforementioned female remedies as well.

The best, most safe way to use wintergreen oil, is mixed with other essential oils, for a blend, to be diluted by a carrier oil and used in massage therapy, or in aromatherapy in a diffuser or simmer pot. 

It can, however, be added, just a drop or two, to cream or lotion bases. 

Side Effects of Wintergreen Essential Oil:

Essential oil of wintergreen is toxic.  It should never be taken internally.  Even a small amount of wintergreen oil has been known to be fatal. 

Any use involving wintergreen essential oil should be approached with caution.  This oil should always be stored out of the reach of children, and is generally accepted as being inappropriate for use in children.

When applied topically, it should be diluted, and a skin test should be performed. 

Use during pregnancy should be approved by your physician.  Anyone sensitive or allergic to aspirin should avoid Wintergreen oil.  Anyone with reduced liver function or kidney damage should avoid essential oil of Wintergreen.