Natural Wintergreen Oil

WINTERGREEN OIL

Wintergreen is an herb. Wintergreen oil is made by steam processing of warmed, water-soaked wintergreen leaves. The leaves and oil are used to make medicine.
Wintergreen leaf is used for painful conditions including headache, nerve pain(particularly sciatica), arthritis, ovarian pain, and menstrual cramps. It is also used for digestion problems including stomachache and gas (flatulence); lung conditions including asthma and pleurisy; pain and swelling (inflammation); fever; and kidneyproblems.
Some people use small doses of wintergreen oil to increase stomach juices and improve digestion.
Wintergreen leaf is sometimes applied directly to the skin as a wash for achy joints (rheumatism), sore muscles, and lower back pain.
Wintergreen oil is applied to the skin as a “counterirritant” to relieve muscle pain. Counterirritants work by causing irritation that reduces pain and swelling in the underlying tissue. Wintergreen oil is also used to kill germs on the skin.
In manufacturing, wintergreen is used as a flavoring agent in food, candies, teas, and in pharmaceutical products.

It is a traditional native North American remedy, used for aches and pains and to help breathing while hunting or carrying heavy loads.

It is a small evergreen herb which grows up to 15cm (6 in) high, with slender stems, leathery serrated leaves and drooping white flowers, followed by fleshy scarlet berries.

Menthyl salicylate is the principal constituent of this plant and has been incorporated in liniments and ointments for muscular skeletal problems.

Ingesting menthyl salicylate even in small amounts may result in fatal poisoning.

As a herb, it must not be given to patients sensitive to aspirin (salicylates) and wintergreen oil is toxic in excess and can cause liver and kidney damage.