Wintergreen Oil

Oil of Wintergreen

Oil of Wintergreen is almost entirely methyl salicylate, which is a precursor to aspirin.  Wintergreen should therefore NOT be used by people who are allergic to aspirin.

Winter Green Oil Uses

Pain Relief
Oil of Wintergreen's major use is joint and muscular pain relief from conditions such as lumbago, sciatica, neuralgia, gout, fibromyalgia and so on.

The dried leaf and stem of Wintergreen is current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for rheumatoid arthritis.

Traditionally Wintergreen is also used for the relief of chronic mucous discharge. (it should NOT be ingested however - and should only be 'cut' or diluted and used transdermally - on the skin.)

Wintergreen should NEVER be ingested, and only used topically in dilutions of 25% or less to limit the transdermal absorption to safe levels.

A 10% dilution (1 drop Wintergeen oil to 9 drops of a suitable carrier oil) is typically used in pain relieving massage.  The salicylates are delivered through the skin, entering the tissues where they reduce pain and inflammation by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins.

Wintergreen Oil has anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antitussive, astringent, calminative, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactagogue and stimulant properties.

Wintergeen Essential Oil Purity

Essential oil purity and quality is always vital.  Where pain relief is concerned however, this becomes even more essential.  We are very proud of both the potency and purity of this particular, professional grade essential oil.  In fact we recommend you use it sparingly, especially if you are used to using other, less potent brands.  We know you'll be impressed!

Essential oils

Essential oils have been used for centuries for ailments of all kinds. a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants.

Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea.  They are also simply referred to as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted. Hence 'Oil of Wintergreen'.

What makes an oil "essential" is the fact that it carries the essence, of the plant after which it is named. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression, or solvent extraction.

Today, specific compounds are frequently named, rather than referring to "essential oils" as a class in general. One might therefore look for information on methyl salicylate, rather than "oil of wintergreen".  This is the compound which gives wintergreen oil its "liquid aspirin" nickname.

Interest in essential oils has revived in recent decades with the popularity of aromatherapy and massage.