Wintergreen Essential OilBotanical Nomenclature: Gaultheria procumbens Wintergreen essential oil, which is distilled from the leaves of Gaultheria procumbens, is widely used in the flavoring and toiletries industries. Today, wintergreen is used to flavor a variety of liquors and is among the most popular of all flavors for oral care products like mouthwash and toothpaste. The manufacturing process used to make wintergreen oil produces methyl salicylate and it's this compound that is responsible for wintergreen's ability to ease pain and reduce minor inflammation. Today, wintergreen is among the most controversial of all the essential oils. Wintergreen poisonings have been reported around the world and wintergreen is actually listed as a known toxin by the regulatory agencies of many countries. Some aromatherapists have even called for a worldwide ban on the sale of this once extremely popular oil.
Characteristics of Wintergreen OilWintergreen essential oil should be pale yellow to pale reddish-yellow. Wintergreen has a sharp, "minty" scent that should be familiar to anyone who has ever used a wintergreen-flavored mouthwash or toothpaste. Wintergreen will feel cold to the nose and somewhat "wet".Psychological AromatherapyBecause of its potential toxicity, wintergreen essential oil is rarely used these days in casual aromatherapy. Author Salvatore Battaglia lists it among his "hazardous" essential oils and does not recommend its use.Traditional Uses for Wintergreen OilVarious wintergreen preparations have been used throughout the centuries to reduce swelling and reduce pain. But aromatherapy expert Salvatore Battaglia feels that the potential toxicity of wintergreen outweighs its potential benefits and does not assign any therapeutic actions to it.Serious Medical Studies on WintergreenConsidering that wintergreen is so widely used in over-the-counter pain topical pain relievers, it is surprising that few recent studies have been published on the essential oil. In preparation for this article, we were only able to locate studies discussing wintergreen's potential toxicity and could find no recent studies on any medicinal benefits.Safety IssuesWintergreen oil is 98% methyl salicylate and any volume greater than a lick or a taste is enough to poison an infant or preschooler. Just 4 ml, which is less than half a typical bottle of essential oil, is enough to fatally poison a school-aged child.And wintergreen does not have to be ingested to be toxic. Transdermal absorption is also a very effective delivery method for the salicylate component. In fact, a 2002 paper printed in the journal Emergency Medicine discussed the case of a young man who was poisoned after using a naturopath-prescribed wintergreen cream for his psoriasis. It's little wonder that some in the aromatherapy community have called for a complete cessation of the use of wintergreen oil in aromatherapy and a ban on the sale of the oil to unlicensed practitioners.
References: Battaglia, S. (2005). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy Chyka, P., et al. (2007). Salicylate poisoning: an evidence-based consensus guideline for out-of-hospital management. Bell, A., et al. (2002). Acute methyl salicylate toxicity complicating herbal skin treatment for psoriasis. Leave Wintergreen Essential Oil & return to Hazardous Oils page.
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