Wintergreen Essential Oil

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Wintergreen Essential Oil Common Name: Wintergreen Latin Name: Gaultheria procumbens Family: Ericaceae Synonyms: Teaberry, aromatic wintergreen, checkerberry and gaultheria Plant Description: Wintergreen is a very small herb that can grow up to 15 centimeters in length. The leaves of the wintergreen plant are rubbery to the touch with saw-like serrated edges. Wintergreen blossoms white flowers that boast bright red berries shortly after blooming. Distribution: The wintergreen plant is native to North America, specifically in the northeast, including Canada and the United States. The essential oil extracted from the wintergreen plant is only produced in the United States. Varieties: Alpine wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa). Oregon…show more content…
The wintergreen aroma has also been used for some respiratory issues, like clearing mucus. The use of wintergreen essential oil should be moderate and it is considered extremely volatile if consumed orally. Interestingly, one fluid ounce of wintergreen essential oil is the equivalent of approximately 55 grams of aspirin. Wintergreen was used throughout North American history as a tea, in the American Revolution, and as an alternative medicine. Today wintergreen is used in a wide variety of products sold around the…show more content…
The other two main constituents are formaldehyde and gaultheriline. The active properties in wintergreen essential oil may be used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, stimulant, carminative, antitussive, astringent and anti-rheumatic among other alternative actions. Uses: Muscle and joint pain: Mix three drops of wintergreen essential oil with two teaspoons of grapeseed oil and massage muscles that are problematic. You can also add five drops of wintergreen essential oil to your bathwater. Obesity: Mix three drops of wintergreen essential oil with two teaspoons of grapeseed oil and massage into skin until oil is fully absorbed. You can also add five to 10 drops to your bathwater once tub is full and soak for up to an hour or until water cools. Headaches: Mix two drops of wintergreen oil into a bowl of hot water and soak a washcloth in the mixture for a minute or two. Wring out the excess water and apply to your forehead and leave in place until cloth cools to room temperature. You can also add a few drops to an aromatic diffuser for aromatherapy in a room of your house. Oedema: Mix two drops of wintergreen essential oil with two teaspoons of sweet almond oil and massage areas of the skin where oedema persists. You can also add five drops of wintergreen oil to your

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