Wintergreen

Other Names: Boxberry, Canada Tea, Checkerberry, Deerberry, Essence de Gaulthérie, Gaulteria, Gaultheria Oil, Gaultheria procumbens, Gaulthérie Couchée, Ground Berry, Hilberry, Huile de Thé des Bois, Mountain Tea, Oil of Wintergreen, Partridge Berry, Petit Thé, Petit Thé des Bois, Spiceberry, Teaberry, Thé de Montagne, Thé de Terre-Neuve, Thé du Canada, Thé Rouge, Thé des Bois, Wax Cluster.
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.

Special Precautions of Wintergreen

• Wintergreen is safe in the amounts found in foods, and seems safe for most adults when used as a medicine.
• The oil is UNSAFE to take by mouth. Taking wintergreen oil or large amounts of wintergreen leaf can cause ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, stomach pain, and confusion.
• When applied directly to the skin, wintergreen oil can cause skin irritation.
• Children: Wintergreen leaf and oil can be poisonous for children. Taking 4-10 mL of wintergreen oil by mouth can be deadly. Don’t even use wintergreen oil on the skin of children less than 2 years old.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Wintergreen is safe in amounts found in food, but there's not enough information to know if it's safe in the larger amounts that are used as medicine. Don’t take it by mouth or put it on your skin, if you are pregnant.
• If you are breast-feeding, don’t take wintergreen by mouth or put it on your skin. Wintergreen products might be toxic to nursing infants.
• Stomach and intestinal inflammation: Taking wintergreen by mouth might make these conditions worse.
• Salicylate or aspirinallergy, asthma, or nasal polyps: Wintergreen might cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to aspirin or other salicylate compounds, or have asthma or nasal polyps. Use wintergreen with caution if you have one of these conditions.
• Warfarin (Coumadin) interacts with Wintergreen
• Aspirin interacts with Wintergreen

Benefits and uses of Wintergreen are

Wintergreen leaf contains methyl salicylate : an aspirin-like chemical that might reduce pain, swelling, and fever.

• Arthritis.
• Menstrual cramps.
• Achy joints (rheumatism).
• Headache.
• Minor aches and pains.
• Stomachache.
• Gas (flatulence).
• Fever.
• Kidney problems.
• Asthma.
• Nerve pain.
• Gout .

Uses in Chinese Patent Medicine

• Die Da Zhi Tong Gao