I love the smell of Wintergreen. It’s so fresh and invigorating. Like most plants, it has a medicinal use and a fragrant influence. It’s a mainstay in my Denver Acupuncture practice because so many patients like the aroma and the pain relief. It’s something I recommend to my coaching clients for problems like arthritis, muscle and nerve pain, even hypertension.

Aromatherapy And Wintergreen Essential Oil

In aromatherapy it helps people sleep, lose weight, relax, even lessen pain; it’s no wonder that Wintergreen essential oil is popular. When I would eat mints, wintergreen was my favorite flavor. I miss not chewing gum or eating mints but my stomach and weight love me for giving both up.

I like it because it stimulates and increases awareness. Maybe that’s why I feel clearer when using it on patients with arthritis. Those same clients tell me they like the effects of this oil because it feels cool on the skin along with relieving pain.

Jacob, who had shoulder pain from swinging his daughter in the air, felt it helped with his hypertension[1] too so he took some home to ‘test’ it. Not sure if it was the acupuncture or the oil. He used Wintergreen daily. Guess what his blood pressure decreased slightly maybe Jacob was on to something. On the days, he had acupuncture for his shoulder pain his pressure went down further. For my personal care, I think this oil helps my elbow pain and if the side-benefit is it helps blood pressure I like it.

Wintergreen Essential Oil by **Young Living Price: $23.36 [wp_cart_button name=”Wintergreen Essential Oil ” price=”23.36″]**we do not require membership in YL to purchase products.

There’s a lot of research that acupuncture lowers hypertension and along with herbs some people can avoid western drugs. Jacob was so impressed with Wintergreen essential oil he keeps it at home.

What is Wintergreen essential oil good for and what is the research?

It’s great for arthritis or rheumatism. There’s no question it’s marvelous for muscle aches and nerve pain. It’s my favorite for pinched nerves. There is research suggesting it’s potent for lowering blood pressure as mentioned above.

Surprisingly it has merit for arteriosclerosis and helpful with hepatitis or fatty liver.

It’s so useful that its main ingredient, Methyl Salicylate is synthetically made and put in numerous rub-on western drugs. In my opinion though synthetically made anything isn’t as good as the real stuff. I don’t like all the hidden stuff found in these over-the-counter products.

The Many Uses Of Wintergreen Essential Oil

One other thing I love about Wintergreen essential oil is that you can use it many ways including making your own mouthwash or purchasing a safe, natural one that doesn’t contain cancer-causing ingredients. For best use Dilute 1 part, essential oil with two parts of another oil and apply to your skin. I use Grapeseed oil in the office. Use it in a diffuser, inhale it or take a drop if you aren’t finding my full strength oil too potent and use as a dietary supplement. I apply it to the Chakras for increasing my awareness and help with overall health.

¹  Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Volume II. New York: Dover Publications, 1981.

²  Wintergreen. Purdue University Center for New Crops and Plant Products website. December 6, 1997. Available at http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/WINTERGREEN.html. Accessed October 6, 2004.

³  Guenther E. The Essential Oils. Volume VI. Huntington, NY: Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company, 1952.

⁴  DerMarderosian A, Beutler JA (editors). The Review of Natural Products: The Most Complete Source of Natural Product Information. 3rd edition. St. Louis, Mo: Facts and Comparisons, 2002.

⁵  Plants for a Future: Database Search Results: Gaultheria procumbens. ibiblio website. Available at http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Gaultheria+procumbens. Accessed October 6, 2004.

⁶  Williamson EM. Potter’s Herbal Cyclopaedia. Saffron Walden, UK: C.W. Daniel Company, 2003.

⁷  Lobo SL, Mehta N, Forgione AG, et al. Use of Theraflex-TMJ topical cream for the treatment of temporomandibular joint and muscle pain. Cranio. April 2004;22(2):137-144.

⁸  Charles CH, Vincent JW, Borycheski L, et al. Effect of an essential oil-containing dentifrice on dental plaque microbial composition. Am J Dent. September 2000;13:26C-30C.

⁹  Wolowich WR, Hadley CM, Kelley MT, Walson PD, and Casavant MJ. Plasma salicylate from methyl salicylate cream compared to oil of wintergreen. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2003;41(4):355-358.

¹⁰  Arctander S. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. Carol Stream , IL: Allured Publishing Corporation, 1994.

¹¹  Tisserand R, Balacs T. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1995.

 [1] MILLICHAP, J. GORDON. “Benign intracranial hypertension and otitic hydrocephalus.” Pediatrics 23.2 (1959): 257-259.