Wintergreen

Parts Usually Used

Leaves

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Wintergreen is a native North American evergreen shrub; the creeping stems send up erect branches, 2-6 inches high, which bear alternate, oval, leathery leaves with serrate (and sometimes bristly) margins. Both the leaves and the solitary, nodding, white, bell-shaped, flowers grow in the axils of the leaves near the tops of the branches. Flowering time is from May to September.

The edible fruit following the flowers is a dry, scarlet, berrylike capsule about 1/3 inch across. The whole plant is pungent in taste the spiciness being due to the volatile oil. Wintergreen is a name applied to several plants of the family Ericaceae which retain their foliage during winter. The Chinese use a plant they call wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia), Chinese name is Lu-ti-ts’ao.

Used to staunch bloody wounds, applied to dog bites, snakebites, and insect bites.

Where Found

Grows in woods and clearings, under large trees and shrubs, on sandy acid soils, from Newfoundland to Manitoba and south to Georgia, Michigan, and Indiana.

Medicinal Properties

Analgesic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, stimulant, anodyne, anti-rheumatic, antispasmodic, antiseptic, aromatic, emmenagogue

Biochemical Information

Glycoside, gaultherin (which is comprised of about 99% methyl salicylate) an enzyme gaultherase, aldehyde 1 alcohol, 1 ester, tannin, wax and mucilage.

Legends, Myths and Stories

This is an old-fashioned remedy. It will stimulate stomach, heart, and respirations. Once the leaves of this plant are hit by a hard frost and turn purplish, they seem to have a sweeter, stronger flavor. Although it has not been confirmed scientifically, this may indicate a higher essential oil content.

Uses

Historically, herbalists attributed the medicinal virtues of wintergreen leaves to its volatile oil, obtained through steam distillation. Traditional practitioners administered the leaves for headaches, general aches and pains, inflammations, rheumatism, sciatica, and lumbago. Historical records also noted its use for dropsy, urinary complaints, colic, and flatulence. Externally, folk traditions utilized an infusion of the leaves as a gargle for sore mouths and throats, as a wash for leukorrhea, and as a compress or poultice for skin inflammations, boils, swellings, ulcers, felons, and sores.

Cloths soaked in the distilled oil were traditionally applied to painful joints, and the substance became widely incorporated into topical liniments, balms, and analgesic oils. Beyond medicinal preparations, wintergreen was employed as a flavoring agent in vermouth, toothpastes, candies, and chewing gums, as well as a component in perfumery.

How Sold

Oil of wintergreen

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).

The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974