botanical name(s): Gaultheria procumbens
synonyms: wintergreen, teaberry, mountain tea, boxberry
part(s) used: leaves, volatile oil
qualities: bitter, cold, dry, aromatic
affinities: urinary tract, joints
actions: antirheumatic, antiseptic, astringent, stimulant
dosage:
» oil: 0.2 - 1 ml.
» wintergreen liniment: external use only
» 10.5 ml. wintergreen oil to 170 ml. olive oil (Felter)
specific indications: irritation of bladder and prostate gland; undue sexual excitement; early stage of renal inflammation (Felter and Scudder, p. 383)
therapy:
» external: oil for toothache; articular and chronic rheumatism; gonorrheal arthritis; local inflammatory swellings; neuralgic pain; pleurodynia; myalgia; itching; swelling and stiffness of joints
» internal: relieves irritation and subacute inflammation of the urogenital tract, especially the neck of the bladder and the prostatic urethra; dysuria; spermatorrhea (Felter and Scudder, pp. 383 - 384); rheumatic conditions with periarticular inflammation; intercostal neuralgia; myalgia; sciatica (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 97)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 1
toxicity: 1; oil of wintergreen is very toxic
» signs and symptoms of wintergreen oil overdose: tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, hyperpnea, acidosis, pulmonary edema, fatty liver infiltration, and nephrosis (Theines and Haley, pp. 80-85)
» laboratory test results: hematuria, albuminuria, glycosuria and acetonuria (von Oettingen, pp. 78, 126)
» lectinic and mitogenic properties may be responsible for this plant's reported carcinogenicity (Duke, p. 203)
» contraindicted during breastfeeding; potentially toxic constituents passed intact into breast milk (Brinker, p. 113)
constituents: phenolic compounds, salicylic acid, volatile oil containing methyl salicylate
footnotes
Brinker, Francis. 1997. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.
British Herbal Medical Association. 1983. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, England: The British Herbal Medical Association.
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.
Thienes, C.H., Haley, T.J. 1975. Clinical Toxicology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.
von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.