Guest guest Posted April 30, 2000 Report Share Posted April 30, 2000 Poor wintergreen - it always gets a bad rap! Actually, 10 drops (at 25mg each) of Wintergreen or Birch oils equals ONE standard, 250 mg tablet! Wintergreen is safe for topical use, even during pregnancy. Remember that " Deep Heat " liniments or gels are routinely available to the public at up to a 30% concentration... This has caused an occasional reaction, mostly by adding to the anti-coagulant effects of patients already taking warfarin. Wintergreen IS a useful analgesic, anti-inflammatory essential oil. I use up to a 10% concentration (along with other EO's) for application to specific areas (like low back pain) or up to 2% for a 'whole body' massage. These types of topical applications ARE SAFE. The toxicity of methyl salicylate is comparable to that of aspirin. Hence, do not drink a 10 mL bottle of Wintergreen oil (nor take 50 aspirin)! Toxicity is always related to the DOSE RECEIVED. Hope that's useful... Cheers, Ron Guba - Helen Ranger <hranger Friday, April 21, 2000 3:47 AM [AX] wintergreen > Hi Sherri > I'm surprised that essential oil of wintergreen is available in shops for the public > to buy. Referring to my 'bible' (Essential Oil Safety by Tisserand and Balacs), > they say that half a ml (ie 10 drops!!) is equivalent to a dose of 21 aspirins. > Wintergreen is 98% methyl salicylate, the stuff aspirins are made from. Our newbie > Hazel from Scotland can help us here as she's a pharmacist. It's been tested on > rodents of course, but is supposed to be more toxic in humans than mice. I quote > from this book " In the years 1926, 1928 and 1939-43, 427 deaths occurred in the USA > from methyl salicylate poisoning " - and this isn't just taking large doses orally, > although 4-8ml can kill a child. " Methyl salicylate can be absorbed transdermally > in sufficient quantities to cause poisoning in humans. " So, sorry, Sherri, I cannot > tell you what to do with it, other than pour it down the sink. > > Looking at the list of oils that you have, it occurs to me that you might like to > try some base notes like sandalwood, vetiver, and some flowers like geranium and > ylang ylang, and some spices like ginger and juniper. > > Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but have fun with the rest of your collection. > Helen in Cape Town > > ------ > Enjoy the award-winning journalism of The New York Times with > convenient home delivery. And for a limited time, get 50% off for the > first 8 weeks by subscribing. Pay by credit card and receive an > additional 4 weeks at this low introductory rate. > http://click./1/3102/6/_/605187/_/956290227/ > ------ > > ----------------- > **Get Used to Chatting > so we can eventually have a 24 hr > Aromatherapy Chat Room > Times we can meet: > Saturday and Sunday > 11am + 3pm + 11pm Eastern Time (New York Time) > Monday To Friday > 12 pm + 6pm + 11pm Eastern Time (New York Time) > > For those of you who are not sure of the time difference, call the Operator. > > QUICK TIPS: Send your quick tips to > -owner > > The intention of this list is to provide up-to-date information concerning the safe use of Aromatherapy, and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of the proper health care professionals. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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