Wintergreen
With its origin dating back to ancient China, the leaves of the wintergreen plant have been known to bring about various therapeutic properties. The Native Americans often chewed the wintergreen leaves to increase their lung capacity when running long distances (i.e. It would have been great for those of you that trained or the Rock and Roll Marathon this weekend). Settlers in early America also had their children chew on the leaves to prevent tooth decay, which may explain why it is used in products like toothpaste and mouthwash. For those of you with conditions ending in the word “–itis” (ex. arthritis, tendonititis, synovitis, etc.) should consider using wintergreen for its ability to fight off inflammation. In fact, a key constituent (90+%) found in wintergreen is methyl salicylate. This is the same component that makes Asprin such a powerful anti-inflammatory for relief of pain and headaches. Those of you suffering from pain and headaches may want to consider wintergreen as a natural alternative to bring relief of these conditions vs. experiencing the dangerous side effects of over the counter anti-inflammatories. For more information on the side effects of Asprin visit http://www.nsaidrisks.net/ .
We find wintergreen particularly useful to help ease muscles and bring about relief of emotional stress. A therapeutic form of massage (called the Raindrop Technique) incorporates wintergreen along with a series of other oils to help with conditions like scoliosis and emotional release.
You will want to be cautious in using wintergreen if you are pregnant or epileptic. Also, be careful with the sources in obtaining wintergreen because much of the wintergreen oils sold today has been chemically altered and adulterated in order to bring higher profits for the companies making them. Remember that the source of oils that you use will play a critical factor in bringing out the benefits. Under no circumstances are these recommendations to be used as a substitution for any personalized medical advice. It is your soul responsibility to determine if the recommendations described are appropriate and these oils should not be interpreted that they will bring out a specific cure. We would recommend that if you would like more information about these oils or where to get the purest quality oils, you can call us or visit http://www.youngliving.com/.
Reference: Young, Gary ND Essential Oils: Integrative Medical Guide Essential Science Publishing, 2003.