iii: Herb of the Month
Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) Marianne Hughes, with illustration by Hazel Brady As we head into the tunnel of Winter, the deep green leaves, white flowers, and red berries of Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) seem such a gift, as though offering a promise of the coming Spring. Wintergreen grows in moist, acid soil, in partial shade and is also known as Checkerberry or Teaberry. Its leaves are a principal ingredient in ‘mountain tea’. The Gaultheria part of its name was given by Jean François Gaulthier (1708-56), a physician and botanist who worked in Canada (Bown, 2008) and it helps us to distinguish the plant from Culpeper’s (1653) mention of Winter Green. He is referring to Pyrola minor— an entirely different plant that is also known as Snowline Wintergreen, Lesser Wintergreen, or Common Wintergreen. Wren (1988) notes the medicinal uses of our Wintergreen as anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic and diuretic, and that Oil of Wintergreen is used:
mainly in the form of an ointment or liniment for rheumatism, sprains, sciatica, neuralgia and all kinds of muscular pain. Indeed, peoples of the First Nations were well aware of the medicinal gifts of this lowgrowing evergreen. While carrying heavy loads or hunting, they used the leaves as a remedy for aches and pains, and to aid breathing. Wintergreen leaves were listed in the US Pharmacopoeia (1820-94). The oil, extracted from the leaves, is still listed, remaining widely available to this day, and is a source of methyl salicylate— an antiinflammatory, with similar effects to the acetylsalicylic acid present in aspirin. Pengelly (2004) outlines the properties of salicins and salicylates: various herbs containing derivatives of salicylic acid have long histories of use for pain relief and reducing inflammation in European and North American folk medicine. He also notes that, unlike aspirin, natural salicylates do not have anti-platelet (blood thinning) effects. In explaining the actions associated with salicylic acid derivatives, Pengelly outlines their antipyretic effects. This means that they increase peripheral blood flow and sweat production by direct action on the thermogenic section of the hypothalamus. And this, in turn, explains why they are effective in easing neuralgias, sciatica, and back pain. Bartram (1998) echoes the use of Oil of Wintergreen as a mild analgesic for backache, adding a keynote application for rheumatism. A word of caution, though: the salicylate content means excess use of Oil of Wintergreen can be toxic, causing liver and kidney damage, and it is not suitable for people who are hypersensitive to aspirin. However, as with many of our herbal 9
