Gaultheria procumbens. If this essential oil was an actor, the first thing its agent would do is come up with a stage name. Lucky for us, ‘common names’ are the botanical world’s equivalent, so we can call this mouthful ‘wintergreen’. And we do!
Wintergreen is a wonderfully warm oil so it’s conveniently appropriate that its name includes the chilliest of our seasons as a reminder that wintergreen is around to bring us comfort in the cold months.
That said, it’s also superb to use when your muscles want warming up all year around.
Wintergreen is a member of the Ericaceae family, commonly known as ‘heather’. The wintergreen shrub is also referred to as tea berry and a bunch of other ‘berry’ names because its soft pink flowers go on to create large red berries. In North America, it’s considered a pretty native wildflower, with small pink blooms blossoming well from late Spring through late Summer, and it’s also sourced in China.
Essential oil of wintergreen is steam distilled from the leaves and bark of the shrub. The key constituent in this invigorating oil is methyl salicylate. It’s this constituent that gives many sports rubs and oils their distinctive smell and heating effect when you’re exercising or winding down afterwards.
Unfortunately, many such commercial rubs include synthetic or ‘nature identical’ compounds. Seriously, do we really think as humans that we can make ‘nature identical’ compounds that truly do have the energetic properties found in nature? I don’t believe we can for a moment, even if chemistry declares that on a molecular basis, it is so. Surely there are some unseen and unquantifiable things we can never fully understand nor replicate? And why would we want to?? If robots do become an everyday part of life (perish the thought), give them the synthetic and ‘nature identical’ products, I say! I’m sure they’ll love them.
But we’re not robots, and you’ll take comfort in knowing that Young Living Wintergreen essential oil with its minty-sarsaparilla scent and relaxing, warmly comforting properties is genuine, authentic and guaranteed pure by Young Living’s proprietary Seed to Seal® process. (And we’d love to help you order and join via our Good Oil Team. Please get in touch and we’re happy to assist you.)
Wintergreen is available from Young Living as a single essential oil. And for fitness and sports, and warming up and down from pretty much any kind of physical activity, wintergreen is included as one of the potent ingredients in several targeted products that are awesome for easing you out, massaging or just applying specifically to taxed areas you’re looking to nurture in particular.
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
Young Living Wintergreen Products
Young Living Cool Azul comes in an essential oil blend and a quick-absorbing Cool Azul Sports Gel. Replace the drop-controlling orifice in the oil blend bottle with a Young Living Roller Fitment and you can apply it directly from the bottle when you’re on the run – literally! The Sports Gel is ideal for application to larger areas.
Wintergreen essential oil is also a key ingredient in Young Living Panaway® essential oil blend (you can use the Roller Fitment with this as you would Cool Azul, described above) and Deep Relief Roll-on, which is a similar but diluted formulation that comes ready to roll on and it’s tremendously convenient no matter where you are.
But wait: there’s more! For a luxurious massage, Young Living Ortho Ease™ and Ortho Sport™ also contain wintergreen. Ortho Ease™ is found to be a very relaxing all-rounder for everyday use regardless of your exercise levels, and Ortho Sport™ is especially popular in connection with fitness routines. Try them both and see which one is better suited to you!
Young Living Raven is an essential oil blend that includes ravintsara, lemon, peppermint and eucalyptus radiata along with wintergreen. When you want to keep your chest feeling nice and cosy and snug, a drop or two of Raven diluted in pure carrier oil like Young Living V-6 Enhanced Vegetable Complex is your essential oil equivalent of a thermal singlet!
How to Use Wintergreen Essential Oil
- Inhale directly from the bottle
- Apply a drop to your palms, smooth together, close your eyes and cup your palms over your nose then deeply inhale (be careful not to get any oil in your eyes or close to them)
- Diffuse for up to 10 minutes up to 3 times daily
- Dilute with carrier oil for topical application
- Apply to chakras for energetic support and releasing
Essential oils are potent, so as always, please follow directions on the bottle and the usual guidelines for safe use of authentic essential oils.
Please ensure you are choosing a brand with complete transparency from seed to seal, such as Young Living. You can learn in this short video why we only ever recommend and choose Young Living oils and love them so much!
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
