Winter Oil

Korean Mineral Oil

While research suggests there are health benefits, the FDA doesn’t monitor or regulate the purity or quality of essential oils. It’s important to talk with your healthcare provider before you begin using essential oils and be sure to research the quality of a brand’s products. Always do a patch test before trying a new essential oil. Wintergreen oil is traditionally extracted from the leaves of the wintergreen plant. The production process involves fermentation of the natural material from the plant. This is followed by distillation to obtain a purer product. The final product consists almost entirely of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient of wintergreen oil. The natural production of wintergreen oil has been on the decline in favor of creating synthetic methyl salicylate. In some products, synthetic methyl salicylate may appear as one of several types of oils, including wintergreen oil, gaultheria oil, or teaberry oil. Read on to discover more about wintergreen essential oil, what it’s used for, tips to find quality oil, and the potential benefits and risks associated with use.