By Rachel Webster<\/a> and Sophie Mogg<\/a><\/h1>\n![\"Gaultheria](\"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/crg\/files\/2016\/12\/Wintergreen-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Gaukltheria procumbens<\/i> Wintergreen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt’s always a joy to see something growing through these dark and dreary winter months. With glossy, green leaves, little cream bell-like flowers and big, red berries that start to appear as the snow melts, today’s plant, Gaultheria procumbens<\/em>, is a very popular choice for baskets and containers.\u00a0The name of this plant originates from Pehr Kalm, a Swedish explorer who named this plant after his good friend, Dr. Hugues Gaultier who expressed huge enthusiasm for the plants potential for tea.<\/p>\nFor the first blog you can read more at Herbology Manchester<\/a>.<\/p>\nNow for the blog from RHS Wisley staff<\/strong><\/p>\nWintergreen<\/h1>\nBy Saskia Harris<\/a><\/h1>\nRHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB<\/h3>\n
In November, in a hurry to find plants for a Kokedama \u201cMoss ball\u201d Christmas decorating project, I grabbed the nearest thing that looked green and had red berries, a tray of the shrub Gaultheria procumbens<\/em><\/a>, the ideal plant to banish the aches and pains encountered over the Christmas period.<\/p>\n\nThis useful exotic member of the family Ericaceae is commonly known in America as Wintergreen or Checkerberry, the most common of the North American species of the genus Gaultheria<\/em>, which remain evergreen. \u00a0It produces small waxy white flowers followed by decorative red berries and has a creeping \u2018winter green\u2019 habit (hence the name).\u00a0 It is a useful smothering groundcover plant which tolerates shaded surroundings.<\/p>\nIn Great Britain the local plants which spring to mind called \u2018Wintergreens\u2019 belong in the genera Pyrola<\/em> L., Orthilla <\/em>Raf. and Moneses<\/em> Salisb. Ex Gray. They are short evergreen herbs with white flowers which in the past belonged to a family of their own, Pyrolaceae, but are now from part of the Ericaceae. (Stace, 2010).<\/p>\nUses<\/strong><\/h2>\nMedicinal<\/h2>\n
As alluded to above, wintergreen is renowned for its medicinal properties.\u00a0 It contains large quantities of the aromatic compound, methyl salicylate along with a few other components, which produce a medicinal, minty fragrance when crushed and\/or extracted as an oil. All parts of the plant are aromatic, but it is the leaves that yield the oil and it is this that is used in the manufacture of the essential oil.<\/p>\n
According to the Gale Encyclopaedia<\/a> of Alternative Medicine other names by which the plants are known include boxberry, Canada tea, deerberry, ground berry, mountain tea, partridgeberry, spice berry, teaberry, and wax cluster.\u00a0 Some of these names indicate the uses to which the plants can be put. In North America wintergreen is used as a medicinal and refreshing tea by East Canadian Aboriginals, and it provides cover for game.<\/p>\n![\"wintergreenoil\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/crg\/files\/2016\/12\/wintergreenoil-300x300.png\")
<\/a>Wintergreen and its oil have been used aromatherapeutically and medicinally as a topical analgesic and in rubefacient (warming and reddening) preparations to treat minor aches and sprains, muscular and rheumatic pain.<\/p>\nUse of Wintergreen comes with some warnings<\/strong><\/a> as there are toxicity concerns: 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of wintergreen oil is equivalent to approximately 7000 mg of salicylate or 21.5 adult aspirin tablets. Wintergreen oil can induce vomiting, and in some cases, death.\u00a0 Use is best avoided in children, patients with known hypersensitivity to the oil, and patients with asthma, known salicylate allergy, GI irritation or inflammation.<\/p>\nAlthough mostly known from Gaultheria procumbens<\/em>, wintergreen can also be extracted from the birch, Betula lenta <\/em>(Mabberley, 2008).<\/em><\/p>\nIndustrial<\/h2>\n
Wintergreen oil is reportedly used in microscopy, printing, degreasing of machinery and against sea rust erosion. (Wiki)<\/a><\/p>\nWintergreen oil together with Rosemary oil is being trialled as a pesticide<\/a>.<\/p>\nFood additive<\/h2>\n
![\"wint_o_greens\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/crg\/files\/2016\/12\/wint_o_greens-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Wintergreen has been used as a common flavouring for American products e.g. root beer, snuff, chewing gum, candy – as an alternative to peppermint and spearmint (Wiki)<\/a> and has a distinctive fragrance<\/a>, pleasant to some and anathema to others:<\/p>\n\u00a0\u2018\u2026reminds me of germolene. As does root beer – my son loves root beer, it turns my stomach\u00a0\u2019<\/em> alya\u00a0on\u00a0Oct 12, 07 at 4:49am<\/p>\nA Dianthus <\/em>that smells of wintergreen<\/h2>\n![\"Dianthus](\"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/crg\/files\/2016\/12\/DianthusDevonDove-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/a>Dianthus<\/i> \u2018Devon Dove\u2019, Trial No. 17. Photographed by Saskia Harris \u00a9RHS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAt RHS Garden Wisley we collected herbarium specimens from the Dianthus<\/em> trial (TN2004) this year, making a note regarding the fragrance.<\/p>\nThis is a matter of \u2018taste\u2019, rather like tasting wine, honey or perfume, not an exact science – staff in close proximity have a blind sniff and add their opinions. Most Dianthus<\/em> have a spicy, clove scent, but occasionally also \u2018a medicinal whiff\u2019.\u00a0 In July 2016 Dianthus<\/em> \u2018Devon Dove\u2019, #17, had \u2018a suggestion of Wintergreen\/Deep Heat\u2019 (Deep Heat is an application for the relief of muscle pain), which led to a discussion about the components of the fragrance. With the following discretionary comment in mind, \u2018No recognised classification of scent has ever been made because there is so great a variation in perfume\u2019<\/em> (Genders, 1978), one could hazard a guess that perhaps the essential oil in the Dianthus<\/em> fragrance has a component of wintergreen in it too?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
References:<\/h1>\n
<\/a>It’s always a joy to see something growing through these dark and dreary winter months. With glossy, green leaves, little cream bell-like flowers and big, red berries that start to appear as the snow melts, today’s plant, Gaultheria procumbens<\/em>, is a very popular choice for baskets and containers.\u00a0The name of this plant originates from Pehr Kalm, a Swedish explorer who named this plant after his good friend, Dr. Hugues Gaultier who expressed huge enthusiasm for the plants potential for tea.<\/p>\n For the first blog you can read more at Herbology Manchester<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now for the blog from RHS Wisley staff<\/strong><\/p>\n In November, in a hurry to find plants for a Kokedama \u201cMoss ball\u201d Christmas decorating project, I grabbed the nearest thing that looked green and had red berries, a tray of the shrub Gaultheria procumbens<\/em><\/a>, the ideal plant to banish the aches and pains encountered over the Christmas period.<\/p>\n\n This useful exotic member of the family Ericaceae is commonly known in America as Wintergreen or Checkerberry, the most common of the North American species of the genus Gaultheria<\/em>, which remain evergreen. \u00a0It produces small waxy white flowers followed by decorative red berries and has a creeping \u2018winter green\u2019 habit (hence the name).\u00a0 It is a useful smothering groundcover plant which tolerates shaded surroundings.<\/p>\n In Great Britain the local plants which spring to mind called \u2018Wintergreens\u2019 belong in the genera Pyrola<\/em> L., Orthilla <\/em>Raf. and Moneses<\/em> Salisb. Ex Gray. They are short evergreen herbs with white flowers which in the past belonged to a family of their own, Pyrolaceae, but are now from part of the Ericaceae. (Stace, 2010).<\/p>\n As alluded to above, wintergreen is renowned for its medicinal properties.\u00a0 It contains large quantities of the aromatic compound, methyl salicylate along with a few other components, which produce a medicinal, minty fragrance when crushed and\/or extracted as an oil. All parts of the plant are aromatic, but it is the leaves that yield the oil and it is this that is used in the manufacture of the essential oil.<\/p>\n According to the Gale Encyclopaedia<\/a> of Alternative Medicine other names by which the plants are known include boxberry, Canada tea, deerberry, ground berry, mountain tea, partridgeberry, spice berry, teaberry, and wax cluster.\u00a0 Some of these names indicate the uses to which the plants can be put. In North America wintergreen is used as a medicinal and refreshing tea by East Canadian Aboriginals, and it provides cover for game.<\/p>\n Use of Wintergreen comes with some warnings<\/strong><\/a> as there are toxicity concerns: 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of wintergreen oil is equivalent to approximately 7000 mg of salicylate or 21.5 adult aspirin tablets. Wintergreen oil can induce vomiting, and in some cases, death.\u00a0 Use is best avoided in children, patients with known hypersensitivity to the oil, and patients with asthma, known salicylate allergy, GI irritation or inflammation.<\/p>\n Although mostly known from Gaultheria procumbens<\/em>, wintergreen can also be extracted from the birch, Betula lenta <\/em>(Mabberley, 2008).<\/em><\/p>\n Wintergreen oil is reportedly used in microscopy, printing, degreasing of machinery and against sea rust erosion. (Wiki)<\/a><\/p>\n Wintergreen oil together with Rosemary oil is being trialled as a pesticide<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u2018\u2026reminds me of germolene. As does root beer – my son loves root beer, it turns my stomach\u00a0\u2019<\/em> alya\u00a0on\u00a0Oct 12, 07 at 4:49am<\/p>\n At RHS Garden Wisley we collected herbarium specimens from the Dianthus<\/em> trial (TN2004) this year, making a note regarding the fragrance.<\/p>\n This is a matter of \u2018taste\u2019, rather like tasting wine, honey or perfume, not an exact science – staff in close proximity have a blind sniff and add their opinions. Most Dianthus<\/em> have a spicy, clove scent, but occasionally also \u2018a medicinal whiff\u2019.\u00a0 In July 2016 Dianthus<\/em> \u2018Devon Dove\u2019, #17, had \u2018a suggestion of Wintergreen\/Deep Heat\u2019 (Deep Heat is an application for the relief of muscle pain), which led to a discussion about the components of the fragrance. With the following discretionary comment in mind, \u2018No recognised classification of scent has ever been made because there is so great a variation in perfume\u2019<\/em> (Genders, 1978), one could hazard a guess that perhaps the essential oil in the Dianthus<\/em> fragrance has a component of wintergreen in it too?<\/p>\n <\/p>\nWintergreen<\/h1>\n
By Saskia Harris<\/a><\/h1>\n
RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB<\/h3>\n
Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Medicinal<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Wintergreen and its oil have been used aromatherapeutically and medicinally as a topical analgesic and in rubefacient (warming and reddening) preparations to treat minor aches and sprains, muscular and rheumatic pain.<\/p>\nIndustrial<\/h2>\n
Food additive<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Wintergreen has been used as a common flavouring for American products e.g. root beer, snuff, chewing gum, candy – as an alternative to peppermint and spearmint (Wiki)<\/a> and has a distinctive fragrance<\/a>, pleasant to some and anathema to others:<\/p>\nA Dianthus <\/em>that smells of wintergreen<\/h2>\n
<\/a>References:<\/h1>\n