Wintergreen Oil China
Wintergreen essential oil is about 99% methyl salicylate. It is therefore very floral, medicinal, green, powdery and smoky. It can be used in fruity or floral accords or to add a sweet undertone to an aromatic composition.
Gaultheria procumbens is native to the forested regions of North America. It is also known as a wintergreen. This used to be the term for plants that stay green all year round, even in winter, which are now more commonly known as evergreens. Gaultheria procumbens has shiny, elliptical, slightly serrated leaves. In summer, the plant is adorned with white, bell-shaped flowers that develop into shiny red berries.
In China, wintergreen leaves are harvested from wild plants between May and July.
They are then soaked overnight in warm water to release the methyl salicylate molecules that are the main component of wintergreen essential oil. The raw material is then steam distilled.
The first French explorers in America discovered this plant and learned from the natives how to use it in infusions. This is how wintergreen leaves came to be known as ‘Canada tea’.
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