GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Wintergreen Himalayan
Gaultheria fragrantissima
Chemotype: methyl salicylate chemotype (essentially single-constituent oil)
- PLANT PART
- leaves
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- top
LEARN AS YOU COMPARE
What’s inside this oil?
Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.
Meet the main constituents, then select one to see what makes it interesting.
FOLLOW YOUR SENSES
Aroma & character
A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.
- Aroma intensity
- 80 / 100
- Note layer
- top
If you like this scent, explore
A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY
Using it thoughtfully
Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.
- Cited dermal maximum · leave-on
- 2.4%
- Phototoxicity
- Not flagged in this profile
- Oxidation risk
- low
A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.
No furocoumarin-driven phototoxic restriction was identified in the reviewed public sources for Himalayan wintergreen oil. The main restriction is still methyl salicylate-driven salicylate exposure.
Contraindications & cautions
- majorMust be absolutely avoided by anyone taking anticoagulant/blood-thinning medication: topically applied methyl salicylate potentiates the anticoagulant effect, increasing bleeding/internal bruising risk. Methyl salicylate is the near-single constituent of this oil (94.16%), so this restriction applies at full strength.
- majorAvoid during pregnancy: all salicylates, including methyl salicylate, are teratogenic in sufficient amount.
- majorNever taken orally, especially around children: undiluted wintergreen (methyl salicylate) oil is highly toxic if swallowed, with documented fatalities in very young children from ingestion; products require child-resistant packaging.
Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches
A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT
Inside the oil
An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.
About this composition
This Himalayan wintergreen record is anchored to Gaultheria fragrantissima, the Himalayan wintergreen species. A directly readable Nepal paper reports a simple two-peak GC-MS profile dominated by methyl salicylate, and supplier identity pages consistently describe the Himalayan material as steam-distilled Gaultheria fragrantissima from Nepal.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methyl salicylate | 94.16% | 94.16–94.16% | phenolic ester | View sourcePhytochemical and Biological Studies on Essential Oil and Leaf Extracts of Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJST/article/view/10416/8457 (abstract and results, methyl salicylate 94.16%) |
| 4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone | 5.84% | 5.84–5.84% | aliphatic ketone alcohol | View sourcePhytochemical and Biological Studies on Essential Oil and Leaf Extracts of Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJST/article/view/10416/8457 (abstract and results, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone 5.84%) |
Profile source: Phytochemical and Biological Studies on Essential Oil and Leaf Extracts of Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall; WINTERGREEN HIMALAYAN NEPAL product page; WINTERGREEN HIMALAYAN ESSENTIAL OIL product page · https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJST/article/view/10416/8457 (Gaultheria fragrantissima oil isolated by hydrodistillation; methyl salicylate 94.16%); https://www.libertynatural.com/bulk/4528.htm (Wintergreen Himalayan Nepal, Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall., essential oil, steam distilled); https://www.libertynatural.com/coa/4528.htm (aroma strongly aromatic with a sweet characteristic odor)
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- shares the traditional muscle-and-joint-comfort reputation of wintergreen-type (methyl salicylate) oils
- reported to support easing of occasional exercise-related soreness in massage blends
- used in topical sports-care blends for its warming, penetrating sensation
- traditionally associated with a minty-medicinal aroma valued in balms and liniments
For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.
What we're still learning · 2 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- Missing source type: a directly readable public Himalayan wintergreen safety monograph specific to Gaultheria fragrantissima with a species-specific dermal ceiling. The 2.4% dermal maximum used here is the widely cited wintergreen oil limit from general wintergreen references rather than a fragrantissima-specific monograph.
- Odor intensity 80 is an archive normalization from public categorical aroma language ('strong' / 'strongly aromatic') rather than a source-native 0-100 sensory measurement.