Today we will delve into the main properties of Gaulteria or Wintergreen Essential Oil.
by the Doctor Matteo Politi
Gaultheria procumbens THE.
- Angiosperms
- Ericaceae
- Gaultheria
(botanical nomenclature source)
Pharmacological activity
In traditional medicine, wintergreen leaves and fruits have been used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic remedy, in the treatment of influenza, cough, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, pain of various etiologies and in wound healing.4
The essential oil is also known as an antimicrobial agent, mainly antibacterial and antifungal.6,7, and this activity could be crucial to understand traditional applications in disorders related to microbial infections.
Wintergreen essential oil has also been used in a clinically tested herbal formulation to combat chemotherapy-induced onycholysis (nail detachment).8
Anti-inflammatory activity
The anti-inflammatory activity is believed to be mainly due to the derivatives of Salicylic Acid, in particular Methyl Salicylate which is prevalent in the essential oil.2
Given the high presence of this compound, the plant has been tested as an ingredient in herbal preparations with anti-inflammatory properties.9
Other extracts obtained from Gaulteria leaves and enriched with additional polyphenols have also shown a marked anti-inflammatory activity.10
Antimicrobial activity
The antimicrobial activity of wintergreen essential oil is known2 and this property has been improved through the use of technologically advanced formulations.11
Furthermore, foliar treatments with this essential oil are known to induce defense responses and resistance against a fungal pathogen in Arabidopsis thaliana12, a plant often used as an experimental species also for the development of pesticides.
This action appears to be due to the fact that in plant tissues Methyl Salicylate is metabolized into Salicylic Acid, which plays a role as a phytohormone that induces plant immunity against microbial pathogens.
Phytochemical profile
Wintergreen essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from plant material grown in Poland gave a yield of 1.30% ± 0.05 (dry volume/weight) for leaves and 2.68% ± 0.08 (dry volume/weight) for fruits.1
The analysis led to the identification of 64 volatile components, of which 27 were found in the leaves and 49 in the fruits.1 Methyl salicylate was the dominant component accounting for 97.5% and 99.8% of total essential oils from fruits and leaves, respectively.1
Even a commercial essential oil of wintergreen acquired in Serbia was found to be characterized by the high presence of Methyl Salicylate (96.9%), as well as traces of Limonene, α and β-Pinene, Fenchone and other monoterpenes.2
These results are in agreement with previous studies on the phytochemical profile of this essential oil.3 Methyl salicylate is also abundant in other wintergreen species.4 This compound is easily synthesized and cases of adulteration of the essential oil are frequent, so specific analytical techniques have been developed to detect any adulterations of the essential oil of wintergreen.5
Bibliography
1. Magiera A, Sienkiewicz M, Olszewska MA, Kicel A, Michel P. Chemical profile and antibacterial activity of essential oils from leaves and fruits of Gaultheria procumbens L. Cultivated in Poland. Acta Pol Pharm – Drug Res. 2019;76(1):93-102. doi:10.32383/appdr/94245
2. Nikolić M, Marković T, Mojović M, et al. Chemical composition and biological activity of Gaultheria procumbens L. essential oil. Ind Crops Prod. 2013;49:561–567. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.06.002
3. Clark G. An aroma-chemical profile, methyl salicylate, or oil of wintergreen. Perfume Flavorist. 1999;24:5–11.
4. Liu WR, Qiao WL, Liu ZZ, et al. Gaultheria: Phytochemical and pharmacological characteristics. Molecules. 2013;18:12071-12108. doi:10.3390/molecules181012071
5. Cuchet A, Jame P, Anchisi A, et al. Authentication of the naturalness of wintergreen (Gaultheria genus) essential oils by gas chromatography, isotope ratio mass spectrometry and radiocarbon assessment. Ind Crops Prod. 2019;143:111873. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111873
6. Todorović B, Potočnik I, Rekanović E, et al. Toxicity of twenty-two plant essential oils against pathogenic bacteria of vegetables and mushrooms. J Environ Sci Heal – Part B Pestic Food Contam Agric Wastes. 2016;51(12):832-839. doi:10.1080/03601234.2016.1208462
7. Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley T V. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. J Appl Microbiol. 1999;86:985–990. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2672.1999.00780.x
8. Thomas R, Williams M, Cauchi M, Berkovitz S, Smith SA. A double-blind, randomized trial of a polyphenolic-rich nail bed balm for chemotherapy-induced onycholysis: the UK polybalm study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018;171:103–110. doi:10.1007/s10549-018-4788-9
9. Nasreen B, Srisailam K, Uma Maheshwararao V. Development and Evaluation of Polyherbal Tablet Formulation with Potent Anti-Inflammatory and COX-2 Inhibitory Activity. J Chem Pharm Res. 2016;8(7):249-255.
10. Michel P, Dobrowolska A, Kicel A, et al. Polyphenolic profile, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens L.) leaf extracts. Molecules. 2014;19:20498-20520. doi:10.3390/molecules191220498
11. Kujur A, Kiran S, Dubey NK, Prakash B. Microencapsulation of Gaultheria procumbens essential oil using chitosan-cinnamic acid microgel: Improvement of antimicrobial activity, stability and mode of action. LWT – Food Sci Technol. 2017;86:132-138. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2017.07.054
12. Vergnes S, Ladouce N, Fournier S, Ferhout H, Attia F, Dumas B. Foliar treatments with gaultheria procumbens essential oil induce defense responses and resistance against a fungal pathogen in arabidopsis. Front Plant Ski. 2014;5:477. doi:10.3389/fpls.2014.00477