Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Gaultberia Procumbens

ERICACEAE

teaberry, boxberry, partridgeberry, wintergreen, checkerberry, pigeon berry, clink; called by Canadians, tea of Canada

A shrubby, low-growing (five to six inches) evergreen, found most often in association with other members of the same family such as laurel and rhododendron, the teaberry has single, white flowers in early July followed by red berries in fall and winter. These mealy and spicy berries are one of the rewards of a Christmas-time hike through the woods of the eastern United States.

The medicinal property is in the leaves, which contain oil of wintergreen, extracted through distillation. Before the discovery of the synthetic methyl salicylate, or the substitution of a similar oil from the sweet birch Betula lenta (in some ways better than the product of Gaultheria) the demand for the plant as medicine was much greater than at present.

The methyl salicylate from Gaultheria, or whatever source, is a valuable tonic, stimulant, astringent, and aromatic, and the extracted oil is used in the treatment of rheumatism. But because of the equipment necessary to extract the oil, it could hardly be considered a home remedy. Potter suggests that an infusion of the leaves (1 ounce to 1 pint of boiling water) be employed in diarrhea and as an infant’s carminative.

For all practical purposes, the best use of oil of wintergreen is as a flavoring agent to cover up undesirable tastes. However valuable it may be in certain conditions, the nature of the pure oil is such that, if taken in continued large doses, it can cause inflammation of the stomach, vomiting, and high pulse.