Wintergreen and Sweet Birch ** Otherwise Known as Methyl Salicylate

[Guest guest]

Butch Owen <butchbsi

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 05:26:59 -0800

Wintergreen and Sweet Birch ** Otherwise

Known as Methyl Salicylate

 

 

 

Hi y'all,

 

Told you earlier I was gonna send a post on Wintergreen .. below is one

I wrote back in 2002. A second one is on the way.

 

 

Hi y'all,

 

When we talk about Wintergreen we gotta talk about Birch too.

 

Somebody wrote me a few hours ago and said they had caught hell on

another list by saying that Wintergreen was dangerous and was usually

just Methyl salicylate. I was not surprised .. folks don't like to be

told that anymore than smokers like to be hassled about cigarettes.

 

But if you believe that almost all Sweet Birch and Wintergreen are made

with synthetic Methyl salicylate ... you have it right. ;-) Most

chemists will say there is no such thing as " real " Birch and Wintergreen

oils on the market cause they've never seen one .. and they're the ones

who are good at making them .. so you gotta believe them.

 

In January 2000, a chemist wrote this about Birch to the Idma List:

 

" Time is really not such a major factor with birch oil production. This

is because the bark really doesn't have any volatile oil in it in the

first place. The oil can only be obtained upon soaking the macerated

bark in warm water for a period of at least 12-24 hours. The volatile

salicylates are formed via a glycosidic reaction of the bark with water.

So evaporation of the oil is not a factor here. This extra processing

step, in addition to the overall low yield, is another reason why birch

oil production is basically cost prohibitive. Not to mention that this

is an oil that's more dense than water and these types of oil require

significantly longer distillation times, adding even more to the cost.

Especially when its so easy to make methyl salicylate synthetically (it

costs about $2/lb in bulk) and there is no difference between synthetic

methyl salicylate and natural methyl salicylate since there are no

chiral centers in the molecule. Even chiral GC analysis can't tell the

difference. The most import thing to look at are the minor components

in the oil. If the oil is 99.9% methyl sal, you can bet its synthetic.

And this is the product usually sold as birch or wintergreen. " UNQUOTE

 

So y'all .. if you do find a pure Birch/Wintergreen, it will cost more

than you'd wanna pay because Methyl salicylate is not in the original

plant material and its a very costly process to make it .. plus there's

no need to produce it anyway as it can't be easily detected by analysis

in the first place and there are few Mother Theresa types in the world

of chemistry and/or production of oils. They are, however, producing the

oils the buyers want and Aromatherapists aren't the buyers of most oils.

 

Whether we like to admit it or not, the production of EO began and is

still an industry designed to support the fragrance industry. Now, the

pharmaceutical and food industry also uses a great volume of the oils.

AT uses less than 5% of most of the oils produced - in some cases less

than that. For example, lavender, rose and mints are grown for the

fragrance industry and though aromatherapists might use maybe 5% of the

lavender, they use less than ONE PERCENT of the mint and Rose Otto

produced. Wriggleys buys hundreds of tons of mint oils annually and the

Turkish Rose Otto producers sell more than a thousand kilos of Rose Otto

to the French perfumeries each year. But not much Wintergreen or Sweet

Birch is used in AT so why should the producers be concerned about how

they make it if its acceptable to the ones who are buying it?

 

Back in January 1999, someone on the Idma List asked if all distillers

of Wintergreen and Sweet Birch were dishonest .. and a chemist replied:

 

" The industry doesn't consider it dishonest because it has become

accepted that birch and wintergreen are interchangeable with Methyl

salicylate. So the big producers assume that the people they are

selling to already know this. But some of the buyers don't realize this

and think that just because it says " birch " that is must be the true

oil. Then they pass it on to their customers (unknowingly) as the true

oil. Its not that they're trying to deceive anyone, they don't know any

better. I personally don't believe the oil exists. " UNQUOTE

 

Then the chemist wrote: " Both birch and wintergreen do not naturally

contain methyl salicylate. To get the oil the leaves (in the case of

wintergreen) or bark (in the case of birch) have to be soaked in warm

water. An enzymatic reaction causes the decomposition of natural

glycosides in the plant into methyl salicylate. The true oils are

approximately 95% methyl salicylate. All the oil sold on the market

today is either pure synthetic methyl salicylate (about $2.00/lb) or

else a compound using methyl salicylate with a little terpenes thrown in

to make it look real. But even with these terpenes thrown in there is

a secret to look for in the GC/MS analysis to tell if the oil is

authentic or not. " UNQUOTE

 

So y'all .. production is an expensive process .. and since the EO is

not in the living plant material to begin with, I say they are not

natural oils anyway - but I know some will disagree.

 

If the oils produced from the soaking process described above are to be

considered as natural, then we can consider gasoline as natural since

the process for producing it from crude oil is, from a philosophical

point of view, similar.

 

Some might say that if I take that stand, I oughta also consider Blue

Chamomile not natural, but I don't agree. Granted, Chamazulene (gives

the blue color) is not present in the growing plant. Its present as a

precursor which decomposes when distilled and then it forms chamazulene.

BUT this happens DURING distillation .. unlike the process described

above that occurs PRIOR to distillation.

 

When Chamomile is distilled, we're talking about artifact formation and

substances with funny names that are present in chamomile flower heads

and chamazulene carboxylic acid and decarboxylation during steam

distillation, etc. - but its all a part of the distillation process.

 

There is no essential oil in Birch trees, but Chamomile is different in

that an essential oil does occur in the plant. Distillation changes the

natural oil's chemistry but that occurs with all distilled oils to one

degree or another. If we wanna be pedantic we can say the azulenes are

semi synthetic, but in truth they are conversions of chemicals occurring

in the plant that have similar therapeutic activity.

 

If we take it further we can say the creation of an essential oil is not

natural in the first place since there's no distillation in nature, it's

a man-made thing. Ad a matter of trivia, similar chemical processes to

distillation occur in the stomach. Herbalists have used chamomile as

an anti-inflammatory herb for thousands of years. Just recently it was

realized that the same precursor chemicals were heated in the stomach

and probably converted into azulene the same as we get in the oil.

 

Bottom line .. Birch and Wintergreen are never less than 98% Methyl

salicylate - and generally 99% plus. Methyl salicylate is an effective

pain reliever - that's why its used in so many medications for pain.

But that doesn't mean it's safe. There are MANY scientific studies

documenting Methyl salicylate poisoning .. and it's as high as 60%

fatal. A researcher reported that several medical studies say lipid

solubility is the reason why it can be so toxic. What I'm saying is I

won't use it or sell it to others - period!

 

And yes, they smell good and as I said, they help you with pain .. but

you can get poisoned from the arthritis medications your doctor might

prescribe as well as from some products you make yourself.

 

In August 1999, a research scientist wrote this to the Idma List:

 

" Taken from the article I wrote on birch oils for the International

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

 

SAFETY ISSUES IN THE UK

Little information seems to be available on the salicyclate-containing

birch oils themselves, but Tisserand and Balacs (1995) detail many

scientific studies concerning the oral and dermal toxicity of methyl

salicylate and wintergreen, and these warnings can be extrapolated to

B. lenta and B. alleghaniensis. Thus, studies are quoted which document

that if applied to patients who are also receiving warfarin as an

anticoagulant, internal hemorrhaging may occur; and that if applied for

a period of time, convulsions and gastro-intestinal damage may result.

Boyd (1992) states that symptoms of oral methyl salicylate poisoning

are related to age, amount consumed and whether consumption is acute or

chronic, but may include acid-base imbalance, central nervous system

toxicity and altered glucose metabolism.

 

Boyd (1992) states that symptoms of oral methyl salicylate poisoning

are related to age, amount consumed and whether consumption is acute or

chronic, but may include acid-base imbalance, central nervous system

toxicity and altered glucose metabolism.

 

Heng et. al. (1987) describe the case of a man, aged 62, who spent a

year in hospital after using a proprietary ointment containing

wintergreen and menthol and then applying a heat pad. The treatment

resulted in severe blistering, a high temperature, muscle weakness and

interstitial nephritis.

 

Penny Price, UK aromatherapist, teacher and writer, states

categorically: Sweet birch (Betula lenta) essential oil is not used in

aromatherapy because of the high concentration of methyl salicylate it

contains (98%). Numerous cases of methyl salicylate poisoning have been

reported, with a 50-60% mortality rate.

 

Topical application of Methyl salicylate has also resulted in poisoning

in humans due to transdermal absorption (Price, 1998).

 

THE US VIEWPOINT

(snip on me philosophising about why birch seems to be more widely used

and accepted in the US than the UK), then:

 

Sylla Sheppard-Hanger (1997), a well-known US aromatherapy teacher and

author, cautions against the use of methyl salicyclate-containing oils.

She states, using data from Watt's manual Plant Aromatics, that methyl

salicylate has been shown by the Research Institute of Fragrance

Materials to be moderately toxic, irritant and sensitising, and that it

is one of the few chemicals that has been shown to be quickly absorbed

into the bloodstream when applied dermally. She adds that a small dose

can cause poisoning.

 

Book references:

 

Boyd, E.L. (1992) Gaultheria procumbens. In: Adverse Effects of Herbal

Drugs, De Smet, P.A.G.M. (ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin

 

Heng, C. (1987) Local necrosis and interstitial nephritis due to

topical methyl salicylate and menthol. Cutis 39(5), 442-444.

 

Tisserand, R. and Balacs, T. (1995) Essential Oil Safety. Churchill

Livingstone, Edinburgh.

 

Watt, M. (1992) Plant Aromatics Safety Manuals. Martin Watt,

Chelmsford, Essex.

 

That will do for now. Take care (especially birch and wintergreen

users). " UNQUOTE

 

Also, in January 1999, a chemist wrote when someone claimed to have a

true Sweet Birch oil: " I am willing to put my money where my mouth is.

I challenge anyone to send me an authentic sample of Birch. I will

analyze it but the final proof in determining if the oil is authentic

would have to be done by isotopic studies on the relative abundancies of

the various carbon isotopes since methyl salicylate does not have an

enantiomeric form and so chiral analysis really won't prove anything. I

cannot do the type of testing that needs to be done to prove beyond a

shadow of a doubt that the sample is authentic but I know where to send

it to have it done. This kind of test is more expensive than GC/MS

testing but I will pay for the test if the oil turns out to be

authentic. If the oil is a fake then the sender of the sample will pay

for the test as well as be willing to have the results publicized on

this list.

 

Any takers? " UNQUOTE

 

Then later, that same chemist wrote: " All I can say is that every

commercial sample of birch that I have ever analyzed was 99.9% or better

methyl salicylate. I don't care what the industry tries to tell you,

essential oils are NEVER that simple. You can believe it if you want

but I sure don't. " UNQUOTE

 

Around 40 some odd years ago, in his book " Perfume and Flavor Materials

of Natural Origin " , Arctander wrote: " Birch bark oil used to be one of

the 'big items' in American essential oil production (annual production

was about 200 tons prior to World War I). The oil has almost completely

lost its importance by now and it is merely a curiosity. What the trade

offers today under the label of 'Oil of Sweet Birch' may very well be a

'touched up' methyl salicylate from a chemical factory. " UNQUOTE

 

If this was true then, how much worse has it gotten with improvements in

synthetic techniques of an already easy to manufacture molecule.

 

Some folks think Wintergreen and Sweet Birch are the same EO because

they smell the same. They are wrong if they're talking about the true

botanical products but they are right regarding what we see on the

market today.

 

Don't start running from Birch .. different ones have totally different

chemical profiles. Betula lenta and Betula allaghensis (or Sweet Birch

or Yellow Birch) are the ones with the high methyl salicylate content.

Sweet birch and Yellow Birch .. and Wintergreen, are dermal toxins - you

don't have to ingest them to get sick. But Betula alba (White Birch or

Silver Birch) contains no methyl salicylate and has totally different

uses and a totally different aroma than the other two.

 

Despite all the info from the pros, and the abundance of evidence about

toxicity of methyl salicylate that can be found in many sources - like

the Tisserand and Balacs book " Essential Oil Safety " , and a chapter on

Wintergreen in " Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs " , edited by De Smet,

some folks just don't wanna believe the facts about Sweet Birch and

Wintergreen and if you burst their balloons, they might try to shoot the

messenger - it's just the way it is.

 

Methyl salicylate is one of the few chemicals that we know absorbs well.

 

As for Sweet Birch .. it is made with Methyl salicylate because Methyl

salicylate is inexpensive and producing " real " Birch oil is expensive ..

you get less than one gram of oil from a pound of material. There are

473 + grams in a pound so you can see that a yield of less than 0.25

percent is incredibly expensive. The yield for Rose Otto is one kilo

from 4,000 kilos of rose petals .. about the same .. and there is no

pre-preparation required in hydro-distillation of rose petals - you

harvest them, dump'em in a still, then run a cohobation distillation and

produce a fine product that sells for $6,500 a kilo. I base my comments

on use of synthetic Methyl salicylate on this logic and comparison of

the selling prices of Birch oils .. does it make sense?

 

Preparations containing Methyl salicylate are effective pain relievers -

and Methyl salicylate is used in many medications for pain. But that

doesn't mean it's safe - doesn't mean you and I can use it effectively

as can the experienced and professional OTC medication manufacturers.

Most folks don't really care why it works - but its " opinion " of some

that its an effective detoxifier. The build-up of toxins around the

joint is part of what causes the pain, so the use of a detoxifying

substance gets toxins moving on down the road.

 

Methyl salicylate is a dermal and oral toxin and there is not one person

in the world of chemistry or medicine that will tell you otherwise, but

that doesn't mean you're gonna fall down and die the first time you use

it. But in concentration, and/or with frequent use, Methyl salicylate

does make people sick, and it can be fatal if the overdose is high.

 

I'm not one to hang onto invitro/invivo studies on what does this or

that to a rat .. but I pay attention to data reported by dermatologists

and the medical folks when they report real, live results from real live

human critters. This data is collected by various agencies.

 

Methyl salicylate builds up in the body so using the same amount every

day is in effect giving yourself a higher and higher dose. And there is

no disputing that such build up can cause permanent damage to the liver.

I'm not smart enough to tell folks how to use it and I know that many

folks aren't as smart about EOs as I am - so I don't sell it.

 

Claims of " real " Birch and Wintergreen oil are hard to disprove if you

disregard the economically responsible logic I've presented above. They

are difficult to prove because tests to determine authenticity would

require isotopic studies ... even chiral analysis really won't prove

anything. The cost of chiral analysis is BIG BUCKS and the better

tests are even BIGGER BUCKS!

 

Its NOT impossible to obtain true Sweet Birch or Wintergreen - but its

not feasible nor is there a reason to do so because Methyl salicylate is

one of those very few chemicals that the body will handle the same way

be it from a chemist's lab or distillation process. Substituting Methyl

salicylate that costs less than $3-$4 a pound is not unsafe .. and not

unethical unless you claim it is the real thing and it's not.

 

Believe what you want and do what you want .. but its wiser have an

inquiring mind and make informed decisions. Just because other folks

believe something doesn't make it right .. especially in an industry

that has a foundation of marketing hype, misinformation/disinformation

and rumor.

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch :-) http://www.AV-AT.com