HERBAL MONOGRAPHS WITCH HAZEL/ 821leaves are coriaceous, oval, 3 to 5 cm long, glabrous and
glossy above, paler beneath, long and solitary.Characteristics: Wintergreen has an aromatic odor; the taste
of the whole plant is astringent.Habitat: Gaultheria procumbens is indigenous to the north-
ern United States and Canada.Production: Wintergreen leaves are the leaves of Gaultheria
procumbens.Other Names: Canada Tea, Checkerberry, Deerberry,
Ground Berry, Hillberry, Mountain Tea, Partridge Berry,
Spiceberry, Wax Cluster, Boxberry, TeaberryACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS: FRESHLY HARVESTED PLANT
Monotropitoside (Gaultherin): changing into methyl salicy-
late when the plant is driedCOMPOUNDS: DRIED PLANT
Volatile oil: chief component methyl salicylate (96-98%), in
addition to oenanthic alcohol (n-heptan-1-ol) and its ester
(which contributes to the odor of the volatile oil)EFFECTS
The essential oil has a rubefacient effect.INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Unproven Uses: Wintergreen was previously used as a
carminative, tonic, antiseptic and aromatic. The drug was
also used for neuralgia (particularly sciatica), gastralgias,
pleurisy, pleurodynia (especially for medium stage pain),
ovarialgia, orchitis, epidydimitis, diaphragmitis, uratic arthri-
tis and dysmenorrhea. Folk medicine indications also include
asthma and use of wintergreen as an antiseptic. The drug is
administered externally in the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis and related conditions.PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
Health risks or side effects following the proper administra-
tion of designated therapeutic dosages are not recorded. The
drug and its volatile oil can, however, trigger contact
allergies.OVERDOSAGE
Signs of poisoning such as severe stomach and kidney
irritation appear with overdosages of the drug. Fatal poison-
ings can occur through oral and percutaneous administration
of the pure volatile oil, often following are signs of central
nervous system distress, lung edema and collapse. Poison-
ings with fatal results have been observed following the oral
intake of as little as 4 to 6 g of the volatile oil.
DOSAGE
The drug is seldom used today. The active ingredient, methyl
salicylate, is produced synthetically at a lower cost. Methyl
salicylate is a constituent of liniments and bath additives.
LITERATURE
Friedrich H, Kriiger, N. (1974) Planta Med 26:327.
Frohne D, Pfander HJ, Giftpflanzen - Ein Handbuch fiir
Apotheker, Toxikologen und Biologen, 4. Aufl., Wiss.
Verlagsges. mbH Stuttgart 1997.
Kem W. List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der
Pharmazeutischen Praxis. 4. Aufl., Bde. 1-8, Springer Verlag
Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. 1969.
Leung AY, Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used
in Food Drugs and Cosmetics. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New
York 1980.
Lewin L, Gifte und Vergiftungen, 6. Aufl., Nachdruck, Haug
Verlag, Heidelberg 1992.
Madaus G, Lehrbuch der Biologischen Arzneimittel, Bde 1-3,
Nachdruck, Georg Olms Verlag Hildesheim 1979.
Roth L. Daunderer M, Kormann K, Giftpflanzen, Pflanzengifte,- Aufl., Ecomed Fachverlag Landsberg Lech 1993.
Steinegger E, Hansel R. Pharmakognosie, 5. Aufl., Springer
Verlag Heidelberg 1992.
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginianaTRADE NAMES
Witch Hazel (available from numerous manufacturers),
Witch Hazel Leaf
DESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the plant's
hamamelis water, which is distilled from various plant parts;
the bark; the fresh and dried leaves; the fresh bark of the
roots and branches; and the dried bark of the trunk and
branches.Flower and Fruit: The androgynous and unisexual flowers
grow in light to golden yellow, short-stemmed clusters on
the trees before the leaves come out. The inflorescence is a
small, head-like spike in the axils of the dropping leaves,
with 5 to 8 flowers. The 4 sepals are ovate or triangular,
curved outward, yellow-brown to brown on the inside. The
petals are bright yellow, long, narrow-linear, rolled to a
spiral in the bud and crushed like tissue paper when open.
The ovary is villous, bivalvular with 2 anatropic ovules.
Fertilization takes place during the spring that follows 5 to 7
months after pollination. The fruit capsule is woody, ovate,
sectioned and divided, hazelnut-like, 12 to 15 mm long and