Birch

Birch oil and wintergreen oil are close to identical in the bottle. Neither plant holds much free methyl salicylate. In both, the glycoside gaultherin is hydrolysed when the macerated material stands in water before distillation, and methyl salicylate is released. Birch oil is also distinct from birch tar, the smoky rectified product of Betula pendula.

01 · Origin

Betula lenta, sweet or black birch, is a tree of eastern North America with aromatic bark and twigs. This oil is distilled in France from the bark of wild-harvested material.

02 · Chemistry

Methyl salicylate dominates almost entirely. Ethyl salicylate and a trace of 1,8-cineole make up the remainder. An oil this concentrated in a single ester behaves as a near-isolate, and commercial birch oil is often replaced by synthetic methyl salicylate for that reason.

03 · In Practice

Sweet, minty and medicinal-fresh, the familiar wintergreen note. Used at low concentration in massage blends, and in natural perfumery as a fresh, medicinal accent. Comparative work with Wintergreen organic (No. 3024) shows two unrelated plants reaching the same molecule by the same route. Blends with peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, ginger and black pepper.

General information: For external use only. Dilute before applying to skin. Keep away from heat and sunlight. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes.