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The essential oil of wintergreen is highly poisonous due to the presence of methyl salicylate. It should never be ingested and should not be used in aromatherapy. External application is sufficient for making this oil work inside since it easily seeps through the skin and is absorbed by the muscles and tissues.
Furthermore, if accidentally ingested, it can cause severe damage to internal organs like the liver and kidneys. One more cautionary note, an excessive external application on the skin can also turn fatal because of absorption of excessive methyl salicylate in the tissues and consequently in the bloodstream.
There have been examples of death of sportsmen, one of those is a sportsman who rubbed too much of a relaxing ointment on his thighs which contained methyl salicylate. For this reason, it should never be given to patients who are hyper-reactive to salicylates. *
