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When living in another country it's only natural to miss some of the tastes of home. In my case, the extreme rarity of root beer has been a source of sadness. Time to time I'll come across a supermarket or import shop that carries it and am sure to pick up a can despite its often exorbitant price of around 200 yen (US$1.69).

The reason for the absence of the drink on the Japanese market is obvious though. Although root beer has its share of detractors even in its home of America, the sheer number of people who can't stand the stuff in Japan is huge. What is it that makes root beer so overwhelmingly disgusting to Japanese people?

■ Okinawa: Land of root beer

Recently our reporter Nakano made the trip down to Okinawa to get a taste of the frothy brown soft drink for the first time. Okinawa was the one enclave of Japan where root beer could flourish thanks to the presence of American military installations there.

Nakano figured he'd do it right and went to an A&W restaurant for a fountain style glass of it. On researching root beer, he found that its reputation in Japan was that you'd either get completely disgusted by it or completely addicted to it on the first sip.

It turned out he was firmly in the completely disgusted camp and could barely finish his glass. He offered it to his travel companions who gave their opinions as "Aw, this is sh*t! F**k you!"
▼ Thank you! Come again!

■ Empirical Studies

In my many years living in Japan I have offered drinks of root beer (A&W mostly) to as many Japanese people as possible, well over a hundred. Although I haven't recorded the reactions for a solid figure, I can say with confidence that about 90% of people who tasted it were immediately turned off.

Kids and teens tended to show a slight preference for it, but into adulthood there seems to be no correlation between age and a hatred of root beer. By far the most popular reason for disliking it is that "it tastes like medicine." By a wide margin most people I've talked to compare it to the scent of a shippu which is a chemical hot or cold patch used for muscle aches and injuries. Nakano mentioned a popular comparison to a pain-relief patch by the name of Salonpas "with just a hint of sugar mixed in."

■ Off to the drug store

I could understand the comparison to medicine in the sense that root beer does use various roots (hence the name) that might be used in medicines such as licorice. There are also hints of mint and wintergreen but hardly enough to remind me of medicine. Furthermore, I've never encountered any medicine that even remotely reminded me of root beer. At best some cough syrups have that sickly attempt at a cherry flavor that some associate with a Dr. Pepper (also fairly hated in Japan), but nothing like an A&W.

So I went down to the local drug store and picked up a pack of Salonpas that Nakano mentioned for a smell test. Sure enough right upon opening up the sealed plastic back I was hit with a whiff that smelled just like root beer with slightly more mint to it. I actually found myself taking deeper and deeper sniffs attracted to the sweet flavor but then realized that inhaling a medicinal patch probably wasn't good for the old brain cells and stopped.

Suddenly it all added up. People in Japan would likely associate the smell of root beer to the inedible pain-relieving patch and perhaps even on a deeper level to the painful situation that came along with it for an extra kick of negativity. On the other hand, I found Salonpas pads to have an utterly delightful smell and would recommend them for anyone who loves root beer and has stiff shoulders. It also kind of explained why kids didn't mind the taste as much since they were less likely to use Salonpas.

■ Different floats for different folks

There are likely other factors at play in the widespread dislike of root beer in Japan. Perhaps its flavor doesn't mesh well with the standard cultural tastes of the land, but in a country that embraces natto, fermented beans which smell like a turd wrapped in a sweaty sock, that seems unlikely.

There's also a chance of a genetic factor in Japanese people's sense of taste which makes something in root beer stand out as particularly unpleasant. However, judging by people's overwhelmingly popular comparisons to medicine it would seem that is the culprit here.

This leaves the question of why Salonpas smells like root beer. The ingredients listed on the box say that it has "added scents" suggesting that the fragrance was chosen deliberately by the makers. Regardless of whether this scent was designed to be like root beer or merely a coincidence, it seems to have really put the kybosh on the drink's popularity in the entire country.
Photos: RocketNews24
Read Nakano's full report in Japanese on RocketNews24

UPDATE: As Kim Pennebaker pointed out in the comments, it appears that wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) is the common scent between Salonpas and root beer rather than any added scent. Methyl Salicylate is the active ingredient in highest content in Salonpas and tends to have a pungent scent. It's used in other medicines and foods as well, but in the case of Salonpas and root beer it appears to be all in the amounts.

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Why almost all Japanese people hate root beer

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When living in another country it's only natural to miss some of the tastes of home. In my case, the extreme rarity of root beer has been a source of sadness. Time to time I'll come across a supermarket or import shop that carries it and am sure to pick up a can despite its often exorbitant price of around 200 yen ...

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Experiment 1:Japanese People Hate Root Beer

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My experiments in Japan!!!!! So most Gaijins in Japan hate Natto, and I think if you are a foreigner that likes natto, your a liar hahaha. But I always ask Japanese people, what do you think is disgusting from North American Foods. Then I heard that all Japanese People Hate Root Beer so here are my results hahaha.

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Why isn't root beer popular around the world?

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Why isn't root beer more popular outside of the U.S. and Canada? Many U.S. products, including soft drinks, do well in global markets, but the most delicious and authentic U.S. soft drink is hard...

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The first documented evidence of the production of "root beer" was in the American colonies. Prior to that, sassafras was being shipped back to Europe after the New World was discovered. I have not found any evidence of root beer being made with it, only tea, and mead.

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Not only is homemade root beer fun to make, but it's also so much more flavorful than anything you can get at the store! Feel free to tweak this recipe to appeal to your tastes. We're going to try a bit more cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest next time.

We had an absolutely amazing time at our baby shower this past weekend. My Mama and sister really out-did themselves and managed to throw a party that was totally perfect for Craig and me! We're not fussy baby shower type folks, so we requested early on that our shower be two things (a) a co-ed shower (Craig wanted to be part of the fun, too!) and (b) totally casual.

Honestly, we were mostly just looking forward to getting together with our friends and family one last time before Baby J shows up, and that's what we wanted the day to focus on. And it did! We had beer (well, other people did), burgers, brats, and a ton of laughs. It was so amazing to see everyone. And everyone was so sweet and generous. We're very spoiled!

One of things I requested when we decided on a casual baby shower was root beer! Craig and my Dad have become master craft brewers over the past year, and packed up three of their homemade beers for party guests to enjoy (and everyone raved about them), but I didn't want to be left out, so I requested that we try our hand at homebrewing some root beer, too. It took a few trials, but we managed to land on a crazy delicious homemade root beer that everyone seemed to enjoy! It was so good I almost didn't miss the real beer. Almost.

Brewing root beer at home seems complicated, but it was actually a pretty simple process. Basically, you just make a big batch of tea using roots and spices, add a sweetener and yeast, and then let it carbonate by sitting at room temperature for a few days. Admittedly, it helped that we have all the equipment from homebrewing beer, but that's definitely not a necessity.

We loved being able to do this ourselves because we could control the amount and kind of sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup in our root beer!), and we could control the flavors and spices. In fact, we actually scrapped our first batch because it was too heavy on the licorice flavor. We landed on a pretty delicious final combination, but I can still see us tweaking it more in the future. I think I might add a bit more vanilla and a touch more cinnamon (to add some bite to it!) in our next batch.

Traditional root beer is made using the root of the sassafras tree. But back in the 60s, the FDA banned sassafras root from commercially-made root beer because of a (what I think is flawed) study that found that ridiculously high amounts of a compound from sassafras injected in rats caused a higher risk of cancer (it was basically the equivalent of drinking 32-12 ounce root beers a day for an extended period of time). The irony is, the FDA never tested it on humans, and in fact, many independent studies show that regular, but moderate, consumption of sassafras in humans actually lowers cancer risk. Humans have been consuming sassafras root tea for centuries for its health benefits, even! The most infuriating part is that while the FDA jumped to ban sassafras (probably because there aren't many sassafras tree lobbyists in DC), they have no issues allowing artificial colors, artificial flavors, and high fructose corn syrup in commercially-produced root beer. My personal belief is that ingesting lots of those kinds of chemical compounds frequently is a lot more detrimental to the human body than a moderate amount of sassafras root. But that's up for you to decide on your own.

Anywho! You'd think after a rant like that, I'd go into saying that there is sassafras root in our root beer recipe, but there isn't any. But it's not because of the FDAs ruling, it's because buying sassafras root is mega expensive! And while sassafras trees grow rampant in our area, it's best to harvest sassafras for brewing in late summer or early fall-i.e. not now. Just like we learned with sugaring, when trees are budding and leafing out in spring, the sap becomes bitter. And no one wants bitter root beer!

We'll probably tweak this recipe come summer or fall to include sassafras root from our property, but for now, we're using an affordable mixture of spices and roots that approximate the flavor of sassafras. Bonus is, this recipe works for folks who don't have sassafras trees growing rampant (I'm looking at you, West Coasters). And if the FDA ruling on sassafras worries you, you can make this recipe without concern.

A note about bottling: because of the high levels of sugar in root beer, it carbonates really quickly! Many home root beer brewers actually recommend you store root beer in plastic bottles because glass ones have been known to explode from the rapid carbonation. Quite frankly, we don't store any of our food in plastic, and we weren't about to start with our homemade root beer, so we chanced it and bottled it in regular ole beer bottles with regular caps. To prevent a mess, while the bottles were carbonating, we wrapped each one in bubble wrap, and put them in a large cooler. That way, if one went off, it hopefully wouldn't cause a chain reaction. And at the very least, it would keep the mess contained. But, thankfully, we didn't have any issues.

Some folks also use flip-top style bottles (they help release a touch of the pressure) or even canning jars with the lids not 100% tightened. We just liked living on the edge by using regular bottles. We also checked our bottles every 12 hours after brewing for carbonation. Once it hit the sweet spot (it took about 48 hours in our 70° house), we popped the bottles in the fridge to slow the carbonation process down and prevent them from getting overcarbonated.

Homemade Root Beer

Author: Cassie Johnston

Yield: 16-12 ounce bottles

Have you ever made your own homemade soft drinks?

MY OTHER RECIPES

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We had an absolutely amazing time at our baby shower this past weekend. My Mama and sister really out-did themselves and managed to throw a party that was totally perfect for Craig and me! We're not fussy baby shower type folks, so we requested early on that our shower be two things (a) a co-ed shower (Craig wanted to be part of the fun, too!)

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An autopsy on the body of a 17-year-old Staten Island high-school track star was inconclusive, and authorities said yesterday they will have to wait for the results of toxicology tests before determining why Arielle Newman died.

Newman, a Notre Dame Academy senior, was found dead in her bedroom by her mother, Alice, on Tuesday afternoon.

She appeared to have vomited several times, authorities said.

The sources said Arielle, who suffered from asthma, had gone to a beer party in Willowbrook Park.

When she returned to her home in the Castleton Corners section at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, she seemed out of it and told her parents that some boys at the party had hassled her.

Mrs. Newman told The Staten Island Advance that she stayed up with her daughter for an hour and 45 minutes until she felt the girl was OK: "I said, 'Good night,' she brushed her teeth, and that was that."

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the mother tried to wake Arielle and found her dead.

In a brief interview with The Post, Mrs. Newman denied that before going to the party, her daughter had been drinking at the nearby Boulder Creek Steakhouse.

"She's very smart," the heart-broken woman said. "She would never get into a bar, because she looks like she's 15 even though she's 17. I asked her where she was. She said she went to a deli and was with friends."

She abruptly stopped speaking when a relative called her away.

Brian O'Connor, the manager of the steakhouse, said Arielle had not been there Monday night.

Dom Tringali, the girl's coach at Notre Dame, said he had spoken with Mrs. Newman earlier that night about which colleges Arielle might apply to.

"We talked about certain schools and coaches and where I thought she might fit in best," he told The Advance. "She was more than a good runner; she was a great runner."

Tringali said Arielle had run all through her high school years and was named outdoor captain in her junior and senior years.

"She was a tough runner with some phenomenal times," he said.

The teen's many victories include back-to-back wins - in 2005 and 2006 - at the Staten Island Cross Country Championships.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona jamie.schram@nypost.com

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An autopsy on the body of a 17-year-old Staten Island high-school track star was inconclusive, and authorities said yesterday they will have to wait for the results of toxicology tests before determining why Arielle Newman died. Newman, a Notre Dame Academy senior, was found dead in her bedroom by her mother, Alice, on Tuesday afternoon.

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Seventeen-year-old Arielle Newman's death is as mysterious as it is shocking.

A member of her Staten Island, New York, high school track team, Newman used popular over-the-counter drugs like Icy Hot and Bengay to relieve pain - ointments which contain methyl salicylate.

The medical examiner told Arielle's mother her daughter used an excessive amount of those ointments which led to a toxic build up.

"She told me the normal levels or the safe levels, and then she told me hers was a level that six times that amount," said her mother, Alice Newman.

But, as CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston reports, Newman's mother doesn't believe her daughter was using any more of the over-the-counter drugs than anyone else on the track team.

"They all have it in their sports bags," she said. "If you go to a track meet, you smell it everywhere."

The early warning signs of salicylate poisoning can be easily missed. They include ringing in the ears, difficulty breathing and a fast heart rate.

All the norm for someone who runs track, according to sports medicine specialist dr. Steve Weinfeld.

"When someone's exercising their metabolic and their exertion rate is significantly increased," he said.

That means that Arielle's body was likely to be absorbing more salicylate because of strenuous exercise.

"The one thing we don't know in this case - that I'm not aware of - is whether this child was taking oral medications such as aspirin, which also contains salycilic acid," Weinfeld said.

The combination of oral aspirin plus the ointment could have led to toxic poisoning. Her mother said Arielle had recently sought a doctor's help because it was taking her a long time to recover between races.

"She was getting frustrated," her mother said. "She was saying 'I don't know why it's taking so long to run the next race,' and the coach brought it to my attention, and that's when I took her to the doctor."

Medical experts describe Newman's death as baffling. Bengay's manufacture, Johnson & Johnson, insists its product is safe if used as directed. A company spokesman told CBS News that they are checking to see if there have been any other fatalities.

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Seventeen-year-old Arielle Newman's death is as mysterious as it is shocking. A member of her Staten Island, New York, high school track team, Newman used popular over-the-counter drugs like Icy Hot and Bengay to relieve pain - ointments which contain methyl salicylate.

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Arielle Newman was the captain of the track team at Notre Dame Academy in Staten Island, N.Y.

"She was a good kid, an overall good kid, following the rules, just trying to do the best she could in school, in track," said Alice Newman, Arielle's mother.

The award-winning cross country runner, who was popular with friends and teachers alike, was found dead by her mother on April 3.

"I went upstairs to her room and found her on the floor," Newman said. "I tried to do mouth-to-mouth. I tried to do chest compressions, but I could tell that she'd been gone for a while."

Arielle's death came as a shock to family and friends. But, nothing could prepare them for the apparent cause of this tragedy -- an overdose of muscle-pain-relieving creams.

Millions of consumers use such over-the-counter products to relieve pain from aching muscles. But doctors say they contain a substance known as methyl salicylate, which if used in excess can prove harmful.

"If you had a toxic level of salycalate, you'd start with some nausea, vomiting, dizziness, some ringing in the ears," said Dr. Lewis Maharam, medical director of Elite Racing. "That would progress to a feeling of sleepiness and you could get seizures as well."

According to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office, this was the first time it has reported a death from the use of sports cream. Doctors said, used in moderation, the products are safe.

"They're only 30 percent salycalate, which is aspirin that gets absorbed by the skin -- and everybody uses aspirin," Maharam said. 'So in order to get this type of result, you have to take a tremendous amount of this stuff and be rubbing it on day after day, morning, noon and night, go through cases of it to get a level that would be detrimental."

For Arielle's mother, the idea that an over-the-counter product could lead to the death of her daughter is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

"There's nothing I can do now," she said. "My daughter's gone and I miss her terribly, but there's nothing I can do. I'm just thinking, 'What should I do now?'"

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Arielle Newman was the captain of the track team at Notre Dame Academy in Staten Island, N.Y. "She was a good kid, an overall good kid, following the rules, just trying to do the best she could in school, in track," said Alice Newman, Arielle's mother. The award-winning cross country runner, who...

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A 17-year-old Notre Dame Academy track star died in April from rare toxic dose of sports cream, the city Medical Examiner said today.

Toxicology tests revealed Arielle Newman's blood contained lethal amounts of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient in common muscle rubs like BenGay and Icy Hot, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's officer. The teen accidentally used "topical medication to an excess," causing poisons to accumulate in her body over an undetermined amount of time, Ms. Borakove said.

The overdose likely led to a seizure.

Arielle, a promising Notre Dame senior who garnered numerous awards in her brief athletic career there, was found dead in her Castelton Corners home April 3. An autopsy was inconclusive, and lead to rampant speculation her sudden death may have been connected to a party in Willowbrook Park she attended the night before.

Her family had been waiting more than two months for the ME's office to make the final conclusion on her daughter's test.

"I am glad this shows (Arielle) didn't die of her own doing. But this is a tragedy that could have been avoided,' said her mother, Alice Newman.

Deaths from the topical salicylate poisoning appear to be extremely rare. Ms. Borakove said this was the first case she has ever encountered in 20 years with the ME's office. None of the doctors contacted by Advance reporters could recall any others. Research into medical journals revealed a few reports of salicylate toxicity when absorbed through the skin, but no deaths.

The package labels on some of the over-the-counter topical analgesic cremes have warnings against ingesting the medication, using it on open cuts or wounds, in combination with heating pads or on children. Some specifically state there are no known overdoses when the products are used externally.

Dom Tringali, her track coach at Notre Dame's track, said sports balms can be found at just about every track meet, in ever locker room. Mrs. Newman said Arielle had been using a teammate's Ultra Strength BenGay, and possibly other topical analgesics on her legs this year to help her recover between track meets.

"She told me her legs felt like cement," her mother said. "She was working so hard to turn her season around."

Even with repeated use, however, it is unclear how the extremely high levels of the substance remained in her body. Dr. Kristen Roman of the ME's office told Mrs. Newman the toxicology report revealed more six times the safe amount of methyl salicylate in Arielle's blood.

Her mother said she took Arielle to several doctors after she complained of a fatigue and shortness of breath in February and March. An asthma specialist prescribed an inhaler, and a dermatologist prescribed for her some creme for a skin condition.

Neither doctor could pinpoint any other medical problems, her mother said. And none of the other medication Arielle was taking contributed to her death, according to the medical examiner.

The night before her death, Arielle returned from a party and spoke with her mother for hours before going to bed. After she was found the next morning, her parents discovered vomit on two pairs of pants she had apparently worn the night before. According to medical journals, nausea and vomiting are some of the symptoms of salicylate poisoning. Other symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, convulsions and agitation.

Dr. Roman, and several of the detectives who first investigated Arielle's death, noticed a faint minty smell when they examined the body, Mrs. Newman said. The smell could have been attributed to methyl salicylate, also known as "oil of wintergreen."

Although initial autopsy results pointed the popular liniment as a possibly cause of death, it still appeared implausible.

"She said she was really perplexed by it," Mrs. Newman said, referring to conversations she had with the doctor.

"I still can't believe it," she added. "I am scrupulous about my children's health. I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."
--- Peter N. Spencer and Tim Vassilakos

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EXCLUSIVE: Medical Examiner's report: NDA track star died from rare toxic dose of sports cream

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A 17-year-old Notre Dame Academy track star died in April from rare toxic dose of sports cream, the city Medical Examiner said today. Toxicology tests revealed Arielle Newman's blood contained lethal amounts of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient in common muscle rubs like BenGay and Icy Hot, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's officer.

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Successful Staten Island high school track star Arielle Newman died from poisoning that occurred from the over-application of topical pain-relieving balms. The 17-year-old was found dead in her bed by her mother the morning after she attended a large party on Staten Island in April, and suspicions initially turned to drugs or alcohol as the cause of her death. An initial autopsy that proved inconclusive only deepend the mystery surrounding the loss of a promising student athlete.

It was also revealed that after cops and firemen broke up the raucous underage event dubbed the "Night of Mayhem", scattering teenagers into the surrounding woods, Newman was separated from her friends and attacked by someone who pushed her face in the mud. The young woman escaped by kicking her attacker in the genitals. Her death shortly thereafter initiated a public discussion about how bored Staten Island teens with nothing to do often turn to drugs and alcohol.

A report released by the city medical examiner yesterday, however, determined that the star runner at Notre Dame Academy actually died from poisoning resulting from the over-application of pain-relieving sports balm. Methyl salicylate is an active ingredient in many topical pain relievers like Ben Gay and Icy Hot. Newman's body absorbed so much of the ingredient through overuse of the balms that it killed her.

The news of the cause of Newman's death has shocked many in the athletic community and many Staten Island coaches are saying that they will no longer allow the use of such balms by their athletes. The Staten Island Advance also examines a culture of competitiveness so intense among high school athletes that they will go to great lengths to play through pain or gain a competitive edge. An area high school girls soccer coach Tony Dimaggio tried to explain the pressure that goes beyond just a will to win: "I think part of it is motivated by the need to get college scholarships, especially since tuition is so high. Everybody is trying to be a top athlete. ... They push themselves more and more to get an edge."

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Staten Island Runner's Death Was Balm-Related

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Successful Staten Island high school track star Arielle Newman died from poisoning that occurred from the over-application of topical pain-relieving balms. The 17-year-old was found dead in her bed by her mother the morning after she attended a large party on Staten Island in April, and suspicions initially turned to drugs or alcohol as the cause of her death.

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While most of the time consumers pick BenGay up off the shelf without a second thought, the recent death of a 17-year-old track star-because of the ointment-made the public pause. Arielle Newman, who regularly used BenGay to relieve the aches and pains resulting from her track training, died from an accidental overdose of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient found in BenGay.

Methyl salicylate is found in many over-the-counter creams, ointments and lotions that are used to help relieve muscle aches and pains. Products like Icy Hot, Bayer Muscle Joint Cream, BenGay and Tiger Balm all have varying levels of the chemical, which is found not only in liniments, but also in aspirin products.

The most potent form of methyl salicylate is oil of wintergreen, a liquid concentrate that comes from wintergreen leaf fermentation (or, now, can be made synthetically). The oil is used medicinally, either in herbal treatments or more traditional methods, to treat headaches, muscle pains and stomach disorders. It's also included in food, candy, gum and toothpaste as flavoring, while other companies use it for air fresheners.

Oil of wintergreen contains 98 percent methyl salicylate, so it's highly toxic in its pure form. In young children, a teaspoon of oil of wintergreen is equivalent to taking 22 adult aspirins-and, therefore, is lethal. (Keep in mind, however, that one would have to eat spoonfuls of ointment to ingest a teaspoon's worth of the oil.) While common, over-the-counter ache-relief products contain a much lower percentage of methyl salicylate than is contained in oil of wintergreen-for example, both Icy Hot and BenGay Extra Strength contain 30 percent, the highest percentage of all topical creams-their toxic potential is real: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandate that any product containing five percent or more of methyl salicylate carry a warning label stating it must be used as directed and kept out of the reach of children. Lethal, however, is never mentioned-so what circumstances lead to Newman's death?

One of the warnings on the BenGay label explains the cream shouldn't be used with a heating pad. These devices open pores and also cause the cream to melt, spreading it over a larger surface area. These two seemingly innocuous circumstances increase absorption of the cream into the body, and can lead to an overdose of methyl salicylate. While Newman never used a heating pad, she applied BenGay before a track meet, where her running and sweating acted as a sort of heating pad, resulting in over-absorption and toxicity.

Liniments can also become toxic when the creams are mixed with other members of the salicylate family, such as aspirin or the stomach-calmer Pepto-Bismol. A topical cream sinks into pores, reaching muscles and nerves close to the skin. However, some of that medicine also enters the bloodstream. If you were to then ingest a type of salicylate, like aspirin, on top of using an ointment, the chemical could build-up in your bloodstream, acting as a poison. Not only that, poisoning can result from mixing several different brands that contain methyl salicylate. In fact, Newman's autopsy results showed that she was not only using BenGay, but she was also using adhesive pads which contained the anti-inflammatory and an additional third unidentified product. Doctors said the combination of salicylate products lead to the high levels of methyl salicylate, which caused Newman's death.

According to an article in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, while there are several case studies of methyl salicylate mortality, there are no dedicated reviews. The author writes, "A medical literature search found many case reports and a few case series involving methyl salicylate intoxication, yet failed to reveal any clinical studies."

It is extremely rare for individuals over the age of 12 to experience methyl salicylate poisoning, mostly because of the greater body mass of an adult compared to a child. Additionally, the JEM article notes the consistency of creams and ointments containing methyl salicylate makes ingestion of large volumes difficult. That, combined with the low concentration in the creams, makes significant toxicity from liniments unlikely.

But unlikely is not impossible: The widespread over-the-counter availability of these products makes consumers mistakenly assume that they're all safe, all the time. This assumption usually only holds when any drug is used as directed and by itself.

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How can you overdose on BenGay? " Scienceline

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While most of the time consumers pick BenGay up off the shelf without a second thought, the recent death of a 17-year-old track star-because of the ointment-made the public pause. Arielle Newman, who regularly used BenGay to relieve the aches and pains resulting from her track training, died from an accidental overdose of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient found in BenGay.

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A standard lab experiment in organic chemistry is to convert aspirin(acetylsalicylic acid) to Methyl salicylate. Methyl salicylate is an ester which smells sweet, is strong, is approved for use in food and is the characterizing flavor of wintergreen. Wintergreen flavor is very popular in the United States. Countries like Japan and Italy think it's most suitable for cleaning bathrooms, but not for eating.

Personally, Wintergreen is one of my favorite flavors. It not only adds cool minty flavor, it adds sweetness. You can taste wintergreen in toothpastes, candies, gums, rootbeer, and bubble gum. Yes, that's right, root beer. Try a swig of rootbeer; doesn't it taste a little like wintergreen? Rootbeer also has vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, citrus and anise, but the character component is methyl salicylate.

Methyl salicylate is best blended in flavors and not added as a single molecule. For example, wintergreen flavor for chewing gum would contain :

20-40% of Methyl salicylate

20-40% peppermint oil

20-40%Menthol

an artificial cooling agent

modifiers(vanilla, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, clove et.)

When formulating a wintergreen flavor, the idea is to make it smooth and not harsh. The bits of herbs and spices add interesting side notes that distract the taster from the harshness of the straight chemical while maintaining the overall minty flavor.

Why do flavor chemists use Methyl salicylate in flavors and not wintergreen oil? Methyl salicylate is inexpensive: around $2-3 per pound; while wintergreen oil, which has an extremely limited supply, is closer to $50 per pound. Wintergreen oil does not smell as clean and sweet as Methyl salicylate, so personally, I prefer the artificial Methyl salicylate. Currently, Methyl salicylate is one of the least expensive mint flavor components. Most mint oils range from $5-30 per pound and very few mint oils are available at low cost artificially.

Some flavor chemists use a little bit of Methyl salicylate in berry or citrus flavors to add a unique character. In what other flavors would you consider using Methyl salicylate?

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Methyl salicylate, Artificial Wintergreen oil (FEMA 2745) - Flavor Scientist

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A standard lab experiment in organic chemistry is to convert aspirin(acetylsalicylic acid) to Methyl salicylate. Methyl salicylate is an ester which smells sweet, is strong, is approved for use in food and is the characterizing flavor of wintergreen. Wintergreen flavor is very popular in the United States.

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Wintergreen oil is a beneficial essential oil that's extracted from the leaves of the Gaultheria procumbens evergreen plant. Once steeped in in warm water, beneficial enzymes within wintergreen leaves called methyl salicylates are released, which are then concentrated into an easy-to-use extract formula using steam distillation.

Wintergreen leaves themselves are actually odorless and tasteless, but after a compound called gaultherin present in the leaves is enzymatically hydrolyzed to methyl salicylate, the signature "minty" aroma develops. Because wintergreen oil naturally has a sweet and fresh scent and smell, very similar to that of peppermint oil, it has a wide variety of uses in foods, teas, aromatherapy, household and beauty products.

Also sometimes called eastern teaberry, checkerberry or gaultheria oil, wintergreen has been used for centuries by tribes native to North America to help cure fatigue, lung, sinus and respiratory illnesses. Wintergreen oil is naturally an antioxidant, energizing and immune-enhancing since it lowers inflammation and reduces pain.

Wintergreen Oil Benefits

Research shows that wintergreen oil has the ability to act like a natural analgesic (pain reducer), antiarthritic, antiseptic and astringent. Wintergreen oil primarily contains the active ingredient methyl salicylate, which makes up about 85 percent to 99 percent of wintergreen essential oil.

It's one of the best sources of this inflammation-fighting compound in the world and believed to be one of only several plants that naturally supply enough to form an extract. Birch essential oil also contains methyl salicylate and therefore has similar tension-reducing benefits and uses.

Wintergreen is absorbed into skin quickly and acts like a natural numbing agent, similar to cortisone. It also promotes blood circulation and cools irritation, which is comforting to swollen skin. Additionally, wintergreen also contains antioxidants and beneficial ingredients, including guaiadienes, a-pinene, myrcene, delta 3-carene, limonene and delta-cadinene.
Wintergreen essential oil benefits include:

Fighting disease-causing inflammation

Relieving pain

Reducing swelling and irritation

Improving digestion

Clearing skin irritation

Improving alertness and senses

Treating colds, fevers, infections and the flu

Wintergreen oil has been used as an active ingredient in many topical pain relievers for decades to help ease muscle joint and bone pain. Today, it's commonly used for reducing other painful conditions, too; for example, wintergreen is used as a natural headache remedy, for chronic nerve pain, PMS symptoms and arthritis. This is because wintergreen naturally contains active constituents that work similarly to aspirin.

The leaves are also beneficial for preventing and treating digestion problems, including stomachaches, cramps, gas and bloating. And because wintergreen oil can help fight inflammation, it's effective for helping treat a wide variety of illnesses - everything from respiratory issues like asthma , colds and flu, kidney problems, and even heart disease.

12 Wintergreen Oil Uses

1. Muscle Pain Relief

Ever try a pain-relieving muscle rub that smelled like menthol or mint? Chances are the product included peppermint or wintergreen oils because both are considered "counterirritants." Wintergreen oil works to reduce swelling and irritation that occurs around painful muscle, tissue and joints. Several drops massaged into the skin is great for relieving achy joints from arthritis or rheumatism . It's also helpful for treating sore muscles and chronic neck pain, as well as relieving lower back pain .

2. Cold and Flu Treatment

Wintergreen leaves contain an aspirin-like chemical that can help reduce pain, congestion, swelling and fever associated with common illnesses. To open your nasal passages and breathe more deeply, combine wintergreen and coconut oil together, and than rub them into your chest and upper back just like a store-bought vapor rub. Other beneficial oils to include in this blend in order to treat or prevent the common cold or flu are eucalyptus, peppermint and bergamot oils .

3. Antibacterial and Antiviral

Since it helps combat bacterial growth, viruses and fungi, use wintergreen around your home or on your body to remove dangerous contaminants. You can run some through your dishwasher or laundry machine to kill odor-causing bacteria and molds that can linger, or scrub some into your showers and toilet bowls.

4. Digestive Relief

Wintergreen oil can be used in small doses to increase stomach acid and juices that help improve digestion. It's considered a natural mild diuretic and increases urine production, which can help cleanse the digestive tract and reduce bloating. It also has anti-nausea benefits and soothing effects on the gastric lining and colon because of its ability to reduce muscle spasms, making it a natural remedy for nausea . You can rub a homemade wintergreen oil mixture over your abdomen, stomach and lower back to improve blood flow and prevent cramping or pain.

5. Skin and Hair Treatment

As a natural astringent and antiseptic, when applied directly to the skin with a carrier oil, wintergreen is able to fight inflammation from blemishes and skin disorders. It's also helpful for clearing up acne since it can be used to kill germs on the skin. You can add one to two drops to your normal face wash or mix it with coconut or jojoba oil to nourish itchy, red, swollen skin. In the shower, use wintergreen oil on your scalp or hair to remove bacteria, greasiness and dandruff while adding a fresh scent - similar to the benefits of coconut oil for hair .

6. Energizer and Fatigue Fighter

Records show that Native Americans used wintergreen leaves to increase stamina, alertness and endurance during exercise since it can help extend respiratory capacity and treat pain, mucus buildup or inflammation. Try inhaling wintergreen and peppermint oil before workouts to increase concentration and wakefulness. You can also dab some along with a carrier oil on your neck, chest and wrists to fight symptoms of sleepiness or to help overcome chronic fatigue syndrome . And for recovery following a workout, diffusing wintergreen oil with a diffuser or vaporizer can help open up nasal and respiratory passages; improve blood flow; or relive pain associated with muscular, joint or skeletal strains.

7. Soothing Bath Soak

To unwind and relieve muscle tension, applying pure wintergreen oil mixed along with lavender oil to either a warm bath or ice bath serves as a great muscle ache treatment.

8. Air Freshener

Since it works as a natural home deodorizer that can help mask foul smells, use wintergreen oil around your home to sensitize the air and surfaces of your bathroom and kitchen. Combine several drops with water in a spray bottle and apply to hard surfaces, appliances, garbage cans and even your toilet bowls. You can also diffuse wintergreen oil using a diffuser to fill bathrooms with a fresh, minty scent or add several drops to some homemade laundry soap for its deodorizing effects.

9. Hunger and Cravings Reducer

The taste and smell of mint can help reduce cravings and signify satiety, which is why many people find it comforting to chew minty gum after a meal or between meals. If you feel the afternoon munchies coming on or the tendency to overeat, try sniffing wintergreen oil or gargling it in your mouth. You can try applying a couple drops on your temples, chest or clothes, too.

10. Homemade Toothpaste

With its ability to kill odor-causing bacteria and mouth irritants, wintergreen oil is a great addition to homemade (or store-bought) toothpastes.

11. Homemade Mouthwash

Wintergreen not only helps naturally freshen your breath, it can also protect gums and teeth from infection and pain. Add one to two drops to water and gargle in your mouth for 30-60 seconds before rinsing.

12. Natural Flavor Enhancer

In commercial food and beverage manufacturing, wintergreen is used as a natural flavoring agent in certain minty-tasting foods, candies and teas. One way to use some at home is to simply add one to two drops to your favorite green smoothie recipes to cut the taste of bitter greens. You can also make homemade mint tea by adding one to two drops to warm water, which improves digestion and helps relieve bloating after a big meal.

Wintergreen Oil Research and Studies

The Gaultheria procumbens wintergreen plant is a member of the Ericaceae plant family. Native to North America, especially cooler parts of the Northeast United States and Canada, wintergreen trees that produce bright red berries can be found growing freely throughout forests. As a primary source of methyl salicylate, a lipophilic liquid that is commonly used as a natural analgesic, counterirritant and rubifacient ingredient in commercially marketed over-the-counter dermatological products, wintergreen has the most researched benefits in regard to pain management and numbing skin and sore muscles.

The effectiveness of the topically applied product depends on the release of the drug and the dosage form. Research done by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University found that that methyl salicylate from typical ointment bases and several commercial products worked differently on pain, with more concentrated forms (such as pure wintergreen oil) producing the most effects.

Aside from fighting pain, other evidence shows that wintergreen is a powerful fighter of free radical damage and oxidative damage. Research done by the Department of Pharmacology at Medical University of Lodz in Poland tested dry leaf extracts of eastern wintergreen leaves to evaluate their effectiveness as a source of bioactive antioxidant phytocompounds. Through systematic activity testing and phytochemical profiling, researchers found high levels of inflammation-fighting antioxidants, including phenolics, procyanidins and phenolic acids. Moderate levels of flavonoid antioxidants were also found.

Comprehensive studies led to the identification of 35 different polyphenols with procyanidin A-type trimer, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, isomers of caffeoylquinic acids and epicatechin being the dominant components.

Other studies also support the benefits of wintergreen in reducing inflammatory responses and reliving infection, swelling and pain. A 2014 report published by researchers from the University of Toulouse in France found that Gaultheria procumbent extract's main ingredient methylsalicylate (MeSA) can be metabolized in plant tissues to form salicylic acid, a phytohormone that helps induce plant immunity against microbial pathogens.

The use of wintergreen essential oil as a biocontrol agent against inflammatory responses within damaged and infected tissue was evaluated. Results showed strong induction of defense markers after the treatment with wintergreen oil and reduction in inflammation and infection. Fluorescence measurement of infected tissues revealed that treatments led to a strong reduction (60 percent) of pathogen development and that the efficacy of the G. procumbens essential oil was even similar to the commercially sold product BION(®).

DIY Wintergreen Essential Oil Recipes

You'll always get the most benefits from essential oils when they're 100 percent pure, organic and therapeutic-grade. Pure wintergreen oil should have a pale yellow or pinkish yellow color, so steer clear of artificially dyed green or blue oils. Look for wintergreen oil that smells strong and pungent, but not unpleasant or sour.

Aromatically: In your home, use a diffuser or vaporizer to distribute the clean smell and antiseptic properties of wintergreen throughout the air. You can always inhale wintergreen directly from the bottle.

Internally: Although leaves from wintergreen plants are edible, it's NOT recommended to use concentrated wintergreen oil internally since this can potentially be toxic. Due to high levels of very powerful methyl salicylate, some authorities worry about possible interactions of consuming wintergreen, especially in pregnant women or anyone with heart or digestive issues.

Some health care practitioners do use wintergreen as an internal supplement, but it's best to do so carefully under supervision to avoid using too much or an impure product. Many people have reported no unwanted side effects when consuming it, but each person is different. When working with a professional, you might be directed to take therapeutic-grade wintergreen oil as a dietary supplement by adding 1-2 drops to warm water, a smoothie or green juice.

Topically: It's not recommended to use pure concentrated wintergreen essential oil directly on your skin without first diluting it with a safe carrier oil. Use a small amount to start, just 1-2 drops, and mix it into coconut, olive, almond or jojoba oil before rubbing into skin and massaging into muscles. Keep in mind that a very little bit of wintergreen and peppermint oils goes a long way, so using more will not result in better results in this case and can actually cause irritation.

Try using wintergreen essential oil in these simple and effective homemade recipes:

This homemade muscle rub really works to penetrate deep into the muscles, bringing a soothing and relaxing sensation. This is one of my favorite things to use after I've completed a workout.

Total Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 30

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup grated beeswax

2 teaspoons cayenne powder

2 teaspoons ginger or turmeric powder

15 drops wintergreen essential oil (you can also use part peppermint oil)

15 drops lavender essential oil

Glass jar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour all oils (except essential oils) in to a jar. Place a saucepan with 2 inches of water over medium low heat.

2. Place jar in saucepan and allow contents to melt. Stir to combine. Add the cayenne and ginger/turmeric.

3. Once combined, allow to cool slightly and then add in essential oils. Mix well. Pour mixture into metal tins or storage containers and allow to set.

Side Effects and Interactions of Wintergreen Oil

High doses can be toxic and even painful, so avoid overconsuming wintergreen oil or applying it directly to skin. Use very small quantities of wintergreen oil, especially if you are new to trying it. Also be careful to keep it away from your eyes, the mucus membranes inside of your nose, pets and babies. Because methyl salicylate can be harmful when used on open wounds, internally, on babies or children, and on anyone with allergies, use caution and start slowly.

If you have sensitive skin, there's a chance you can react badly to mint oils and might experience redness, burning and swelling, so do a small patch test first to make sure you don't experience any side effects. Try testing one to two drops on an area of your skin that isn't sensitive, such as your feet or calves. Make sure you can tolerate wintergreen oil well before using it internally or on larger parts of your body.

Avoid using wintergreen oil internally unless you're working with a professional. Ingesting it can possibly cause side effects for some that include heartburn, flushing, mouth sores, headaches, rashes and acid reflux. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter medications can also adversely interact with wintergreen when it's consumed, so speak with your doctor if you take any digestive or asthma medications, blood thinners, pain medication, or anti-coagulants.

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Wintergreen Oil Relieves Muscles, Flus & Poor Digestion - Dr. Axe

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Wintergreen oil is a beneficial essential oil that's extracted from the leaves of the Gaultheria procumbens evergreen plant. Once steeped in in warm water, beneficial enzymes within wintergreen leaves called methyl salicylates are released, which are then concentrated into an easy-to-use extract formula using steam distillation.

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In groups of three or four, search the recommended websites (and any others related to the case) to obtain a fuller picture of the case being presented to you. Discuss within your group the answers to the following questions. Consolidate and submit your answers in the link provided to by your lecturer in https://padlet.com/. Choose a group leader to present the group’s answers to selected questions.

Questions:

1.    Why do Eva and Sota dislike root beer?

2.    Arielle Newman and Sota’s grandmother shared something in common. What is it?

3.    Who was responsible for Arielle’s death?

4.    How can a chemical poison enter the human body?

5.    How did the minty-smelling poison enter Arielle’s body?

6.    The ingredient in root beer that helps to ease indigestion is also the substance that killed Arielle. How is it that a chemical can be both helpful and harmful?

7.    After the minty-smelling poison was identified, it still continues to be used an ingredient in root beer. Why are the authorities allowing this?

8.    After looking up the name and structure of the poison, suggest a simple chemical test that the forensic pathologist could have used to determine the presence of the poison. (Assume that the poison has been extracted from Arielle’s blood.) What is the expected observation for a positive test result?

9.    What are the ingredients in root beer that help to relieve indigestion?

10. What do root beer, shippu, toothpaste, mouthwash and the poison that killed Arielle have in common?

11. Paracelsus once said, “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” Do you agree? Explain.

12. What are the organic functional groups present in the compound that poisoned Arielle?

13.  The poison that killed Arielle can be obtained from plants. Which plants are good sources of this poison?

14.  How can the compound that killed Arielle be synthesised in the laboratory? Your answer should include the type of reaction that can be carried out, the IUPAC names and structures of the reactants, as well as the conditions needed for the reaction to proceed.

15.  Write a balanced chemical equation to represent the heated reaction between aqueous hydrochloric acid and the organic compound that killed Arielle. Name the reaction(s) involved.

16.  Write a balanced chemical equation to represent the heated reaction between aqueous sodium hydroxide and the organic compound that killed Arielle. Name the reaction(s) involved.

17.  Explain the acidity of the phenolic group via the stability of its conjugate base.