Red flower oil – Healing oil

Through a mishap, I sustained a large wound on my forehead. The next day we were scheduled to enter the hot, humid jungle for over a week. A lady in our group had given me a bottle of Red Flower Oil a few days earlier to rub on my painful lower back. The instructions mentioned that it could also be used for wounds. We immediately applied some to the cut.

To our amazement, within just two or three days, there was barely any trace left of the deep wound on my head—and my back pain had already almost disappeared within fifteen minutes.

Back at the hotel, we investigated the oil further. Its most important and effective ingredient is a plant pheromone: Methyl Salicylate. This compound has remarkable healing properties. Red Flower Oil also contains various other oils, including cinnamon oil, clove oil, and citronella oil.

Methyl Salicylate, also known as Wintergreen Oil, is an organic compound (a combination of organic acid and alcohol) found in various plants. It is used by plants as a pheromone to signal the presence of herbivorous insects, to repel them, or even to attract predator insects that will kill those herbivores. In this way, plants use Methyl Salicylate both as a defense mechanism and as a means of communication with other plants, warning them of potential threats.

Methyl Salicylate is also a rubefacient—a substance that increases blood flow in the skin, generating warmth in the tissues beneath. It also enhances the absorption of creams and lotions, allowing other healing ingredients to work more effectively. In very diluted form, Methyl Salicylate is even used as a flavoring, resembling mint, in chewing gum and candy. It serves as an alternative to peppermint or spearmint oils, and it is one of the antiseptic ingredients in Listerine mouthwash.

In pure form, however, Methyl Salicylate is toxic, especially if ingested. Just one teaspoon (5 ml) contains 7 grams of salicylate, equivalent to over 23 tablets of 300 mg aspirin. Plants that produce high amounts of Methyl Salicylate are known as wintergreens.

Medicinal Properties

Externally, Methyl Salicylate is used to relieve muscle pain and to speed up wound healing. Double-blind studies have demonstrated its broad effectiveness. It appears to be more effective for acute pain than for chronic pain. The healing effect likely results from the body’s counter-reaction to the compound—essentially, it reduces irritation by triggering a healing response.

This oil, which must only be used externally, provides fast and effective relief for a wide range of ailments, including muscle and joint pain and many skin conditions.

• Red Flower Oil brings rapid relief for pain in the neck, shoulders, joints, back, abdominal pain, rheumatism, strains and bruises, insect bites, blisters, and bleeding from cuts and wounds.

• It heals skin imperfections such as facial pimples.

• Wounds close and heal much faster. In burns, pain subsides more quickly and less scar tissue develops. It also soothes sunburn, helps with herpes and related skin conditions, and can even relieve hemorrhoids.

• It acts as a strong painkiller.

• As a mosquito repellent, it works better than DEET.

In short: an effective remedy that should be in every medicine cabinet. Shake well before use. Close the bottle tightly after use and store preferably in a dark place.

⚠️ For external use only. It may cause a temporary burning sensation, but this quickly subsides.

It is important to ensure that you purchase a high-quality, pure product and not a cheap, ineffective imitation of so-called “Red Flower Oil.”