Bengay as an aid to pain relief has been around for a long time. Many of us remember older members of our family using it when we were children. Some of us remember it as a smell we associated with certain people sometimes a pleasant smell and sometimes a smell we associated with unpleasantness, but a scent that almost all of us are familiar with.

Bengay was originally created in the late 1800s by the French Pharmacist Doctor Jules Bengue whose area of expertise was relieving the pains caused by muscle aches. He created a series of ointments and treatments including a balm which he concocted using oil of wintergreen and menthol. This particular remedy relieved pain by creating a counter irritation which stimulated the receptors for dull pain and these signals caused the brain to override the signal that indicated sharp pain. http://books.google.com/books?id=C-tNsbAhFiIC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=dr.+Bengue&source=bl&ots=KcqHLmVlkI&sig=DLlN4CKyWsPtsf3PoGKn0wuEg_k&hl=en&ei=DCq1S4-1BoS0lQfs3u1q&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=dr.%20Bengue&f=false

In 1898 a Canadian by the name of Thomas Leeming Jr. was on a business trip to Europe during which he met the good doctor and was so impressed with the ointment that he bought the rights to market in it America. He initially imported the product from France but after some time he began manufacturing it in New Jersey. In order to allow Americans to pronounce the name of the product properly he renamed it to Ben-gay. http://books.google.com/books?id=C-tNsbAhFiIC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=dr.+Bengue&source=bl&ots=KcqHLmVlkI&sig=DLlN4CKyWsPtsf3PoGKn0wuEg_k&hl=en&ei=DCq1S4-1BoS0lQfs3u1q&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=dr.%20Bengue&f=false

Modern Bengay was originally produced by Pfizer but eventually the product was acquired by Johnson and Johnson. The popular medication can be purchased in several different forms for different applications and different afflictions. Ranging from creams to gels to patches. It can be found in most stores carrying over the counter medications and is reasonably priced compared to prescription medicines. http://arthritis.about.com/od/topicalcounterirritants/a/BENGAY.htm

In recent news articles there has been a story about a young lady whose death has been attributed to an overdose of Bengay. What she actually died of was an overdose of methyl salicylate which is an ingredient in Bengay as well as numerous other over the counter products including other creams and salves and aspirin products. To insure safety anyone using Bengay should limit or eliminate the use of other products containing this chemical and should refrain from using heating pads or engaging in activities that cause the body's heat to rise. When the skins temperature rises the pores open wider to facilitate cooling and this allows more of anything applied to the skin to be absorbed into the body. When used according to instructions there is no danger of overdose of this medication. http://www.scienceline.org/2007/08/13/ask-cooper-bengaydeath/

The active ingredients vary by the version of the product.

• Bengay: Original contains 15% Methyl Salicylate and 10% Menthol
• Bengay: Muscle Pain/Ultra Strength contains 30% Methyl Salicylate, 10%' Menthol, and 4% Camphor.
• Bengay: Ice Extra Strength contains 10% Menthol.
• Bengay: Muscle Pain/No Odor contains 15% Triethanolamine Salicylate.
• Bengay: Arthritis Extra Strength 30% Methyl Salicylate and 8% Menthol. Methyl salicylate can be toxic if used in excess.