Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
A tiny woodland evergreen. Berries and leaves smell of methyl salicylate (the same family of chemistry as some muscle rubs). A few berries are a traditional nibble; the essential oil is concentrated and not a candy recipe.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: teaberry
What it is
A tiny woodland evergreen. Berries and leaves smell of methyl salicylate (the same family of chemistry as some muscle rubs). A few berries are a traditional nibble; the essential oil is concentrated and not a candy recipe.
From the existing encyclopedia
Wintergreen is a dried botanical traded as cut leaf, flower, seed, or root for tea and seasoning. Cross-link pantry planning with v1 kits on the store page when this item appears in a bundle. Works alongside green tea or ginger in everyday beverage rotation. When substituting dried Wintergreen for fresh, use about one-third the volume and bloom in fat or hot water before adding acid or dairy.
Edible portions
- berries in small amounts
- leaves as a traditional tea in small amounts
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 3–6 acid woods
- Light. Shade
- Soil. Acid, humus, woodland
- Planting. Slow; not a farm crop for most people.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Berries as a woodland nibble where identification is sure
Nutrition and compounds
- Plant compounds. methyl salicylate. Presence is not a dose, a cure, or a reason to buy a capsule.
AAA interpretation Food first. These associations explain why a plant shows up in a nutrient conversation — they are not a supplement shopping list.
Safety
- Oil is potent. Not a teaspoon herb. Not for people who must avoid salicylates. Do not confuse with wintergreen-scented candy chemistry from a bottle.
- Oil is potent methyl salicylate; not a culinary teaspoon herb.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- USDA FoodData Central — nutrient profiles for foods (verify current entries; this page does not invent milligrams)
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
- Integrated from the existing aaaLifetime / quantum-biohack encyclopedia corpus (unique text preserved where it was not boilerplate).
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.