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Botanical Name
Gaultheria procumbens

Wintergreen

Needs Review

Details

Wintergreen is a low evergreen shrub of the heath family, Ericaceae, native to north-eastern North America. Wikipedia describes red berries and leaves with the scent of oil of wintergreen, and says the leaves and berries contain methyl salicylate, a compound related to aspirin. Grieve names the leaves as the part used and the oil as almost wholly methyl salicylate. Cunningham calls it feminine, with the Moon and water, and lists protection, healing and hex-breaking. He has it put in a child's pillow for protection, sprinkled about to remove hexes, used in healing spells, and laid on the altar to call good spirits. Kynes has no wintergreen entry. Cunningham, Grieve, Wikipedia and the American Herbal Products Association all record hazards of the oil, set out in the safety notes.

Caution

The American Herbal Products Association records cases of salicylate poisoning, typically in children, who swallowed wintergreen essential oil. It says about 30 ml can be lethal to an adult, with 6 ml lethal to some adults, and 4 ml lethal to a child. It also says topical methyl salicylate products have poisoned some people, and that enough methyl salicylate in pregnancy may harm the embryo. Grieve says death from inflammation of the stomach has followed frequent large doses of the oil, and that it can bring on a skin eruption.

References

#1#2#3#4

Correspondences

Elements
Water
Celestial Bodies
Moon
Zodiac Signs
No zodiac signs recorded.
Colours
No colours recorded.
Deities
No deities recorded.

Folk Names

  • American Wintergreen
  • Aromatic Wintergreen
  • Boxberry
  • Checkerberry
  • Deerberry
  • Eastern Teaberry
  • Mountain Tea
  • Teaberry

Categories

  • Healing
  • Hex-Breaking
  • Protection

Substitutes

No substitutes recorded.

Forms

Berry

Wikipedia says the red berries are edible and taste mildly of wintergreen, and that teaberry extract flavours tea, candy, medicine and chewing gum.

References

#5

Leaf

Grieve names the leaves as the part used and says they are made into a tea substitute. Wikipedia says the leaves make a herbal tea, and the American Herbal Products Association lists the leaf as the part it covers. Cunningham has the leaves used in healing spells.

References

#6#7#8#9

Oil Toxic

Grieve says the oil is about 99 per cent methyl salicylate and is given in capsules because it is so pungent. The American Herbal Products Association records poisoning cases from the essential oil.

Caution

The American Herbal Products Association records salicylate poisoning cases, mostly in children, from wintergreen essential oil, with about 30 ml lethal to an adult and 4 ml lethal to a child. Grieve says death from inflammation of the stomach has followed frequent large doses.

References

#10#11

References

Notes

  1. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Wintergreen".
  2. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 396-397.
  3. Grieve, "Wintergreen."
  4. Wikipedia, under "Gaultheria procumbens."
  5. Wikipedia, under "Gaultheria procumbens."
  6. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Wintergreen".
  7. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 396-397.
  8. Grieve, "Wintergreen."
  9. Wikipedia, under "Gaultheria procumbens."
  10. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 396-397.
  11. Grieve, "Wintergreen."

Bibliography

  • Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. 2nd ed. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2012. (EPUB.)16
  • Gardner, Zoë, and Michael McGuffin, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013. (PDF.)2710
  • Grieve, M. "Wintergreen." A Modern Herbal. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/winter24.html. Open the Source3811
  • Wikipedia, under "Gaultheria procumbens." Accessed October 23, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gaultheria_procumbens&oldid=1376725677. Open the Source459