Table of Contents
- Edible Uses of American Wintergreen
- Medicinal Uses of American Wintergreen
- Alternative Uses of Eastern Teaberry
- Growing Gaultheria Procumbens
American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is often called Eastern tea berry now. It’s edible and medicinal, but you have to mind the amount you use because the oil is toxic if overdosed. Similar to Aspirin, just a tsp of pure wintergreen oil is the equivalent of 21 and a half adult aspirins.
American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is common around damp coniferous or mixed woods and shaded mossy banks. I found my first patch along a dirt road in poor sandy soils, mixed in with some low growing aster. Creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula) is also listed in Haliburton Flora as fairly common.
Edible Uses of American Wintergreen
Eastern tea berry needs to be used carefully: The oil is toxic unless in scant amounts. 1 Drop of wintergreen essential oil is equivalent to 1 baby aspirin. 1 Tsp is equivalent to 21.5 adult aspirins. It doesn’t take much more than that to get into serious trouble. There are recorded deaths from misuse. Make sure to thoroughly read the Warnings part of this blog.
The fresh, pale green leaves and berries can be steeped for tea, but do not boil the leaves. You can let it steep for a day, strain, then reheat the tea before serving. Some folks eat a small amount of the leaves raw, others prefer to chew them and spit them out.
The fruits are best after a frost and can be eaten raw or used in baking or for flavoring. They can be dried like raisins.
It is best used for flavoring. An alcohol extract is recommended rather than pure oil. Wintergreen was an early ingredient in commercial sarsaparillas. Berries and/or leaves can be steeped in beer or liquors. Infuse the liquor for a few weeks before straining. Throughout the winter you can add a drop or a few to your hot cocoa. It’s up there with eggnog and Bailey’s.
Medicinal Uses of American Wintergreen
American wintergreen is primarily said to support these body systems:
- Cardiovascular
- Immune
- Integumentary
- Muscular
- Skeletal
Medicinal tags include Analgesic, Anodyne, Anti-inflammatory, Antispasmodic, Astringent, Carminative, Diuretic, Emmenagogue and Stimulant. See Medicinal tag key for more information.
Common usage includes wintergreen oil in low concentrations in liniments and salves for pain relief for aching joints and muscles, headaches, rheumatism, sciatica, etc. It’s usually combined with other herbs and always diluted in a carrier substance. Same as with ingesting it, caution is needed. There’s at least one recorded death from using too much pain relief cream. Methyl salicylate is readily absorbed through the skin.
There have been poisonings by “herbalists” who were untrained and dumped unknown amounts of the oil into their concoctions.
The oil, “Oil of Gaultheria”, is obtained by fermenting the leaves and steam distillation. It has methyl salicylate, a close match to acetylsalicylic acid which makes Aspirin, which is toxic in large doses and contradicts some medications. Most over-the-counter deep heating creams contain methyl salicylate. Sources of similar ethers include yellow birch and willow.
Green Pharmacy has wintergreen listed for a multitude of ailments: amenorrhea, backache, corns, earache, hangover, sciatica, ear ache, and sore throat. There is also evidence of microbial action.
Alternative Uses of Eastern Teaberry
The oil has been used for flavoring (ex. toothpaste) but synthetic flavoring has mostly taken over. An alcohol extract can be used for everything from toothpaste to ice cream the same way it’d be used for hot cocoa or cookies. Just a tiny amount needed. But keep the bottle away from children and pets.
The cut leaf can be rubbed into an aching tooth and spat out.
Growing Gaultheria Procumbens
It’s a beautiful evergreen with drooping white flowers in mid summer and bright red berries by winter. And it’s not too fussy. The biggest patch I’ve found is at the peak of a shady dirt road, growing with asters which mostly cover it in the summer. The ones exposed to the sun flower and fruit. I watched a bumble bee pollinating the flowers this summer.
I bought my plants from a native plant nursery. And I hope to spread it around all my paths and driveway, along with partridgeberry.
WARNINGS
It’s not recommended for children.
It’s not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Don’t use this plant if allergic to aspirin.
According to Drug.com “One teaspoon (5 mL) of wintergreen oil is equivalent to approximately aspirin 7 g or 21.5 (325 mg) adult aspirin tablets.”
Also avoid if you’re on anticoagulant medication or about to have a major surgery or dental work. Basically, if you’re avoiding Aspirin avoid wintergreen too.
Consume in moderation. The berries and leaves contain methyl salicylate which is toxic in concentrated doses. Like aspirin, this ether can cause stomach upset.
Use caution when applying liniment or oils externally, as methyl salicylate is quickly absorbed through skin. Avoid getting it in your eyes or on other mucous membranes. Don’t use it on ulcers or open wounds.
And the Usual Cautions:
1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation. Tannins are toxic if consumed in excess. Before taking any new supplements, you should consult with a healthcare professional.
2) A vast amount of these herbs are diuretic. (See the Medicinal tags above to check if this featured herb is one of them!) Diuretics are generally safe, but they can be risky for people with other medical conditions or who take certain medications. Please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions.
3) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk. For instance, saponins commonly cause stomach upset.
4) For serious medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.
5) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
6) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
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REFERENCES
My new favourite foraging book is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: of Eastern and Central North America (The Sam Thayer’s Field Guides) Paperback – June 1, 2023 and this plant IS featured as one of the edible wild plants in this area. I highly recommend this guide for your bookshelves!
Gaultheria procumbens Linnaeus – Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)
How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts (Native American)
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada
A Modern Herbal (Volume 2, I-Z and Indexes)
Native Plants, Native Healing: Traditional Muskagee Way
Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants (Out of Print)
Eating Wild in Eastern Canada: A Guide to Foraging the Forests, Fields, and Shorelines
The Good Living Guide to Natural and Herbal Remedies: Simple Salves, Teas, Tinctures, and More
Reader’s Digest Magic and Medicine of Plants
Indian Herbalogy of North America: The Definitive Guide to Native Medicinal Plants and Their Uses
Mi’kmaq Medicines (2nd edition): Remedies and Recollections
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine
Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants
The Herb Book: The Most Complete Catalog of Herbs Ever Published (Dover Cookbooks)