Wintergreen

Gaultheria procumbens

Ericaceae

A low eastern woodland evergreen that tastes of toothpaste — a salicylate leaf, and an oil that is a poison-control regular.

Leaf tea in small amounts. Methyl salicylate oil is a topical drug — toxic if swallowed, especially to children.

Parts used: Leaf (tea, small) · Berry (nibble, not a staple)
Traditional notes: Small flavoring tea · Traditional topical for ache (oil, labeled)
Grow · USDA 6b: Evergreen creeper, USDA 3–8, woodland A nursery plant. Seed is slow. In work: Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
Harvest: A few leaves from a patch you planted. Not a wild stripping.

Acid shade. Lime kills it.
The berry is a nibble. The oil is a clinic.

Safety

Oil internally Children and the oil Aspirin-sensitive asthma Dogs and spilled oil

Lore

The American toothpaste aisle is this leaf in a factory. Indigenous nations of the east used the berry and a leaf tea. 19th-century chemists distilled the oil and then learned to make methyl salicylate from scratch, which is why a cheap liniment can still smell like a woodland that no longer needs to be stripped.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.