Wintergreen is a group of plants which remain green throughout the winter. Now the term ‘ever green’ is used to denote this characteristic.

Wintergreen berries are used medicinally. Native Americans brewed tea from the leaves to alleviate rheumatic symptoms, headache, fever, sore throat and various aches and pains.

During the American Revolution tea became scarce. Wintergreen leaves were used as a substitute for tea.

Wintergreen is a common flavoring in American products chewing gums, mints, candies, smokeless tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, tooth pastes and mouthwash.

Wintergreen oil can also be used in fine art printing applications to transfer a color photocopy image or color laser print to a high-rag content art paper, such as a hot-press watercolor paper.

The transfer method involves coating the source image with the wintergreen oil then placing it face-down on the target paper and pressing the pieces of paper together under pressure using a standard etching press.

Artificial wintergreen oil, methyl salicylate, is used in microscopy because of its high refractive index.

Wintergreen essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves of the plant following maceration in warm water.

Methyl Salicylate is used topically (diluted) or aroma therapeutically for muscle and joint discomfort,arthritis, obesity, headaches, rheumatism, inflammation, eczema and hair care.

Oil of wintergreen is also manufactured from some species of birch and Spiraea plants.