Wintergreen oil is distilled from a plant commonly known as the Checkerberry. You will often find this plant growing beneath evergreen trees as it is an evergreen as well and prefers dappled to no sunlight. Checkerberry is a short shrub that grows only about 8 inches tall and spreads along the ground as cover. It has small, green leaves and adorable, drooping white flowers that appear in the summer. In the fall the flowers are replaced with succulent red berries that last throughout the winter and into spring.

The berries are edible raw or cooked and make great pies and jam, though their flavor is a bit spicy and medicinal. The leaves are also edible and often used as tea, both fresh and fermented. When broken, the leaves have both the wintergreen aroma and flavor. Oil distilled from the plant is used for flavoring in beer and sweets.