The essential oil comes from the leaves of the wintergreen plant, which grows between 100 and 300 cm high. The leaves are hand collected by harvesters – primarily women – who then transport the wintergreen leaves in a large basket that rests on their back while being held in place by a strap around their forehead. One basket of wintergreen leaves can weigh up to 62 kg. The women sell the raw material to distillers. The leaves soak in warm water overnight before being steam distilled. Next is the distillation itself, which lasts at least 14 hours.

In Nepal, the forests where wintergreen grows are managed by Community Forest User’s Groups (CFUG) who oversee wintergreen collection to prevent overharvesting. Harvesters and distillers work with CFUGs to follow management plans that allow harvesters to collect the wild wintergreen leaves in specific areas that rotate each year.