Dysphania ambrosioides
| Epazote | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chenopodioideae |
| Tribe: | Dysphanieae |
| Genus: | Dysphania |
| Species: | D. ambrosioides |
| Binomial name | |
| Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Chenopodium ambrosioides, Chenopodium ambrosiodes |
|
Epazote, wormseed, Jesuit's tea, Mexican tea, Paico or Herba Sancti Mariæ (Dysphania ambrosioides, formerly Chenopodium ambrosioides) is an herb native to Central America, South America, and southern Mexico.
Contents |
Growth [edit]
It is an annual or short-lived perennial plant, growing to 1.2 m tall, irregularly branched, with oblong-lanceolate leaves up to 12 cm long. The flowers are small and green, produced in a branched panicle at the apex of the stem.
As well as in its native areas, it is grown in warm temperate to subtropical areas of Europe and the United States (Missouri, New England, Eastern United States),[1] sometimes becoming an invasive weed.
Etymology [edit]
The common Spanish name, epazote (sometimes spelled and pronounced ipasote or ypasote), is derived from Nahuatl: epazōtl (pronounced [eˈpasoːt͡ɬ]).
Usage [edit]
Culinary uses [edit]
Epazote is used as a leaf vegetable, an herb and a tisane for its pungent flavor. Raw, it has a resinous, medicinal pungency, similar to anise, fennel, or even tarragon, but stronger. Epazote's fragrance is strong but difficult to describe. A common analogy is to turpentine or creosote. It has also been compared to citrus, savory, or mint.
Although it is traditionally used with black beans for flavor and its carminative properties (less gas), it is also sometimes used to flavor other traditional Mexican dishes as well: it can be used to season quesadillas and sopes (especially those containing huitlacoche), soups, mole de olla, tamales with cheese and chile, chilaquiles, eggs and potatoes and enchiladas.
Medicinal uses [edit]
Epazote is commonly believed to prevent flatulence caused by eating beans and is therefore used to season them.[2] It is also used in the treatment of amenorrhea,[3] dysmenorrhea, malaria, chorea, hysteria, catarrh, and asthma.[4]
Some of its chemical constituents have been shown in the laboratory to affect certain cancer cell lines,[5] it has also been reported to be highly carcinogenic in rats.[6] A Nigerian group, however, concluded in 2007 that it is neither mutagenic nor cytotoxic.[7]
Oil of chenopodium is derived from this plant. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a colorless or pale yellow toxic essential oil of unpleasant odor and taste, ... formerly used as an anthelmintic".[8]
In the early 1900s it was one of the major anthelmintics used to treat ascarids and hookworms in humans, cats, dogs, horses, and pigs. Usually, oil of chenopodium was used. It was sometimes referred to as Baltimore Oil, because of the large production facility in Baltimore[which?] that specialized in extracting the oil from the plant. Chenopodium was replaced with other, more effective and less toxic anthelmintics in the 1940s.
Chenopodium is still used to treat worm infections in humans in many countries. In Honduras, as well as other Latin American countries, the whole plant or the leaves are ground and added to water. This mixture is then consumed. In a few areas in Latin America, the plant also is used to treat worm infections in livestock.[9]
Epazote essential oil contains ascaridole (up to 70%), limonene, p-cymene, and smaller amounts of numerous other monoterpenes and monoterpene derivatives (α-pinene, myrcene, terpinene, thymol, camphor and trans-isocarveol). Ascaridole (1,4-peroxido-p-menth-2-ene) is rather an uncommon constituent of spices; another plant owing much of its character to this monoterpene peroxide is boldo. Ascaridole is toxic and has a pungent, not very pleasant flavor; in pure form, it is an explosive sensitive to shock. Allegedly,[citation needed] ascaridole content is lower in epazote from Mexico than in epazote grown in Europe or Asia.
Agricultural use [edit]
The essential oils of epazote contain terpene compounds, some of which have natural pesticide capabilities. The company AgraQuest Inc. of Davis, California, synthetically manufactures a proprietary blend of identical compounds for use in their agricultural pesticide product Requiem.[10] It is not licensed for residential use.
A study from the University of California[11] found that the compound ascaridole in epazote inhibits the growth of nearby plants, so it would be best to relegate this plant at a distance from other inhabitants of the herb garden. Even though this plant has an established place in recipes and in folklore, it is wise to use only the leaves, and those very sparingly, in cooking. [12]
Companion plant [edit]
Epazote not only contains terpene compounds, it also delivers partial protection to nearby plants simply by masking their scent to some insects, making it a useful companion plant. Its small flowers may also attract some predatory wasps and flies.
References [edit]
- ^ A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, FRHS. pg. 854. ISBN 0-486-22798-7
- ^ "What is Epazote?". Retrieved 2013-02-13.
- ^ The Green Pharmacy, James A. Duke, Ph.D. pgs. 51-53. ISBN 1579541844
- ^ A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve, FRHS. pg. 855-856. ISBN 0-486-22798-7
- ^ Nascimento, Flávia R.F.; Cruz, Gustavo V.B.; Pereira, Paulo Vitor S.; MacIel, Márcia C.G.; Silva, Lucilene A.; Azevedo, Ana Paula S.; Barroqueiro, Elizabeth S.B.; Guerra, Rosane N.M. (2006). "Ascitic and solid Ehrlich tumor inhibition by Chenopodium ambrosioides L. Treatment". Life Sciences 78 (22): 2650–3. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2005.10.006. PMID 16307762.
- ^ Kapadia, GJ; Chung, EB; Ghosh, B; Shukla, YN; Basak, SP; Morton, JF; Pradhan, SN (1978). "Carcinogenicity of some folk medicinal herbs in rats". Journal of the National Cancer Institute 60 (3): 683–6. PMID 625070.
- ^ Sowemimo, A.A.; Fakoya, F.A.; Awopetu, I.; Omobuwajo, O.R.; Adesanya, S.A. (2007). "Toxicity and mutagenic activity of some selected Nigerian plants". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (3): 427–32. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.06.024. PMID 17707603.
- ^ "chenopodium oil". Mirriam-Webster. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
- ^ Cornell Univ., Dept. of Animal Sciences. "Chenopodium ambrosioides". Retrieved 2013-02-13.
- ^ About REQUIEM Insecticide http://www.requieminsecticide.com/about.html
- ^ J. Jimenez-Osorio, Am. J. Bot. 78:139, 1991
- ^ Texas A & M University, Cynthia W. Mueller. "Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides)". Retrieved 2013-02-13.
External links [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dysphania ambrosioides |
- Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
- Treating Livestock with Medicinal Plants: Beneficial or Toxic? Chenopodium ambrosioides
- Tropical Plant database: Chenopodium ambrosioides
- Flora of North America
- Chenopodium ambrosioides anthelminticum (L.) A. Gray
