ABSTRACT
Epazote has become naturalized in North America as far north as Canada, and has also become established in tropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world. Wormseed oil, the chief product of interest of the plant, is produced mostly in the leaves and the seeds, the latter normally furnishing more than half of the plant’s yield. Epazote was used for centuries as a vermifuge in the Americas, and was also used for the same purpose in post-Columbian times in Europe and Asia. The availability of epazote as a wild plant has made it a “poor man’s herb” for centuries in Mexico, enhancing otherwise common peasant fare. Epazote leaves are used to flavor corn, black beans, mushrooms, fish, soups, stews, chili sauces, shellfish, and freshwater snails. Epazote oil is the principal commercial product from the plant, and is obtained from cultivated forms selected for oil quality and quantity.
