What’s Epazote?

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Epazote is a herb native to southern Mexico and Central and South America. It is also grown in warm and temperate areas of North America and Europe, where it sometimes becomes an invasive species. Epazote is used in cooking as a leafy vegetable and herb and is valued for some medicinal properties. The plant is often served alongside beans, as it prevents flatulence.

Epazote grows as an annual or short-lived perennial. It has oblong leaves and small green flowers that can develop into small fruits, all edible. Epazote flowers can turn a deep, brilliant purple when exposed to adequate light. Fresh hepazote is preferred for cooking, but dried hepazote can be used as a substitute.

Raw hepazote has a strong odor that has been variously compared to mint, lemon, petroleum, and savory. The name epazote comes from the Nahuatl for “skunk sweat.” Other names for the herb, however, imply a pleasant scent; Scandinavian terms include the word “lemon” and the herb’s Latin name is Chenopodium ambrosioides, which refers to ragweed, the food of the gods in Greek mythology. The raw plant also has a strong flavor, somewhat similar to aniseed or fennel, though stronger.

Although epazot is commonly served with black beans, it’s a versatile ingredient. It is used extensively in Southern Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine. Epazote is an important ingredient in green molehill, for example.

Epazote has a wide range of purported medicinal properties. It can be eaten raw or used as a tea to treat digestive disorders, menstrual irregularities, congested sinuses, malaria, hysteria and asthma. The essential oil derived from the herb is said to be antispasmodic and abortifacient, as well as kill intestinal worms. It has been used in the latter capacity to treat both humans and animals, but can be toxic in excessive doses. One of the plant’s alternative names, worm seed, refers to this property.

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