Common names  |  Epazote, Mexican tea, Jesuit’s tea, Wormseed 

Scientific name  |  Chenopodium ambrosioides
Used part  |  Leaf

Known active compounds  |  quercetin, rutin, chrysin, tannins 

Potential benefits in cosmetics  |  anti-oxidant, anti-microbial 

Product name  |  Epazote-ANB

 

Plant Story

Chenopodium ambrosioides is an annual or short-lived perennial aromatic herb native to Mexico, Central and South America. Today, this plant has been introduced to many countries in temperate and tropical regions and it is found in the majority of USA. It is commonly known as Mexican tea, epazote, payqu, or wormseed. Epazote has long been used in traditional medicine and cooking in Mexico. In folk medicine, the plant has been used as a treatment for fever, a wash for rheumatism, as a poultice of crushed leaves for headaches and swelling, or a decoction of leaves was taken for worm sickness.

 

Phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and anthraquinone compounds in hydroalcoholic crude extract. The crude extract and fractions from C. ambrosioides leaves contain flavonoids, including rutin, quercetin, and chrysin. It was also demonstrated that this plant has anti-microbial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Another study reported the anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities of fruit and bark extracts of C. ambrosioides.