Epazote, commonly called Mexican tea, is a member of the amaranth family of plants that is native to Mexico and Central and South Americas.

The herb is used as seasoning in chili, quesadillas and other Latin American foods (especially those that contain beans) to help prevent flatulence.

Bitter and almost lemon-like in flavor, epazote is an acquired taste and difficult to describe beyond slightly acidic and pungent. In fact, the culinary personality of this herb is like cilantro in that people tend to either love it or hate. Also, even though many recipes use cilantro and epazote interchangeably, the two herbs have little in common other than being found in a Mexican-style dish.

The flavor profile of epazote pairs especially well with dairy products, including eggs, sour cream, beans and cheese. Try adding it a pinch or two to bean casseroles and soups, quesadillas and cream sauces.

Epazote is a herb with a long history of use as a spice in Latin American cuisine and as an effective, natural remedy for eliminating harmful organisms from the digestive tract*.  With a scientific name Dysphania ambrosioides (formerly chenopodium ambrosioides), this green leafy vegetable is native to Central America, southern Mexico, and South America. It is believed that the Mayans were among the first to harness the many benefits of this herb.

Active Compounds: Alpha-pinene, caritasone, ascaridole, butyric-acid, d-camphor, essential oils, ferulic-acid, geraniol, l-pinocarvone, limonene, malic-acid, menthadiene, menthadiene hydroperoxides, methyl-salicylate, myrcene, p-cymene, p-cymol, safrole, saponins, spinasterol, tartaric-acid, terpinene, terpinyl-acetate, terpinyl-salicylate, triacontyl-alcohol, trimethylamine, urease, and vanillic-acid.

Botanical Name: Chenopodium ambrosioides
aka: Mexican tea, American wormseed, jesuit's tea, erva-de-santa maria, wormseed, apasote, chenopode, feuilles a vers, paico, jerusalem tea, spanish tea, ambroisie du mexique, wurmsamen, hierba hormiguera, herba sancti mariae
Origin: USA
Notes: Kosher Certified. Non-irradiated. Non-GMO.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
* FDA disclaimer

References
Dr. Eddy MD