Epazote, roh (bio)

"The Mexican herb epazote, which is an acquired taste, having its origin as a medicine to expel worms."

"Chenopodium ambrosioides, a pungent, tropical American weed, is widely used in Mexican cooking, but almost unknown elsewhere."

"An acrid, astringent, strongly aromatic herb that destroys intestinal parasites, increases perspiration, and relaxes spasms. It also has expectorant, antifungal and insecticidal effects."

"Internally for roundworms, hookworms, small tapeworms, amoebic dysentery, asthma and catarrh"

"Oil of chenopodium contains a broad-spectrum vermifuge, which is widely used in veterinary medicine. It is produced from both C. ambrosioides and C. ambrosioides var. anthelminticum, the latter having a higher content of the active constituent."

"Not given to pregnant women. Excess causes dizziness, vomiting, convulsions and death. Externally for athlete's foot and insect bites. WARNING This herb is subject to legal restrictions in some countries."

"WARNING Skin allergen."

"Crop. Frost hardy. Rich, well-drained soil in sun."

"Strong-smelling, upright annual or short-lived perennial, with oblanceolate leaves. Tiny green flowers appear in panicles in summer, followed by green-brown fruits, containing a single, black seed. H 1.2 m, S 75 cm."

"Used as a fumigant against mosquitoes and in fertilizer to inhibit insect larvae."

Book

"Seeds are also consumed, but they should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before being used in order to remove any saponins."

"In Cuba, Mexico and Amazonia this species is considered a magic plant and it is used in traditional rituals. In traditional herbal medicine, this species is used as an analgesic, antiasthmatic, antifungal, carminative, and vermifuge compound. In Mexico and Central America, this herb has been used for centuries to expel parasitic worms from the body and in the early 1900s it was one of the major anthelmintics used to treat ascarids and hookworms in humans, cats, dogs, horses, and pigs in the United States."

"D. ambrosioides has been identified as an agricultural and environmental weed that can smother native plant communities where it has been introduced. This species has the potential to out-compete native plant communities and can also reduce biodiversity in invaded areas because plants are able to dominate large areas in disturbed sites with early successional stages affecting the germination and establishment of native pioneer species."

"It can be found growing in a wide variety of habitats and climates including tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions, from sea level to 2000 m altitude. It is an annual Mexican aromatic herb, distributed in tropical Central and South America." "It has been actively introduced as a food commodity and can currently be found naturalized in Europe, the United States, the West Indies, Africa, Australia, Pacific Islands and Asia."

"D. ambrosioides is native to Mexico, and Central and South America. It has been actively introduced to be used as a culinary and aromatic herb, tea, and food commodity and currently can be found naturalized in Europe, the United States, the West Indies, Africa, Australia, Pacific Islands and Asia."

"This species is described as a “cosmopolitan weed” common in disturbed areas, waste places, roadsides, forest edges, abandoned gardens, pastures, and agricultural fields."

"D. ambrosioides is a herb considered a cosmopolitan weed. It produces thousands of small seeds that can be easily dispersed by human activities (seed contamination, mud, and farming machinery), as well as by abiotic factors. Once established in new areas, it grows as a weed affecting agriculture and native vegetation. D. ambrosioides is one of the most successful herbs colonizing both disturbed and agricultural areas in almost all continents. It is included in the Global Compendium of Weeds where it is listed as a noxious weed in the United States, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. This species is considered invasive in a wide range of environments including areas in Australia, islands in the Pacific Ocean, Spain, Italy, Greece, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Africa."

"D. ambrosioides has been reported as a weed affecting crops such as cotton, coffee, beans, chickpeas, maize, rice and grapes. Additionally, D. ambrosioides is host of the fungal pathogen Erysiphe betae (powdery mildew) which can spread to tomato crops."

"Essential oils extracted from leaves are used as fragrance components in creams, perfumes and soaps. Leaves and stems are consumed cooked and as a condiment in traditional Mexican food. Seeds are also consumed, but they should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before being used in order to remove any saponins. Because D. ambrosioides contains terpene compounds, it is also used as a fumigant against mosquitoes and is added to fertilizers to inhibit insect larvae."

Narratives Review

DOI: 10.1079/cabicompendium.113977

Study: weak evidence

Nährstofftabelle

Website

"Some significant biological properties have been demonstrated, including antitumor (Nascimento et al., 2006), antimicrobial (Jardim, Jham, Dhingra, & Freire, 2008; Liu, Liu, Zhang, Li, & Cheng, 2013; Pandey, Singh, Palni, & Tripathi, 2013), antiparasitic (Guerra, Torres, & Martínez, 2001; Kiuchi et al., 2002; Monzote et al., 2004), anti‐inflammatory, and antinociceptive (Trivellato‐Grassi et al., 2013) effects."

"These findings suggest that ascaridole, carvacrol, and caryophyllene oxide mediate their leishmanicidal activity via different targets in mitochondria and in other parts of the cell and that different mitochondrial effects are seen after different times of exposure." "Taken together, the major components of EO mediate their leishmanicidal activity via different mitochondrial targets and time profiles."

"Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is an aromatic herb native to Central and South America. It has been distributed throughout the tropical parts of the world and is considered as invasive."

In-vitro- und In-vivo-Studie (Tiermodell)

DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6097

Study: weak evidence

"The findings revealed relative antioxidative power and modest radical scavenging. The antibacterial activity of the essential oils was broad-spectrum, with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis as the most susceptible strains tested."

"Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin and Clemants, also known as Mexican tea, and locally known as Mkhinza, is a polymorphic annual and perennial herb, and it is widely used in folk medicine to treat a broad range of illnesses in Morocco."

The AMES toxicity indicates mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds. The 1-(4-Bromobutyl)-2-Piperidinone is the only compound that is AMES positive, while the others are AMES negative. Except for the compounds 7 and 13, none of the molecules in the table appears to be distorting human liver functions. Ventricular arrhythmia can be caused through the inhibition of hERG by blocking potassium channels [68]; nevertheless, none of the compounds inhibits this gene. All the phytochemical compounds above, besides 1 and 4, may induce allergic contact dermatitis.

Experimentelle und computergestützte (in vitro und in silico) Studie

DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11040482

Study: weak evidence

"Several studies showed that D. ambrosioides L. EO had an essential antioxidant activity."

"Some studies demonstrate the cytotoxic activity of D. ambrosioides L. EO against tumours; the authors have demonstrated that the EO reduced cell growth and were cytotoxic to human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 in a dose and time-dependent manner, via an apoptosis-related mechanism."

"The centuries-old use of medicinal plants has shown that some of these plants contain potentially dangerous substances (Ndhlala et al., 2013). D. ambrosioides L. is one of the plants described as having a toxicological risk, specially indicated for essential oils (GUYTON, 1946).
Several species, including D. botrys, and D. ambrosioides possess compounds that have been demonstrated to interfere with mitochondrial function (Nagle et al., 2011). The toxicity of EO obtained from Dysphania can be associated with the presence of some major components, carvacrol (19), caryophyllene oxide (35), and ascaridole (29), which induce suppression of the respiratory function in the mitochondria, or in the complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chains (Figure 5) (Monzote et al., 2018), this toxic effect emerging on the kidneys, liver, and intestine (Derraji et al., 2014). Nevertheless, in a recent study by Li et al., 2020 (Li et al., 2020), dose-dependent toxicity was demonstrated in mice, providing some support for using the EO in a safe way in traditional medicine. However, their utilization is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding for infants under three, and adult patients who are distressed or suffer from liver or renal illnesses (Potawale et al., 2008)."

"and D. ambrosioides has been one of the most widely used plants for thousands of years as a remedy for a wide range of ailments."

Narratives Review

DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1024274

Study: weak evidence

"In recent years, research has shown that the secondary metabolites extracted from C. ambrosioides exhibit antitumor activity. These extract have been shown to inhibit the growth of the human lymphoma cell line Raji, human liver cancer cell line SMMC-7721, and human chronic myeloid leukemia cell line K562."

"In conclusion, our study demonstrated that C. ambrosioides essential oil had a certain cytotoxic effect on normal human liver L02 cells, and could also induce L02 cell cycle arrest at the S phase. It induced L02 cells apoptosis through the endogenous mitochondrial pathway (Figure 3). In view of the toxic effect of the C. ambrosioides essential oil on normal cells, it should be used cautiously."

"It has been used for centuries by native people in South America as a dietary condiment and in traditional medicine."

"Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (C. ambrosioides) is an annual or perennial aromatic herb that belongs to the Chenopodiaceae subfamily of plants. It is native to tropical America and is now widely distributed throughout the world."

"Due to its antioxidant properties, Chenopodium ambrosioides L. and Chenopodium ambrosioides L. oil are also used as natural antioxidant additives in food processing to enhance shelf life and improve the sensory properties of food."

In-vitro-Studie

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147469

Study: weak evidence

Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (Amaranthaceae) is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the species of plants frequently used for medicinal purposes in the world. In Brazil, it is widespread and has received several popular names, such as “Erva-de-Santa-Maria” and “Mastruz,” depending of the region. C. ambrosioides is frequently used as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory and healing agent (Kumar et al., 2007).

Some effects of C. ambrosioides have been confirmed, such as its anti-inflammatory (Trivellato-Grassi et al., 2013; Calado et al., 2015), anti-nociceptive (Ibironke and Ajiboye, 2007; Calado et al., 2015), antioxidant (Ibironke and Ajiboye, 2007; Patrício et al., 2008; Trivellato-Grassi et al., 2013) and anti-tumoural action (Nascimento et al., 2006) as well as its antimicrobial activity against Trypanosoma cruzi (Kiuchi et al., 2002), Plasmodium falciparum (Pollack et al., 1990; Cysne et al., 2016) and Leishmania amazonensis (Monzote et al., 2006; Patrício et al., 2008). Some studies have also demonstrated that C. ambrosioides has an immunostimulatory effect on lymphocytes (Rossi-Bergmann et al., 1997), and our group showed that this species induces activation of macrophages.

Experimentelle Tierstudie / In-vivo-Studie

DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00148

Study: weak evidence

"Im Folgenden sind die CO2-Fussabdrücke von zahlreichen Obst- und Gemüseprodukten dargestellt. Die Lebensmittelvarianten umfassen dabei insbesondere unterschiedliche Anbaumethoden, saisonale bzw. nicht-saisonale Produktion, Import aus bestimmten Ländern bzw. Eigenproduktion, unterschiedliche Verpackungsformen sowie Frischware im Vergleich zu Tiefkühlware."

Website

The flowers epazote shows are known to attract predatory wasps and flies and will even mask pungent smells from flowers that are prone to insect damage. For this reason, it is beneficial to plant epazote near fragrant plants that have infestations. It is important to know that epazote will spread quickly and may be come invasive in some unmaintained gardens. Due to its invasive characteristics, epazote is a good candidate for containers. Pruning the center stalk will make it bushy, and clipping off the flowers will promote more leaf production. Ascaridole in the leaves inhibits the growth of nearby plants, so keep epazote away from plants in need of greater establishment (1). If ants are a problem in your garden, scattering crushed epazote leaves in your garden may help to repel them. For maximum flavor, place epazote in full sun late spring when threat of frost has passed. To harvest, pick epazote leaves any time after the plant has been well established and after morning dew dries.

Website

"Der Anbau von Epazote ist denkbar einfach. Der gekaufte oder im Vorjahr selber gewonnene Samen wird im März/April auf einen unkrautfreien Platz im Garten auf gelockertem Boden gesät, dann angedrückt und angegossen (Saattiefe also 0,5 mm, Lichtkeimer). Wenn dann im Frühjahr die nötigen Temperaturen für die Keimung herrschen (das sind um die 20°C), gehen die Samen auf und werden bald zu kräftigen Pflanzen, von denen wir bereits schon Ende Mai Blätter ernten können." "Die Kräuter brauchen keinen Dünger. Zu dicht gesäte Pflänzchen werden herausgenommen (wie können sie verpflanzen), sodass die Epazote untereinander etwa 20 bis 30 cm Abstand bekommen und Büsche ausbilden. Dafür ist es gut, wenn die Stängel bald nach dem Aufgehen kupiert werden. Stehen die Büsche sehr trocken, dann sollten wird sie in heissen und trockenen Wetterperioden wässern – besser einmal die Woche reichlich, als jeden Tag ein bisschen. Die Kräuter können dann das ganze Jahr bis zum Frost beschnitten werden. Setzen wir sie mit der Schere bis auf wenige Zentimeter über den Erdboden zurück, so treiben sie wieder aus. Wie bereits oben erwähnt, soll man das Würzkraut frisch verwenden, doch im Selbstversorgergarten sollten wir auch reichlich Blätter trocken."

Website

"The common Spanish name, epazote is derived from the Nahuatl epazōtl , a compound word formed from epatl and tzotl meaning roughly "skunk smell."

Narratives Review

Study: weak evidence

The Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants, otherwise known as Jesuit’s tea, Mexican tea, payqu (paico), epazote, mastruz, or herba sanctæ Mariæ (Arabic: M’khinza, French: anserine vermifuge) [1], is a wild species from tropical America, naturalized in North America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asian countries [2]. It is an herbaceous plant of the genus Dysphania, belonging to the family Amaranthaceae [3].
This plant (Figure 1) reaches up to 1 m in height, and it shows annual or perennial growth. It features stems that may be single or branched, and its leaves grow in an alternating pattern along the stem [4]. These leaves ranged from narrowly elliptic to elliptic and are green, oblong–lanceolate with the smallest leaves located at the top of the plant, directly attached to the stem (sessile), while the largest leaves are found at the base of the plant and have short petioles (leaf stalks). The flowers are small and green with dense terminal panicles of glomeruli, with five sepals. The plant is known for its strong and distinctive aroma. Its fruits and seeds are black and horizontal and are enclosed in a persistent calyx that is usually less than 0.8 mm long.

"4.1. Chemical Composition of Dysphania ambrosioides"

In Latin America, this plant is used in folk medicine because it has anti-helminthic, vermifuge, antispasmodic, and antipyretic activity. Additionally, it is used in the treatment of dental and digestive ailments, as well as in skin disorders, including dermal wounds and eczema [7,8,9]. In addition, the decoction, infusion, and maceration of leaves, stems, and branches were used in the treatment of respiratory disorders, cough, expectorant, and musculoskeletal injury [10]. In the Dominican Republic, the epazote is a shrubby plant that grows in the yard sporadically and has been used for the treatment of intestinal worms for centuries.

The use of D. ambrosioides extracts in the control of root-knot nematodes is even more important in family farming since horticulturists have low purchasing power and little access to more advanced technologies. Extracts and/or essential oils represent a technically viable and low-cost option compared to the main traditional control techniques [82]. The extracts and essential oils of D. ambrosioides yield promising results probably due to the complex mixtures of compounds from plant secondary metabolism that act as antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifeedant agents to protect plants [24].
Essential oils exhibit broad activity against parasitic microorganisms since they negatively affect the feeding, growth, reproduction, and oviposition of harmful parasites [73]. Based on the induction of different mitochondrial targets, many authors have attributed the antiparasitic activity to the major chemical components, namely carvacrol, caryophyllene oxide, and ascaridole.

"4.4. Insecticidal and Repellent Activities of Dysphania ambrosioides"

Narratives Review

DOI: 10.3390/plants14131903

Study: weak evidence

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatitis are multifactorial urological disorders associated with chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and androgenic imbalance. Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants contains flavonoids and phenolic acids with well-recognised antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its potential activity against the molecular targets of these prostatic disorders has not been systematically evaluated. A comparative quantitative analysis was performed using studies published between 2005 and 2025 that reported antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, IC50 in µg/mL) of D. ambrosioides extracts. Metabolites from extracts with IC50 values below the global mean (398.410 ± 81.810 µg/mL; n = 35) were selected for in silico prioritisation using OSIRIS, PASS, and ProTox 3.0, followed by molecular docking (CB-Dock2) against AR, 5AR2, COX-2, NLRP3, and α1A receptors. Luteolin and rosmarinic acid showed favourable binding energies (−9.5 to −7.7 kcal/mol) comparable in magnitude to reference drugs (finasteride −13.4, celecoxib −11.4, tamsulosin −7.3 kcal/mol). These metabolites, exhibited affinity for androgenic, inflammatory, and adrenergic targets, suggesting their potential to modulate key mechanisms underlying both BPH and prostatitis. This study integrates, for the first time, a quantitative assessment of antioxidant activity with a multitarget in silico analysis of D. ambrosioides, prioritising luteolin and rosmarinic acid as natural candidates with potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiandrogenic properties relevant to prostatic health.

Dysphania ambrosioides (L). Mosyakin & Clemants, commonly known as “epazote” or “wormseed,” is widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Traditionally, this plant has been used in several cultures for the treatment of inflammatory and urinary disorders. In Nigeria, it is employed in traditional medicine for prostate-related ailments, including prostate cancer [6], while in Peru it is used to manage urinary tract inflammation and infections and to promote general detoxification and digestive health.

Systematische Review + quantitative Auswertung + computergestützte Vorhersagen (In-silico-Studie)

DOI: 10.3390/scipharm93040057

Study: moderate evidence

In endemic areas of leishmaniasis, the population often uses its leaves in the topical treatment of ulcers caused by the disease.

Recent molecular phylogenetic studies include representatives of the family Chenopodiaceae in the family Amaranthaceae. Some species of the genus Chenopodium were transferred to the genus Dysphania, as Chenopodium ambrosioides L., which is currently known as Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants.

D. ambrosioides is popularly known as epazote, Mexican tea, American wormseed, paico, mastruz and erva-de-Santa-Maria (Kliks, 1985, Albuquerque et al., 2009). The species is native to Central and South America, originated, probably, from Mexico. It has spontaneous growth in tropical and subtropical regions (mainly America and Africa) and also in temperate zones (from the Mediterranean to Central Europe) (Kismann, 1991). In Brazil, its distribution is extensive, occurring in almost all the territory.

It is an herb that reaches up to 1 m high, being highly branched.

Laboranalyse (in vitro)

DOI: 10.1016/j.bjp.2016.05.010

Study: weak evidence