Chenopodium ambrosioides
| Chenopodium ambrosioides | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chenopodium ambrosioides (common name: mexican tea)
Propagation: Seed - whilst it can be sown in situ in mid to late spring, we have had better results by sowing the seed in a cold frame in early spring. Put a few seeds in each pot and thin to the best plant if necessary. Germination rates are usually very good and the seedlings should appear within a few days of sowing the seed. Plant out in late spring, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[1][2]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[2]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.2 to 8.3.
Plants are annuals or short-lived perennials[3]. They are not very hardy when grown outdoors in Britain and so are best grown as an annual[3]. Plants have often self-sown freely in our Cornish trial grounds, but the seed often germinates in the autumn and then does not manage to survive the winter[3].
This species is sometimes grown as a medicinal and culinary plant, especially in its native Mexico. The sub-species C. ambrosioides anthelminticum is more active medicinally and is the form most often cultivated for its vermicidal activity[3].
The bruised leaves emit an unpleasant foetid odour[4].
Range: Tropical America. Naturalized in S. Europe[5].
Habitat: Mainly found on dry wasteland and cultivated ground[6][7].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[8]. The tender leaves are sometimes used as a potherb[9]. Used as a condiment in soups etc[10][11][12], they are said to reduce flatulence if eaten with beans[9]. The leaves have a rank taste due to the presence of resinous dots and sticky hairs[13]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.
Seed - cooked[12][14]. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.
An infusion of the leaves is a tea substitute[9].
Medicinal: Mexican tea is a Central American herb that has been used for centuries to expel parasitic worms from the body[15].
The whole plant is analgesic, antiasthmatic, carminative, stomachic and vermifuge[1][16][17][18][19][20][21]. An infusion can be used as a digestive remedy, being taken to settle a wide range of problems such colic and stomach pains[15]. Externally, it has been used as a wash for haemorrhoids, as a poultice to detoxify snake bites and other poisons and is thought to have wound-healing properties[15]. Use with caution and preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[17][3]. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women[3]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
Until fairly recently, this was one of the most commonly used vermifuges, though it has now been largely replaced by synthetic drugs[22]. The seed, or an essential oil expressed from the seed, was used[23]. It is very effective against most parasites, including the amoeba that causes dysentery, but is less effective against tapeworm[23][3]. Fasting should not precede its use and there have occasionally been cases of poisoning caused by this treatment[23]. The oil is used externally to treat athlete's foot and insect bites[3]. One report says that it is an essential oil that is utilised[24]. This is obtained from the seed or the flowering stems, it is at its highest concentration in the flowering stems before seed is set, these contain around 0.7% essential oil of which almost 50% is the active vermifuge ascaridol[24]. The essential oil is of similar quality from plants cultivated in warm climates and those in cool climates[24].
The leaves are added in small quantities as a flavouring for various cooked bean dishes because their carminative activity can reduce flatulence[22].
Usage: The plant is used as a fumigant against mosquitoes and is also added to fertilizers to inhibit insect larvae[3].
Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[25].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The essential oil in the seed and flowering plant is highly toxic. In excess it can cause dizziness, vomiting, convulsions and even death[22][3]. The plant can also cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions[22].
The leaves and seeds of all members
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Livingstone, B. Flora of Canada. National Museums of Canada, 1978.
- ↑ Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Singh, Gurcharan and Premnath Kachroo. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1976.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.