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Summary
Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is a synonym of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants. This plant is now known as Dysphania ambrosioides.
Physical Characteristics
Chenopodium ambrosioides is a ANNUAL/PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.7 m (2ft 4in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Plant Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves Seed
Edible Uses: Tea
Leaves - cooked[2]. The tender leaves are sometimes used as a potherb[183]. Used as a condiment in soups etc[46, 61, 105], they are said to reduce flatulence if eaten with beans[183]. The leaves have a rank taste due to the presence of resinous dots and sticky hairs[85]. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked[105, 161]. 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[183].
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Analgesic Antiasthmatic Antifungal Carminative Dysentery Stomachic Vermifuge
Mexican tea is a Central American herb that has been used for centuries to expel parasitic worms from the body[254]. The whole plant is analgesic, antiasthmatic, carminative, stomachic and vermifuge[1, 4, 21, 57, 145, 147, 171]. An infusion can be used as a digestive remedy, being taken to settle a wide range of problems such colic and stomach pains[254]. 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[254]. Use with caution and preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[21, 238]. This remedy should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. 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[222]. The seed, or an essential oil expressed from the seed, was used[213]. It is very effective against most parasites, including the amoeba that causes dysentery, but is less effective against tapeworm[213, 238]. Fasting should not precede its use and there have occasionally been cases of poisoning caused by this treatment[213]. The oil is used externally to treat athlete's foot and insect bites[238]. One report says that it is an essential oil that is utilised[240]. 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[240]. The essential oil is of similar quality from plants cultivated in warm climates and those in cool climates[240]. The leaves are added in small quantities as a flavouring for various cooked bean dishes because their carminative activity can reduce flatulence[222].
References More on Medicinal Uses
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Other Uses
Dye Insecticide
The plant is used as a fumigant against mosquitoes and is also added to fertilizers to inhibit insect larvae[238]. Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].
Special Uses
Food Forest Scented Plants
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[1, 200]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.2 to 8.3. Plants are annuals or short-lived perennials[238]. They are not very hardy when grown outdoors in Britain and so are best grown as an annual[238]. 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[238]. 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[238]. The bruised leaves emit an unpleasant foetid odour[245]. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root [2-1].
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
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Plant 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.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
American wormseed; bluebush; Indian goosefoot; Jerusalem-tea; Mexican tea; Spanish-tea; wormseed. Spanish: apazote; aposote; biengranada; epazote; hierba hormiguera; huacatay; paico; pasote; pazote; pichan; pichen. French: ambroisie du Mexique; botrice; chenopode ambroisine; feuilles à vers; herbe à puces; herbe à vers; thé du Mexique; vermifuge. Chinese: tu jing jie. Bahamas: Jerusalem parsley. Brazil: ambrósia; ambrósia-do-México; anserina-vermífuga; ereva-mata-pulga; erva-das-lombrigas; erva-de-bicho; erva-de-Santa-Maria; erva-formigueira; mastruço; menstruço. Central America: epazote. Dominican Republic: chénopode; semen contra; semin contra. Haiti: simón contegras. Jamaica: bitter weed; hedge mustard; semicontract. Lesser Antilles: boldo; semen contra; worm bush; wormwood.
Native Range
NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California, Utah), Mexico (Baja California (Norte), Baja California Sur, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Campeche, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán) SOUTHERN AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
Dysphania 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 (Randall, 2012). 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 [1d].
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.
| Related Plants
|
| Latin Name | Common Name | Habit | Height | Hardiness | Growth | Soil | Shade | Moisture | Edible | Medicinal | Other |
| Chenopodium acuminatum | | Annual | 0.6 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium album | Fat Hen, Lambsquarters | Annual | 0.9 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Chenopodium ambrosioides anthelminticum | Wormseed | Annual/Perennial | 1.0 |
7-10
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Chenopodium auricomum | Queensland Bluebush | Annual | 1.8 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium berlandieri | Southern Huauzontle, Pitseed goosefoot, Nuttall's goosefoot, Bush's goosefoot, Zschack's goosefoot | Annual | 1.2 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium bonus-henricus | Good King Henry | Perennial | 0.3 |
4-8
| | LMH | N | M | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Chenopodium botrys | Jerusalem Oak, Jerusalem oak goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Chenopodium bushianum | Bush's goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium californicum | California Goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
-
| | LMH | N | DM | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Chenopodium canihua | | Annual | 0.0 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium capitatum | Strawberry Blite, Blite goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
4-8
| | LMH | N | M | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Chenopodium cristatum | Crested Goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Chenopodium ficifolium | Fig-Leaved Goosefoot | Annual | 0.9 |
4-8
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium foliosum | Leafy goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
4-8
| | LMH | N | M | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium fremontii | Goosefoot, Fremont's goosefoot, Pringle's goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium giganteum | Tree Spinach | Annual | 2.4 |
4-8
| | LMH | N | M | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Chenopodium glaucum | Oak-Leaved Goosefoot | Annual | 0.3 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium graveolens | Foetid Goosefoot | Annual | 0.9 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Chenopodium hybridum | | Annual | 1.5 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Chenopodium incanum | Mealy Goosefoot | Annual | 0.5 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium leptophyllum | Narrow Leaved Goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium murale | Nettleleaf Goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium nuttalliae | Huauzontle, Nuttall's goosefoot | Annual | 0.6 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium opulifolium | Seaport goosefoot | Annual | 0.8 |
0-0
| | LMH | SN | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium overi | Over's goosefoot | Annual | 0.8 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium pallidicaule | Cañihua | Annual | 0.6 |
-
| | LMH | N | DM | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium polyspermum | All-Seed, Manyseed goosefoot | Annual | 0.9 |
0-0
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium pratericola | Desert Goosefoot | Annual | 1.0 |
-
| | LMH | N | M | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Chenopodium quinoa | Quinoa, Goosefoot, Pigweed, Inca Wheat | Annual | 1.5 |
10-12
| F | LMH | N | M | 5 | 0 | 2 |
|
|
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
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Botanical References
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