Epazote / Mexican Tea

Dysphania ambrosioides

Mexican herb that flavors authentic dishes and helps reduce gas!

The Nahuatl name of this Central American native is "skunk sweat," which is ironic given its lore as a carminative herb (gas reducer). It grows as a self-seeding annual in the north. Leaves are used as an herb in flavoring black beans, and also in many other Mexican dishes such as rice, mole, enchiladas, quesadillas, and huitlacoche, among others. It is used as a companion plant in the garden, where its strong smell masks nearby plants from predators and its leaves produce a natural pesticide.

Photo: Certified Organic Epazote grows at Purple Sage Farms. Photo by Arlie Sommer.

Seeds grown by Reditus Natural Farming in Ferdinand, Idaho and Purple Sage Farms in Middleton, Idaho.

400 seeds.

Directions: Gently tap seeds into soil, as seeds require light to germinate. Direct seed in spring or start indoors 6-8 weeks before frost and transplant out after frost.