Wormseed old remedy for amoebic dysentery, parasites and snake bite

Wormseed, Dysphania ambrosioides (though you will more than likely find it labeled as Chenopodium ambrosioides; the name changed only recently), is also known as American wormseed, chenopodium, epazote, feather geranium, goosefoot, herba Sancti Mariae, Jerusalem oak, Jerusalem tea, Jesuit tea, Mexican tea and Spanish tea. It’s not related to garden geraniums (which have the latin name Pelargonium), nor to plants with the latin name Geranium. It’s also not related to oak trees, tea tree or even good old tea as in “let’s ‘av a cuppa tea”, though many herbal teas may be related, of course! I hope that’s clear.

Having told you what it’s not related to, let me add the perhaps surprising information that it is in the same botanical family as spinach (but not New Zealand spinach), beet, Swiss chard and quinoa.

Wormseed is a short-lived hardy perennial, usually treated as an annual in cultivation. An American native, it reaches a height of around 3 feet (1m), and spreads over an area of about 28 inches (70cm), so needs a fair bit of space. In some areas it can become invasive, so be careful to collect the seeds (or cut off the flowers if you don’t want them), because they are very small and will disappear into the ground only to reappear as volunteers in following seasons, rather like potatoes you missed when digging the crop.

Wormseed will grow anywhere, even very alkaline soil, so long as it is moist. It will not grow in full shade.

Despite the multitude of names referring to tea, wormseed is not used for this purpose so far as I’ve been able to find out, though young leaves and shoots are sometimes used as food, mostly cooked. Because of the saponins and oxalic acid content, large quantities should not be consumed at one time, particularly raw. The flavor has been described as “rank”, so this is probably an acquired taste in any case – and perhaps not worth acquiring in view of these problems. Seeds or leaves are also extensively used as a flavoring in Mexican cooking and added to beans to prevent flatulence. If using the seeds, these must be soaked for several hours (overnight) in plenty of water, then thoroughly rinsed before use to remove the large quantities of saponins present.

Wormseed is not suitable for use by pregnant women or young children. It should be used with caution by anyone suffering from arthritis, gout, hyperacidity, kidney stones or rheumatism. An overdose is toxic and may be fatal.

The main use of wormseed was as an effective treatment for amoebic dysentery and other internal parasites, apart from tapeworm for which other remedies should be used. An oil extracted from seeds and above ground parts of the herb was used for this purpose at a dosage of 3-10 drops three times a day for several days (usually on a sugar cube). However, oil of wormseed is the most dangerous preparation of this herb, so my advice is not to make the oil yourself, and not to use it except under the supervision of a qualified herbal practitioner. It’s also important that you do not take it on an empty stomach, so if you are using it, take it after meals only.

A poultice can be made by soaking the leaves in very hot water then wrapping in a bandage and applying to the area to be treated, refreshing in hot water as necessary. This was used as a treatment for snake bite – a fast hike to the nearest hospital is a better treatment, if possible.

All in all, wormseed is probably not something you want to keep in your cupboard (except perhaps for flavoring food), or your garden, but if you do decide to grow it for use in food or medicine, then growing it organically will ensure that its properties are unsullied. To find out more about growing organic wormseed visit the Gardenzone.

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