Use: Epazote leaves are widely used in Mexican cooking, especially to season chili sauce and bean dishes. It is also used in corn, soup, shellfish, and mushrooms. The leaves are strongly scented and only small amounts are needed for most recipes. Add the dried leaves the last 15 min. of cooking so that the food will not become bitter. Epazote is used as a herbal remedy for athlete's foot and it actually has been shown to inhibit fungi causing that disease. Epazote is commonly added to beans to reduce gas.
Caution: Although it ia popular as a tea in Mexico, Germany, and the West Indies, epazote should probably be ingested in very limited quantities because large doses may be toxic.
Culture: Epazote is quick and easy to grow. Mature plants need to be pinched back or they will go to seed. Plants let go to seed may become a weed problem.
