NAME: Chenopodium ambrosioides

FAMILY: Chenopodiaceae

COMMON NAMES: Wormwood, Mexican-tea

LOCAL NAMES: Ewe-imi, asin, arunpale

MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:

Chenopodium ambrosioides is an erect annual herb, growing up to 100 - 150 cm tall and is very branched.

USEFUL PART(s): Whole plant, leaves.

GENERAL USES:

It is used to ward off gases in bean dishes.
It's extract is used commercially as a fragrance component in lotions and perfumes
It used also as a condiment in soups.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:

North America, Southern Mexico, Eastern Canada

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Anthelmintics
Emollient
Rheumatism
Tumour.
Ulcers
Eczema

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Overdoses of its essential oils results to death.

FUN FACT

The plant occurs locally abundantly along roadsides and in waste places.

FURTHER READINGS

Bammou, L., Belkhaouda, M., Salghi, R., Benali, O., Zarrouk, A., Zarrok, H., & Hammouti, B. (2014). Corrosion inhibition of steel in sulfuric acidic solution by the Chenopodium Ambrosioides extracts. In Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Basic and Applied Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaubas.2013.11.001

Barros, L., Pereira, E., Calhelha, R. C., Dueñas, M., Carvalho, A. M., Santos-Buelga, C., & Ferreira, I. C. F. R. (2013). Bioactivity and chemical characterization in hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. Journal of Functional Foods. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2013.07.019

Cysne, D. N., Fortes, T. S., Reis, A. S., de Paulo Ribeiro, B., dos Santos Ferreira, A., do Amaral, F. M. M., Guerra, R. N. M., Marinho, C. R. F., Nicolete, R., & Nascimento, F. R. F. (2016). Antimalarial potential of leaves of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. Parasitology Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5216-x

Da Silva, M. G. C., Amorim, R. N. L., Câmara, C. C., Fontenele Neto, J. D., & Soto-Blanco, B. (2014). Acute and sub-chronic toxicity of aqueous extracts of chenopodium ambrosioides leaves in rats. Journal of Medicinal Food. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2013.0134

Jaramillo C, B. E., Duarte R, E., & Delgado, W. (2012). Bioactividad del aceite esencial de Chenopodium ambrosioides Colombiano. Revista Cubana de Plantas Medicinales.

Limaverde, P. W., Campina, F. F., da Cunha, F. A. B., Crispim, F. D., Figueredo, F. G., Lima, L. F., Datiane de M. Oliveira-Tintino, C., de Matos, Y. M. L. S., Morais-Braga, M. F. B., Menezes, I. R. A., Balbino, V. Q., Coutinho, H. D. M., Siqueira-Júnior, J. P., Almeida, J. R. G. S., & Tintino, S. R. (2017). Inhibition of the TetK efflux-pump by the essential oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. and α-terpinene against Staphylococcus aureus IS-58. Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2017.02.031