Epazote Nutrition facts
Epazote
Epazote is a traditional Central American herb employed by native Mexicans since antiquity. Its strong, musky flavor gives a unique taste to Mexican and other Latin American cuisines. While its young shoots and tender leaves used like leafy greens in soups; its mature, pungent leaves added in small quantities as digestive and carminatives in bean, fish, and corn dishes.
Binomially, the herb belongs to the large Amaranthaceae family of herbs and vegetables, including amaranth, spinach, quinoa, beets, etc. Scientific name: Chenopodium ambrosioides. Some of the common names include wormseed, Mexican tea, pazote, etc.
Epazote is one of the efficiently growing annual herbs. It prefers well-draining, sandy soil and full sunlight to flourish. The herb grows generously in the fields and on the roadside hedges as a weedy invasive plant. It reaches about 60 to 100 cm in height featuring small pointed leaves with serrated margins. Tiny yellow-green flowers appear in clusters as in amaranth, which develop subsequently into numerous small black seeds.
| Nutrition Principle | Nutrition Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | ||
| Energy | 32 Kcal | 1.5% |
| Carbohydrates | 7.44 g | 6% |
| Protein | 0.33 g | <1% |
| Total Fat | 0.52 g | 2% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Ditary fiber | 3.8 g | 10% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 215 µg | 54% |
| Niacin | 0.639 mg | 4% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.179 mg | 3.5% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.152 mg | 12% |
| Riboflavin | 0.348 mg | 27% |
| Thiamin | 0.028 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 57 IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 3.6 mg | 6% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 80 mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 470 mg | 10% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 275 mg | 27.5% |
| Copper | 0.190 mg | 21% |
| Iron | 1.88 mg | 24.5% |
| Magnesium | 121 mg | 30% |
| Manganese | 3.098 mg | 135% |
| Phosphorus | 86 mg | 12% |
| Selenium | 0.9 µg | 1% |
| Zinc | 1.10 mg | 10% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-ß | 38 µg | -- |