The following is excerpted from Wild Vision Adventures In Observation, A Monthly Newsletter for Texas Wildlife Interpreters, Published by Wild Vision, November 1996 Volume 2, Issue 11.
The first genus chosen for our new feature might be viewed as old hat by edible plant enthusiasts as it can be found in virtually every book ever written about wild edibles. In magazine articles that find space to discuss only 4-5 items, it always appears, sandwiched between the cattails and dandelions. There is a good reason for this (several in fact); it is common, abundant, very nutritious, and downright tasty.
Chenopodium spp. (Goosefoot, Lamb’s-Quarters) Chenopodiaceae - Goosefoot family
(Epazote - for C. ambrosioides & Quelite Salado - for C. album)
14 species listed for our area. Half of these species are introduced aliens (Hatch, 1990). Species of interest are listed below:
C. album (Lamb’s-Quarters, Pigweed) - Native of Eurasia. Common around old homesteads.
C. ambrosioides (Mexican tea, American Wormseed) - crushed leaves smell like turpentine or camphor. Native of Tropical America.
C. berlandieri (Pitseed Goosefoot) - crushed leaves smell like dirty socks.
Chenopodium species are useful either for food or medicine. Most of our local species are edible and very nutritious, although some taste better than others. In deciding whether a particular species has edible or medicinal value, crush a leaf and smell it. If it is aromatic (especially with an odor similar to turpentine or camphor) do not attempt to use it as a foodstuff.
Chenopodium album is one of the most widely distributed plants in the world (Tull, 1987).
EDIBLE
Constituents: Leaves: (of all C. spp.)
oxalic acid - this chemical tends to bind with calcium and prevent its proper absorption by
the body. Do not eat on a daily basis.
vitamins A & C - the vitamin A content of Chenopodium spp. is on par with that of carrots.
proteins & minerals
Seeds: (of C. quinoa, a Peruvian species not found in Texas)
carbohydrate - ~55%
proteins - ~15%
Leaves: Greens: Year round. The young tender leaves and tips can be eaten raw. Older leaves are good when boiled for 10 minutes.
Seasoning: Some Mexican dishes, especially for green beans, call for 1-2 leaves of C. ambrosioides as a seasoning. Poisoning is possible if the leaves of this species is eaten in quantity.
Seeds: Breads: Summer - Winter. Strip the seeds from the stems and let them dry, then rub them in your hands until the tiny black seeds separate from the chaff. Winnow. Seeds can be eaten boiled, toasted, or ground and mixed with other flours.
History: Chenopodium species (native and otherwise) were widely used as food by Native Americans. Botanists generally believe that Chenopodium album originated in Europe, but recent archeological work in Canada has determined that this species was used by Indians as early as AD 1500 (Tull, 1987).
Chenopodium berlandieri - Leaves stink but still make a tasty pot of greens. Seeds retain an unpleasant odor and are not worth using except as an emergency food.
MEDICINAL
History: The essential oil from the flowering or fruiting C. ambroisiodes was employed against roundworms, hookworms, dwarf tapeworms and intestinal amoebae (Foster, 1990).
Native Americans ate the leaves of C. album to treat stomachaches. They also used a cold tea from this plant to stop diarrhea (Foster, 1990).
Analysis: Although effective, oil of Mexican Wormseed (C. ambroisiodes) has been largely replaced by synthetic chemicals for combating intestinal parasites.
WARNING: Leaves of C. ambroisioides cause contact dermatitis in susceptible individuals. The distilled essential oil of C. ambroisioides is highly toxic (Foster, 1990). Symptoms of poisoning by overdose of wormseed oil include: nausea, vomiting, headache, acute depression, kidney damage and convulsions (Schmutz, 1979).
Reference:
Foster, Steven and Duke, James A. Eastern / Central Medicinal Plants (Peterson Field Guides). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.
Hatch, Stephan L. & Kancheepuram, N. Gandhi & Brown, Larry E. Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Texas (MP-1655). College Station, Texas: The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, July, 1990.
Mahler, Wm. F. Shinners Manual of the North Central Texas Flora. Dallas, Texas: SMU herbarium, 1988.
Schmutz, Ervin M. & LuCretia Breazeale Hamilton. Plants That Poison. Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Publishing, 1979
Natural History of North Central Texas Index
Royce & LuCretia Milam Copyright © November 1996 Wild Vision. All rights reserved.