How to Plant and Grow Epazote (Wormseed)

Native to southern Mexico, Central America, and South America, epazote has been used in the cuisines of these areas for centuries.

It is believed that the Mayans used it both culinarily and medicinally.

Notably, the herb contains a chemical called ascaridole, which repels intestinal worms. For centuries, people around the world used D. ambrosioides to purge worms from their systems.

Until antiparasitic drugs became available in the 1940s, many thousands of gallons of Baltimore Oil, also known as wormseed oil, were produced as a household remedy for hookworm in pets, livestock, and humans.

In the 1930s and ‘40s, more than 240 farmers in Carroll County, northwest of Baltimore, grew wormseed.

How to Sow

You can sow seeds indoors in early spring, or sow directly outdoors when soil temperatures have reached 70°F.

If you are starting seeds indoors, applying heat to the bottom of your seed trays will speed germination.

Soak seeds in water for 24 hours, and then lightly press them into the soil and add a scant layer of dirt on top.

Keep the soil moist until they germinate, which should happen in seven to 14 days.

Thin outdoor-sown seedlings to six inches apart.

For a continual supply of young leaves, you might want to make successive sowings of this herb every two to three weeks.

How to Grow

Wormseed grows best in full sun and is not particular about the soil, as long as it is well-draining.

If you really want to, you can enrich the soil with a little organic matter, but any additional fertilizer will result in less flavorful leaves.

The plant prefers dry weather with a medium amount of water. It can tolerate some drought, but will do better with regular watering.

Because of its attractiveness to predatory wasps and flies, epazote is sometimes intentionally grown near plants that are infested with insects that these beneficial insects like to dine on.

Pruning will encourage more branching and therefore more leafing, particularly if you lop off the center stem. As with basil, snip off emerging flower spikes, too, to encourage more leafing.