Apasote Health Dictionary

Wormseed (Chenopodium ambrosioides). Plant Part Used: Leaf, aerial parts.Dominican Medicinal Uses: The leaf and aerial parts are traditionally prepared as an infusion or crushed to extract their juice which is administered orally for colic, diarrhea, stomach ache, intestinal parasites and gas.Safety: The leaves are widely consumed as a culinary seasoning in small amounts. Cases of contact dermatitis due to handling the plant have been reported. The leaves have shown relatively low toxicity in animal studies, and the seed oil and isolated constituents can be highly toxic.Contraindications: Avoid use of the oil in pregnancy (due to abortifacient effects) and young children (< 4 y). Internal use is contraindicated in the following conditions: gastro-intestinal inflammation (mucosal irritant), heart disease (cardiac depressive), liver disease (hepatotoxic) and kidney disease (renotoxic).Drug Interactions: Insufficient information identified in the available literature.Clinical Data: The leaf and plant extract have been investigated in human clinical trials for the following effects: antiparasitic and antiascariasis.Laboratory & Preclinical Data: The following biological activities of this plant have been demonstrated in laboratory and preclinical studies using in vitro or animal models: in vivo: analgesic, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, sedative (plant extracts or constituents); anthelmintic, antifungal (essential oil).In vitro: analgesic, antibacterial, antimalarial, insecticidal, sedative (plant extracts or constituents); antifungal (essential oil).* See entry for Apasote in “Part 3: Dominican Medicinal Plant Profiles” of this book for more information, including references.