as fatty, herbaceous, and penetrating, and is
due to a terpene called ascaridole. Ascaridole
is also responsible for the use of epazote in
folk medicine; it is toxic to intestinal worms.
Hoja Santa This herb’s name is Spanish for
“holy leaf,” and refers to the large leaf of New
World relatives of black pepper, Piper
auritum and P. sanctum. It’s used from
southern Mexico to northern South America
to wrap foods and flavor them while they’re
cooked, and is also added directly to dishes as
a flavoring. The main aromatic in hoja santa
is safrole, the characteristic note of sassafras
familiar from root beers, and a suspected
carcinogen.
Houttuynia Houttuynia is a small perennial
Asian plant, Houttuynia cordata, in the
primitive lizard’s-tail family (Saururaceae), a
relative of black pepper. Its leaves are used in
Vietnamese and Thai salads, stews, and other
dishes. There are two main varieties, one with