Mexican tea is a plant with roots deep in the culinary traditions of Mesoamerica. Native to tropical America and now naturalized across disturbed sites worldwide, it grows two to five feet tall with an untidy branching habit and minute glandular hairs on both stem and leaf. Those glands secrete an aromatic oil with a strong, musky character that is not universally loved in the garden but is indispensable in certain kitchens: a few leaves added to a pot of beans counteract their gas-producing compounds, a trick practiced throughout Mexico and Central America for generations.

As a garden plant it is essentially self-managing, thriving in full sun on poor, disturbed soil and reseeding freely once established. It asks little: moderately fertile ground, reasonable drainage, and room to spread without becoming a nuisance. Grow it in a kitchen herb patch where its vigor is an asset rather than a problem, and cut it back before it sets seed if self-sowing is unwelcome. Its historical use as a vermifuge is documented but the effective dose approaches toxicity, so culinary use remains the sensible application.