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Chamomile (German), annual
Matricaria recutita
and
Chamomile, (Roman), perennial
Chamaemelum nobile
Chamomile, familiar to many tea drinkers, has
an aromatic fruity scent, a cross between apples and raisins. People, since
the 1st century A.D., know it as a good herb for digestive disorders and
internal cramps, and to soothe colic in babies. Some of its other uses are
not so well-known. German Chamomile grows wild and is also cultivated in
many temperate regions on earth. Its seeds are sown in fall or spring, and
it is the mature flower head, harvested in the summer, which is most often
used, fresh or dried.
Chamomile (both) likes a sunny, well-drained and fertile site. The annual
variety self-sows its seeds when the flower matures and falls to the ground.
The perennial variety survives the winter, dying back and sprouting up again
in the spring, in some areas remaining green all winter. This herb has a
rich history of uses. The Greek physicians prescribed it for female
disorders and fevers. It is included in the Nine Sacred Herbs of the ancient
Anglo-Saxon manuscript, the “Lacnunga”.
Uses:
Household
In the garden, Chamomile is planted near other plants to revive them when
failing. A tea made of annual Chamomile’s flowers is sprayed on seedlings
(instead of regular watering) to prevent ’damping off’. I have done this,
and it works like magic!
Sprayed onto compost, Chamomile tea initiates the breakdown of organic
matter.
Cosmetic
Both types of flowers can be made into a tea for a facial steam and as an
eye bath to reduce inflammation and eliminate fatigue shadows. You can do
the same thing with chamomile tea bags: dip in warm water, squeeze out and
lay them on your eyes. Use the strong tea as a hair lightener, by rinsing
the hair after each shampooing.
Aromatic
The flower and leaf is used in potpourri and in herb pillows.
Medicinal
Use the flowers of both kinds as a tea which is mildly sedative, and a good
general tonic (improves physiological functions and sense of well-being).
Apply as a compress to help heal wounds and eczema. Use two cups of strong
tea or about 15-25 drops of the essential oil in the bath to relieve sun or
wind burned skin, and some types of inflammatory rashes. German Chamomile
tea is drunk for hay fever and asthma. It also relieves eyestrain. It has
value as a healer for such conditions as pain, indigestion, acidity, gas,
gastritis, bloating, colic, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcer, Crohn’s disease,
and irritable bowel syndrome.
(some information obtained from "The Complete Book of Herbs“,
by Leslie Bremness,
and from “The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants” by Andrew Chevallier)
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