CHAMOMILE—FRIENDLY, MEDICINAL FLOWER

The content of this site is for informative, educational, entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Nursing or pregnant woman should use caution and seek medical guidance when using herbal supplements.

CHAMOMILE:

A member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, chamomile is a cheerful little flower with an impressive array of benefits. When the remains of Pharaoh Ramses II (1100 BC) were chemically analyzed, chamomile was a prevalent herbal ingredient in the embalming oil. Also good for the living, this little flower is famous for its calming, nervine effect. It is a friend to any garden. Because it is anti-microbial and anti-fungal it protects nearby plants.

BENEFITS OF CHAMOMILE

• Anti-microbial (Room temperature chamomile tea is good for soaking garden seeds in before planting because it is antimicrobial. It’s good for seeds with damping-off disease or mold issues.)
• Anti-fungal
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-inflammatory properties, especially when used as a topical
• Antioxidant (acetylene and chamazulene derivatives)
• Anti-allergy
• Immune booster
• Sedating/calming nerves
• Sleep-aid—Take tea made from flowers a half hour before bedtime.
• Reduces depression
• Eases skin irritation (diaper rash, dandruff, canker sores, burns, eczema, wounds, sunburns, and gout)
• Pain relief—when taken internally or used topically
• Helps with intestinal problems (anodyne compounds which are anti-spasmodic ease constipation.)
• Kidney restorer—heals and protects kidneys, not just a diuretic
• Muscle relaxing
• Helps with Jaundice
• Helps with Hepatitis
• Helps with Menstrual cramps
• Mouth health
• Heart health
• Helps with Crohn’s disease
• Helps with Hemorrhoids
• Eye health (warm, soaked bags of chamomile tea of the eyes assists with eye swelling and with dark circles under the eyes.)
• Sinus congestion relief (eases inflammation of mucous membranes in nose, throat, and mouth)
• Molecular Medicine Reports journal article lists conditions that might be improved, using chamomile (Source 3)
  • Cancer (apigenin antioxidants have been shown to counteract ovarian, breast, prostate, and skin cancers.)
  • Common cold
  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Eczema
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Osteoporosis
  • Sleep issues
  • Anxiety
  • Seizures
  • Diabetes

CAUTIONS FOR CHAMOMILE

The content of this site is for informative, educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Nursing or pregnant woman should use caution and seek medical guidance when using herbal supplements.

• It is important to note that those allergic to ragweed and chrysanthemums could be allergic to chamomile.
• Chamomile contains coumarin, which increases the risk of bleeding. It should be avoided by those with bleeding disorders.
• This is by no means a complete list of cautions. Research chamomile and consult with your doctor to see if it is right for you.
  

MAJOR TYPES OF CHAMOMILE

German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) grows 1-3’ tall.

• Most popular
• Self-seeding annual (will seed itself for next year)
• Commonly used in gardens.
• Produces more flowers than the Roman chamomile
• Most commonly used for teas.
• Flowers smell like green apple candy.
• Flowers can be eaten raw.
  • They have a lightly tart and medicinal flavor.
    
    

Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile):

• Lower growing (floppy)
• Perennial
• Like a matting, creeping ground cover.
• Though it can be used for tea, it is not commonly used.
• More bitter than German chamomile
  
  

St. John’s or Dyers Chamomile:

• Rarely grown
• Completely yellow flower
• Can be used for tea

GROWING CHAMOMILE

• Start with premoistened, slightly compacted soil.
• Chamomile’s tiny seeds are light-dependent and need to be surface sown.
• Scatter seeds over soil.
• With a dry finger, compress seeds down so they adhere to soil.
• Use a spray bottle on a gentle setting to water the seeds.
• In 10-14 days the chamomile seeds will sprout.
• Thin the plants to one inch apart when they’re large enough. When transplanting to the garden, space them 8 inches apart for larger plants.

Outdoor care:

• Prefers full sun
• Spring crops thrive best, but summer crops are possible.
• Prefers regular watering

HARVESTING CHAMOMILE

• Pluck mature flowers, when flowers are fully open. Note that immature, white flower petals hang down, clinging near the stem. A mature flower will be fully open with the white petals framing the yellow center.
  • The flower is the medicine.
  • Slide two fingers to the top of the stem and pop the flowers off.
  • Blueberry harvesters are helpful with the process of collecting the small flowers.
  • The stems are edible, but not as flavorful. It’s okay if some stem is harvested with the flower.
• Picking chamomile flowers (every day) often forces it to produce more flowers.
• You can buy mature, dried chamomile flowers online HERE.

USING CHAMOMILE

Drying chamomile tea:

• Lay the flowers out in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks.
  • They can be sun-dried, but the color fades and the flavor weakens slightly with this method.
• Alternatively, flowers can also be dehydrated on a very low temperature (95°F − 32°C).

Making chamomile tea:

• Fresh flower tea — Add 4 tablespoons of fresh chamomile flowers to one cup of 212°F (100°C) water.
  • Steep for five minutes or more.
• Dried flower tea — Add 1−1.5 teaspoons of dried chamomile flowers to one cup of 212°F (100°C) water.
  • Steep for five minutes or more in a loose leaf tea pot.
• The tea will have a crisp apple scent. Sweeten with honey if desired. It also tastes good with a mint sprig or lemon juice.
  

Making chamomile infused oil:

• Use bone-dry chamomile flowers.
  • The water in fresh flowers would seep into oil and cause the oil to become rancid.
• Fill a mason jar half way with dried flowers.
• Pour a carrier oil over the top, such as sweet almond oil.
• Seal the jar with a lid.
• Shake the jar.
• Put it on a shelf somewhere and give it a shake every now then.
• Leave the jar on the shelf for 2−8 weeks. The longer you can leave it the better so it infuses the flower oils and flavonoids into the oil.
• Strain the out the flowers.
  • You can do this through cheesecloth. Place the cheesecloth over a bowl and with the flowers in the cloth, wring the oil out of the cloth/flowers into the oil in the bowl. Store oil in a jar.
• How to use this oil:
  • In a diffuser
  • In a spray: dilute 10-15 drops per ounce of water in a glass spray bottle.
    • The oil will break down plastics over time so glass is important.
  • As a massage oil—dilute it in a carrier oil.
  • As a bath oil— dilute it in a carrier oil.
  • In a pre-made, natural lotion—use 1-2 drops with body lotion.
  • On a compress—Soak a towel or cloth in warm water, add 1-2 drops of diluted chamomile oil and apply to problematic area (like back or stomach)

Making a chamomile tincture:

Wellness Mama has published an article with a chamomile tincture recipe. Find it HERE: https://wellnessmama.com/remedies/chamomile-tincture/

Source 1(Drying/Making Chamomile Tea): “How to Grow Chamomile From Seed (And Make Your Own Tea),” Epic Gardening, Apr 17, 2021, Youtube.com

Source 2 (Medicinal): “Medicinal Benefits of Chamomile,” HomeGrown Herbalist, Jun 1, 2019, Youtube.com

Source 3 ( Benefits of): “Health Benefits of Chamomile - Dr. Jim Collins,” Dr. Jim Collins, Jun 14, 2021, Youtube.com

Source 4 (oil making): “Make Homemade Chamomile Lotion (step-by-step from fresh flowers to natural skincare),” Lovely Greens ,Jul 23, 2020, Youtube.com

Source 5 (Using oil): “The 8 Proven Benefits of Chamomile Oil and How to Use It,” Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D., August 14, 2019, Healthline.com

Source 6 (Info): “What you DIDN'T know about Chamomile! Growing | Harvesting | Uses,” OFF GRID with DOUG & STACY, June 15, 2020, Youtube.com

Source 7 (Info): “Health Benefits of Chamomile,” HealthBenefitsTimes.Com,

Contributor: Sheryl C.S. Johnson 7/6/2022