Chamomile

the flower of chamomile (Chamomillae flos)

True chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is an annual with small heads that have white ray florets and a yellow, domed centre. The most reliable way to tell it from similar daisies is to cut the receptacle open: in true chamomile it is hollow, in stinking chamomile solid. It grows in fields, beside paths and on sunny, loose soil.

The open flower heads are gathered without their stalks, in the morning in dry weather; the gathering is repeated every few days, because the heads open one after another. They are dried quickly, in the shade and in a thin layer, at a temperature of up to thirty-five degrees, or the essential oil evaporates. Dried flowers smell of apple and fall apart when pressed.

The tea and the essential oil are different preparations and are not interchangeable. In Ašič's collection the flower of chamomile appears in more blends than any other ingredient, among them For Children, VetroviSIT, Appetite Tea, MirSIT and Men's Tea.

Use and evidence

The EMA recognises several limited traditional uses: mild digestive cramps and wind, the symptoms of a cold by inhalation, and mild inflammation of the mouth, the skin and the anogenital area. This is not a universal anti-inflammatory treatment. EMA.