Camomile

Description

Matricaria chamomilla

Camomile or chamomile (US spelling) is the common name for a number of daisy-like plants in the family Asteraceae. Two of the most common species in use for herbal infusions are Matricaria chamomilla (German camomile) and Chamaemelum nobile (Roman, English, or garden camomile).

It has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years to calm anxiety, settle stomachs and as a mild antiseptic. The plant is native to western Europe, India, and Asia, but their weed-like ability to grow in many environments and climate have allowed the plants to grow around the world.

German camomile – an annual recognisable by its single yellow flower and white petals per stem and “fern-like” and feathery leaves – is native to Asia and Europe. It is commercially cultivated in Egypt, France, Hungary and throughout Eastern Europe.

Roman camomile – a tall perennial plant with multiple flowers on branched stems and leaves with multiple lobes – is native to North Africa and Western Europe. This variety is commercially grown in England, France, Belgium, Argentina, and the United States.

Depending on the climate and environment, camomile blooms between May and October.