chamomile

German Chamomile

Matricaria recutita

Both German chamomile and Roman chamomile (Chamamelum nobile) can be used fairly interchangeably. German chamomile contains a thick volatile oil, chamazulene, that is blue in colour. If you leave a few chamomile flower heads in the bottom of a teapot for 24 hours or so you will find that the last few drops of tea in the bottom of the pot turn blue. The oil is anti-inflammatory and vulnerary (stops bleeding), and is a useful addition to external preparations for treating inflammatory skin conditions.

Chamomile tea makes a very pleasant relaxing drink, and is much better made from s few freshly picked flowers. If you cultivate chamomile, or are lucky enough to have some growing nearby, pick flowers daily when they are there to encourage further growth. If you are storing them, dry them well, as they can go off quite quickly. Well dried flowers will last the year, at least, and are much more rewarding than using commercially available teabags.

If making a tincture do a 1:3 @ 45%. The tincture is quite powerful, and you don't need much either on its own or in a mix. The tincture is much better than the tea for direct therapeutic applications, for treating inflammatory digestive problems and so on.