24/07/2022
Roman Chamomile, (Anthemis nobilis renamed Chamaemelum nobile,) is a slow-growing plant, creeping or trailing its tufts of leaves and flowers only a foot in height. Its root is perennial; the stems, hairy and freely branched, are covered with leaves which are divided into thread-like segments. This gives the whole plant a feathery appearance. The seed of Roman chamomile is very fine and requires a well-prepared soil. Sow seed shallowly; simply scatter seed on the soil’s surface and tamp down gently with the flat side of a hoe. The young seedlings can withstand a mild frost. Both Roman and German chamomile like lots of sun. Creeping rootstock spreads the plants, creating desirable carpeting surface. When walked on, its strong, fragrant scent will often reveal its presence before it is seen. Mrs. M. Grieve suggested walking over the plant seems beneficial to it. The aromatic fragrance gives no hint of its bitterness of taste.
chamomile flowers, chamomile growing tips, facts about chamomile, chamomile fun facts, chamomile historyAll the Chamomiles have a tiny chaffy scale between each two florets and are downy and grayish-green in color. The wild type flourishes in a rather dry, sandy soil but the double-flowered Chamomile needs a richer soil and gives the heaviest crop of blooms in moist, stiff-ish black loam. Harvest the flowers for drying when the petals begin to turn back on the disk.
The part of the plant chiefly used medicinally is the flower-heads. Both single and double flowers are used in medicine but the single, wild Chamomile appear to be more powerful. The English Chamomile is the double form. English flower-heads are considered the most valuable for distillation of the oil. A simple way to make chamomile oil, according to the Egyptians, is to take fresh flowers (one ounce) and beat them up with pure olive oil. Steep the flowers in the oil for twenty-four hours or more, then strain. Extracts of the plant or the oil itself have three primary uses: as anti-inflammatories for various afflictions of the skin and mucous membranes; as antispasmodics for treating ailments like indigestion and menstrual cramps; and as anti-infective for numerous minor illnesses.