Agricultural Information:

Plant Family: Asteraceae
Scientific name: Matricaria chamomilla

Chamomile can be either grown as an annual (German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla) or as a perennial (Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile). While in present day it is cultivated worldwide, German chamomile is native to Europe and Western Asia while Roman chamomile comes from Western Europe and North Africa.

Flowers resembles a small daisy with delicate white petals and a yellow cone-like center. The plant has feathery, light-green leaves and a pleasant, apple-like fragrance. The name “chamomile” comes from the Greek chamaimēlon meaning “ground apple” because of its scent. Chamomile flowers are picked at full bloom, snipped by hand or with a rake, then dried in a warm, airy place out of direct sunlight to preserve their quality.

Chamomile is best known as a calming tea, but it’s also used medicinally for relaxation, sleep, digestion, and skin relief, and in cosmetics for its soothing, anti-inflammatory benefits.