German Chamomile
Matricaria recutita
Chamomile was well-known in ancient European cultures and its popularity grew through the Middle Ages when people used it as a remedy for asthma, colic, fevers, inflammations, nausea, nervous complaints, children’s ailments, skin diseases, and cancer. It is often used in a cream or ointment to soothe irritated skin, and is also used to naturally lighten hair. The flowers can also be used to make a yellow-brown fabric dye. Its daisy-like white and yellow flowers make a well known relaxing tea perfect to sip before bedtime, and we often add them as a festive ingredient in chilled herbal teas. OAEC’s kitchen has been known to freeze the bright flowers in ice cube trays and then put them in cold drinks anytime throughout the year.
Water: Moderate
Hardiness: Frost Hardy
Habit: 4' tall annual herb, 12" wide
Light: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil: Average
Origin: Southern and Western Europe and Northern and Western Asia