Guide to Growing Chamomile and Its Uses

Chamomile has been used as a remedy for calming the nerves and the stomach, and easing sleep, since herbal remedies were recorded. Chamomile is one of those herbs that even beginners can grow and it is hardy through much of the United States. Chamomile is also used in a variety of beauty products currently on the market from shampoo to skin cream.

Modern medical research has determined that chamomile has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties, good for use on minor wounds, and skin conditions and as a gargle for sore throats and inflamed gums. Chamomile also relaxes the smooth muscles, particularly in the intestines and is used to calm upset stomachs, and to relieve gas pain, cramping, and minor diarrhea.

The most common herbal use of chamomile however, is to calm the nerves and aid in getting a good nights sleep. Research has confirmed that it has sedative properties. It can be used alone or with other herbs with sedative properties such as valerian and catnip. Chamomile is widely available on the market as a tea, capsules, powdered herb, or essential oil. It is easy to grow your own chamomile for herbal use also.

Growing Chamomile
There are two types of Chamomile grown by herbalists, German, [ Matricaria recutita], and English or Roman [Chamaemelum nobile]. Both are easy to grow, similar in appearance, and are used for the same medicinal uses. German Chamomile is the plant used to grow commercial crops. It is the most studied, but most experts believe the medicinal qualities are very similar between the two types of Chamomile.

German Chamomile is an annual plant that needs to be planted each year; Roman Chamomile is a perennial, hardy in zones 3-9. German Chamomile gets about 2 feet tall but Roman Chamomile is a groundcover plant that rarely gets more than a foot high.

German Chamomile is started from seed or small plants can be purchased. In cold climates it would be wise to start the seeds inside about 6 weeks before the last frost. Transplant them outside after your last frost as they are not frost hardy. Seeds can also be sown in the garden when the soil is warm.

Roman Chamomile can be started from seed but germination is less reliable than German Chamomile. Roman Chamomile produces runners, little plants that can be separated from the main plant. New gardeners will probably want to buy plants or get a start from a friend.

Both types of Chamomile have tiny, narrow gray-green leaves that give them a ferny appearance. German Chamomile grows upright as a single plant. Roman Chamomile grows as a tangled mat of plants produced by rhizomous roots. The leaves of both types have a characteristic smell when crushed, somewhat like apples.

It is the daisy like flowers that produce the medicinal qualities. The flowers are white, with 15-18 petals drooping down from a raised yellow cone. They are about an inch across. Plants begin blooming in mid summer. A double flowered variety of German Chamomile has been grown since the 16th century

Growing Chamomile
Chamomile likes a sunny spot, with sandy soil. It tolerates dry conditions but will bloom more freely if watered regularly. It will not grow in wet areas. Unless the soil is very poor chamomile does not need fertilizer. If you are growing Roman Chamomile do not cut the plants back in the fall. Wait until spring to carefully remove the dead branches from the previous year.

Growing chamomile near other herbs is said to make those herbs have stronger medicinal qualities and make the neighboring plants stronger and healthier.

Harvesting and Using Chamomile
Harvest the flower heads as they bloom. You can just clip them off the plant. You can use them fresh or dry them for later use. To make an herbal tea, steep about a cup of fresh flower heads in a pint of boiling water. Use about 2 tablespoons of dried powdered flower heads to a cup of boiling water. Keep a lid on steeping chamomile as some of the medicinal qualities may be lost if it is left open. Strain before drinking.

To calm the nerves and bring on restful sleep, drink a about a cup of warm tea. Cooled tea can be used as a gargle for sore throats or inflamed gums and cold sores. Tea is often mixed with ginger ale to help upset stomachs.

Adults should drink no more than 2-3 cups of tea a day. Children under 5 no more than half a cup and ages 5-18, about a cup. See the other cautions below.

For use externally, as a poultice for skin problems or minor wounds, make the tea much stronger, about 3-4 cups of fresh flowers to a pint of water or 6-8 tablespoons dried herb to a cup of water. Cool before using. This can also be used as a rinse for blond hair to restore highlights. Cool chamomile tea is also used as a spray for seedlings, to prevent fungal disease.

The flowers can be crushed and then slowly steamed, which will produce pale blue oil. When such oil is produced at home it is hard to judge the quality and strength. It's also hard to produce a sizable quantity. If you would like to use chamomile oil for herbal lotions or remedies it might be wise to purchase a standardized extract at a health food or drug store.

If you don't like tea and want to try chamomiles soothing properties you can purchase capsules and tinctures in many stores. Follow the label directions for dosage.

Cautions
Chamomile should not be used by people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, or asters. It should not be used by persons with asthma or pregnant women before consulting a doctor. People on blood thinners should not use chamomile. Chamomile reacts with many drugs. If you are on ant-depressants, sleep medicines, birth control pills, sedatives, anticonvulsants, some allergy medications, statins or pain medications you should talk to your doctor about using chamomile. In fact, you should always consult your doctor before mixing herbal and other medications. Alcohol use with chamomile should be avoided.