chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
---Flavor Profile and Uses
---Identification
---Harvesting Instructions
- Tasty, mellow, delicate, floral flavor when served as a tea
- Very popular medicinal that’s safe to use with children
- A tasty nervine that calms the nervous and digestive systems
- Anti-inflammatory, a mild sedative, and bitter
- Has antiseptic properties and can be used topically in washes for the eyes, mouth, and skin, as well as creams, oils, salves, etc.
- Can be formulated as an extract (such as a tincture) with other nervine herbs to serve as a digestive tonic or sleep aid
---Identification
- Grows up to 2’ tall and is a light-green, multi-stemmed plant with lacy leaves, and tiny, white, daisy-like flowers with yellow clusters surrounded by white petals
- A tenacious grower that does well in cooler climates with full sun and well-drained, sandy loam with good levels of organic matter
---Harvesting Instructions
- Harvest on a dry, sunny day when blooming in mid – late summer every 7 – 10 days for about a month (after the first four weeks blossom production decreases)
- Pluck flowers by hand, cut from the stem, or rake with a blossom comb to harvest
- Dry in a single layer on a screen in a sheltered, well ventilated area for a couple of weeks (test many different flowers frequently as different sized blossoms dry at different rates and one less-than-dry flower can ruin a whole chamomile stash via mold)
- Store in an airtight container (preferably with paper or desiccation packets added to absorb moisture and prevent molding over time)
- Best practice is to check all dried chamomile every couple of days for the first few weeks of storage to make sure no mold is growing
Carpenter, Jeff, and Carpenter, Melanie. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015.