SIMLAW SEEDS CHAMOMILLE HERB SEEDS

Chamomile is an herb that belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy or sunflower) plant family and is grown around the world. It forms a daisylike flower with small white petals, a yellow center, and a thin stem, and can grow nearly 3 feet high.

Chamomile has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years to calm anxiety and settle stomachs. People in ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt used dried chamomile flowers and their essential oils as a medicinal herb.

There are two distinctly different plants that both share the common name Chamomile.  German Chamomile (Matricaria camomilla/recutita) and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). While their flowers and foliage are similar in appearance, they differ in size, life cycle, and use, so we will address each separately.

German Chamomile is a self-seeding annual plant

Decorative: Small daisy-like flowers over fragrant ferny foliage to 30” tall

Culinary: Flowers and foliage can be dried and used to make a tea, which is consumed for its calming, sedative properties

Medicinal: Believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-allergenic, and sedative properties

Roman Chamomile is a hardy perennial plant

Decorative: Small daisy-like flowers over low growing, fragrant apple-scented foliage. Height 6”-10”. Can be used to create a “Chamomile Lawn”, a fragrant, no-mow, eco-friendly alternative to turfgrass.

Culinary: Used for making tea.

Medicinal: Said to reduce fever, stomach upset, headache, and inflammation. The foliage contains fragrant essential oils that lend their scent to perfumes and are used in aromatherapy as a calming agent to reduce stress and promote sleep.