Chamomile
Chamomile or camomile is the common name for members of several related species in the sunflower or daisy family (Asteraceae), and in particular the annual herb Matricaria recutita (German chamomile) and the perennial herb Anthemis nobile (Roman chamomile, also classified as Chamaemelum nobile). The term also is used to refer to the dried flower heads of either of these later two plants, which is used to prepare a tea or provide an essential oil used for flavoring and perfume.
Other plants commonly referred to as chamomile include Matricaria matricarioides (wild chamomile or pineapple weed) and a number of other species in the genus Anthemis, such as Anthemis cotula (stinking chamomile or dog-fennel). However, the Roman chamomile and the German chamomile have been labeled "true chamomile" because of their similar appearance and popular medicinal use (Longe 2005). German chamomile is the official medicinal chamomile (Longe 2005).
Overview
The various species known as chamomile belong to the family Asteraceae. Asteraceae is known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family. It is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants. The family name is derived from the genus Aster and refers to the star-shaped flower head of its members, epitomized well by the daisy. In addition to the sunflower and daisy, other well-known members of the family include lettuce, chicory, globe artichoke, safflower, chrysanthemums, ragwort, and dandelion.
Plants belonging to the Asteraceae share all the following characteristics (Judd et al. 1999). None of these traits, taken separately, can be considered synapomorphic.
- The inflorescence is an involucrate capitulum (flower head)
- Tubular/disc florets are actinomorphic, ligulate/ray florets are zygomorphic
- Anthers are syngenesious, i.e. with the stamens fused together at their edges, forming a tube
- The ovary has basal arrangement of the ovules
- One ovule per ovary
- The calyx (sepals) of the florets are modified to form a pappus, a tuft of hairs, which often appears on the mature fruit
- The fruit is an achene
- In the essential oils Sesquiterpenes are present, but iridoids are lacking.
The most common characteristic of all these plants is an inflorescence or flower head; a densely packed cluster of many small, individual flowers, usually called florets (meaning "small flowers"). Plants in the family Asteraceae typically have one or both of two kinds of florets. The outer perimeter of a flower head like that of a sunflower is composed of florets possessing a long strap-like petal, termed a ligule; these are the ray florets. The inner portion of the flower head (or disc) is composed of small flowers with tubular corollas; these are the disc florets.
Chamomile is commonly considered to be either Anthemis nobile, known as Roman chamomile, and Matricaria recutita, known as German chamomile. These are both found in Europe, with Roman chamomile also common in the Mediterranean region and German chamomile common in Asia. Chamomile has been a traditional medicinal herb in western Europe, western Asia, and India (Longe 2005). However, the genus Anthemis includes many members known as chamomile.
The name chamomile comes from the Greek khamai "on the ground") and melon ("apple) (Longe 2005).
German chamomile
| German Chamomile | ||||||||||||||
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 German Chamomile (from Köhler's Medicinal Plants, 1887)
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| Matricaria recutita L. |
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), also spelled Camomile, is an annual plant of the sunflower family Asteraceae. Synonyms are: Chamomilla chamomilla, Chamomilla recutita (accepted name according to the Flora Europaea), Matricaria chamomilla, and Matricaria suaveolens.
It usually grows near populated areas all over Europe and temperate Asia. It is widely introduced in temperate North America and Australia. As the seeds need open soil to survive, it often grows near roads, around landfills and in cultivated fields as a weed.
Other names include Wild Chamomile, Hungarian Chamomile, and Scented Mayweed.
The branched stem is erect and smooth and grows to a height of 15-60 cm. The long and narrow leaves are bipinnate or tripinnate.
The flowers are borne in paniculate capitula. The white ray florets are furnished with a ligule, while the disc florets are yellow. The hollow receptacle is swollen and lacks scales. This property distinguished German Chamomile from Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis), which has a receptacle with scales. The flowers have a strong, aromatic smell, and bloom in early to mid summer.
Roman chamomile
| Roman Chamomile | ||||||||||||||
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 Roman Chamomile
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| Anthemis nobilis | ||||||||||||||
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Chamaemelum nobile |
Anthemis nobilis, commonly known as Roman Camomile, Chamomile, garden camomile, ground apple, low chamomile, or whig plant, is a low European perennial plant found in dry fields and around gardens and cultivated grounds. The stem is procumbent, the leaves alternate, bipinnate, finely dissected, and downy to glabrous. The solitary, terminal flowerheads, rising 8 to twelve inches above the ground, consist of prominent yellow disk flowers and silver-white ray flowers. The flowering time is June and July, and its fragrance is sweet, crisp, fruity and herbaceous.
Chamomile is also used cosmetically, primarily to make a rinse for blonde hair, and is popular in aromatherapy, whose practitioners believe it to be a calming agent to end stress and aid in sleep.
The Chamomile is mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry IV, part 1 'The Camomile; The more it is trodden on, the faster it grows'.
Mary Wesley's novel The Camomile Lawn was also televised in Great Britain in the 1990s.
Use of Chamomile dates back as far as ancient Egypt where it was dedicated to their gods.[citation needed] Folk remedies using the plant include treatments for dropsy and jaundice. it was also believed to revive any wilting plant placed near it.[citation needed] The flowers were also used as a dye to lighten hair.
Uses
Herbalism
German Chamomile is used medicinally against sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid. It can be taken as an herbal tea, two teaspoons of dried flower per cup of tea. For a sore stomach, some recommend taking a cup every morning without food for two to three months. It is also used as a mouthwash against oral mucositis. It has acaricidal properties against certain mites, such as Psoroptes cuniculi. The primary active ingredient of the essential oil from German Chamomile is bisabolol.
The active ingredients are essential oils, notably chamazulene, flavonoids and coumarin.
Chamomile is also used cosmetically, primarily to make a rinse for blonde hair.
Agriculture
Chamomile is sometimes known as "the plant doctor", because it is thought to help the growth and health of many other plants, especially ones that produce essential oils. It is thought to increase production of those oils, making certain herbs, like mints (spearmint, sage, oregano) and basil taste stronger in scent and flavor.
Chamomile "tea" is also thought to be useful to suppress fungal growth, for example misting it over seedlings may prevent damping off.
Chamomile is frequently an invasive species in agricultural fields. Farmers often must control chamomile's spread to maintain productivity of their fields.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bender, D. A., and A. E. Bender. 2005. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198609612
Howard, Michael. Traditional Folk Remedies (Century, 1987), p.112.
- Judd, W. S., C. S. Campbell, E. A. Kellogg, and P. F. Stevens. 1999. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. ISBN 0878934049.
- Longe, J.L. The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson/Gale. 2005. ISBN 0787693960.
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