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Chamomile tea is a calmative and digestive aid and offers relief from occasional indigestion and an excellent Mother's tonic for Mum and baby.

Chamomile is one of the oldest favourites amongst garden herbs and its reputation as a medicinal plant shows little signs of abatement. The Egyptians reverenced it for its virtues, and from their belief in its power to cure ague, dedicated it to their gods. No plant was better known to the country folk of old, it having been grown for centuries in gardens for its use as a common domestic medicine to such an extent that the old herbals agree that 'it is but lost time and labour to describe it.'

Description

The true or Common Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) is a low-growing plant, creeping or trailing, its tufts of leaves and flowers a foot high. The root is perennial, jointed and fibrous, the stems, hairy and freely branching, are covered with leaves which are divided into thread-like segments, the fineness of which gives the whole plant a feathery appearance. The blooms appear in the later days of summer, from the end of July to September, and are borne solitary on long, erect stalks, drooping when in bud. With their outer fringe of white ray-florets and yellow centres, they are remarkably like the daisy. There are some eighteen white rays arranged round a conical centre, botanically known as the receptacle, on which the yellow, tubular florets are placed- the centre of the daisy is, however, considerably flatter than that of the Chamomile.

All the Chamomiles have a tiny, chaffy scale between each two florets, which is very minute and has to be carefully looked for but which all the same is a vital characteristic of the genus Anthemis. The distinction between A. nobilis and other species of Anthemis is the shape of these scales, which in A. nobilis are short and blunt.

The fruit is small and dry, and as it forms, the hill of the receptacle gets more and more conical.

The whole plant is downy and greyishgreen in colour.

Small flies are the chief insect-visitors to the flowers.

History

The fresh plant is strongly and agreeably aromatic, with a distinct scent of apples - a characteristic noted by the Greeks, on account of which they named it 'ground-apple' - kamai (on the ground) and melon (an apple) - the origin of the name Chamomile. The Spaniards call it 'Manzanilla,' which signifies 'a little apple,' and give the same name to one of their lightest sherries, flavoured with this plant.

When walked on, its strong, fragrant scent will often reveal its presence before it is seen. For this reason it was employed as one of the aromatic strewing herbs in the Middle Ages, and used often to be purposely planted in green walks in gardens. Indeed walking over the plant seems specially beneficial to it.

'Like a camomile bed -
The more it is trodden
The more it will spread,'

The aromatic fragrance gives no hint of its bitterness of taste.

The Chamomile used in olden days to be looked upon as the 'Plant's Physician,' and it has been stated that nothing contributes so much to the health of a garden as a number of Chamomile herbs dispersed about it, and that if another plant is drooping and sickly, in nine cases out of ten, it will recover if you place a herb of Chamomile near it.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chammo49.html

Chamomile is great to plant outdoors where the family gather and where the family pets rest as it repels flys.

Chamomile tea is a calmative and digestive aid and offers relief from occasional indigestion. It gently benefits the nervous system and the gastrointestinal system.According to the World Health Organization, the use of chamomile tea as a digestive aid as well as for restlessness and mild insomnia due to nervousness is supported by clinical data. Additionally, chamomile tea is approved in Canada, Germany, Switzerland and other countries as a Traditional Herbal Medicine for relief of indigestion.

How does it taste? Organic Chamomile tea is pleasantly aromatic and slightly bitter and is known for its gentle, apple-like smoothness. Chamomile's wonderful taste is well known and enjoyed by the very young to the elderly.

I personally think of chamomile as more than a mother's tea, it's a mothers tonic. Here are just some of the great uses of chamomile tea.

* Sip during pregnancy to calm anxiety and /or help you sleep better.

* Ask your birth attendants to make a compress of chamomile tea. (Warm tea soaked into a cloth). Use this against your perineum during the last stages of childbirth to help soothe your skin.

* Pour some warm chamomile tea into your new baby's bath, before bedtime.

* Make a luke warm tea for your baby to drink from six months onwards, soak a flannel in chamomile tea, for baby to suck when teething.

* Drink regularly while breastfeeding to help settle your baby.

* Make a compress and sit on your baby's tummy from birth if any signs of colic. The chamomile will be absorbed through their skin into their stomach. May provide some relief. Equally beneficial to use the compress on their head.

Chamomile oil is often an addition in organic skin care and baby care preparations.

Effects: Soothing, Relaxing

Aroma: Middle note

Scent: Sweet, Herbal, Fruity

Combines well with: Bergamot, Geranium, Lavender
 
Properties:

Analgesic, Antibacterial, Antiseptic, Digestive Stimulant
 
Uses:
 
Acne
Blisters
Boils
Colitis
Depression
Digestive Problems
Flatulence
Gout
Headaches
Indigestion
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Neuralgia
Nervous Tension (anxiety, fear)
Rheumatism
Skin Conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis)
 
Contra-indications:
 
Chamomile may cause skin irritation. Not to be used in early pregnancy.