Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea.
There is no high quality evidence to support the effectiveness of any dietary supplement for dysmenorrhoea, and evidence of safety is lacking.PubMed 27000311 ↗
Open Source Apothecary At Home / Growing it
Chamomile and calendula: the two annuals worth the space
Both flower in their first year, both are harvested daily at their peak, and both will reseed themselves if you let them.
growingChamomile and calendula are the two annuals that justify a dedicated bed. They flower in their first season, they are cut repeatedly at their peak, and they are the plants that make the harvest-timing principle concrete because you pick them flower by flower and can see the difference across the season.
Chamomile. A small-seeded annual that needs light to germinate — surface-sown, not buried. It is a weak competitor, so it wants a clean seedbed or a start indoors. The flowers are harvested when fully open, and the essential-oil composition is not fixed across the flowering period: the content of the characteristic components depends on plant part, origin, genetics, environment, season of harvest, and extraction method. That list is the reason a home-grown, properly dried chamomile can be better than a cheap commercial bag.
The species distinction matters. German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is the annual grown for the blue-tinged, high-chamazulene oil. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a low perennial with a different oil profile. Recipes do not distinguish them; the chemistry does.
Calendula. Far more robust than chamomile — direct-sow it, ignore it, and it will flower from early summer until frost. It is grown almost entirely for the flower, and for topical use: infused oil, salve and compress, where the resinous flowers carry the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing activity. The petals strip easily once dry.
Both are harvested the same way and the method is decisive. You pick individual open flowers, daily, through the season. This is labour-heavy by commercial standards and is exactly the reason home material is often better: a supplier harvesting once at peak bulk cannot match daily picking of flowers at their individual peak.
Both self-seed. Let a few flowers go to seed at the end of the season and you will have a stand next year without doing anything. In a wet autumn, calendula seed reliably overwinters here.
Neither is difficult, which is the point. These are the two plants on the curriculum that give a beginner a genuine, usable harvest — flowers for tea and for oil — in their first season, from seed, with no stratification and no fuss.
What the studies found
Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments.
This review found preliminary data in support of the efficacy of topical calendula for prophylaxis of acute dermatitis during radiotherapy and Traumeel S mouthwash in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis.PubMed 19370613 ↗
A systematic review of Calendula officinalis extract for wound healing.
There is a need for larger, well-designed randomized control trials to assess the effect of calendula on wound healing including complications.PubMed 31145533 ↗
The prevention and management of acute skin reactions related to radiation therapy: a systematic review and practice guideline.
Skin washing, including gentle washing with water alone with or without mild soap, should be permitted in patients receiving radiation therapy to prevent acute skin reaction.PubMed 16758176 ↗
Efficacy and safety of Matricaria chamomilla intervention in managing menopausal symptoms: a triple-blind clinical trial.
Chamomile intervention shows promise in alleviating menopausal symptoms, but its use warrants caution due to associated side effects.PubMed 39836709 ↗
Growing it
Chamomile (German, Matricaria chamomilla)
| | Details | |---|---| | Sowing | Surface-sow, do not bury — light is needed to germinate | | Timing | Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost, or direct sow after | | Light | Full sun | | Soil | Poor to moderate fertility; rich soil makes leaf, not flower | | Spacing | 15-20 cm; it is a weak competitor, keep it weed-free | | Harvest | Individual fully-open flowers, every few days | | First harvest | Same season, roughly 8-10 weeks from sowing | | Life | Annual; self-seeds readily |
- Harvest flowers when fully open, in dry conditions, mid-morning after dew
- Dry in shade, ambient temperature, on a screen, turned gently
- Do not pack fresh flowers — they heat and discolour
- Store in dark glass once crisp
- Let a few plants go to seed for next year
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
| | Details | |---|---| | Sowing | Direct sow, or start indoors; germinates easily | | Timing | Direct sow after last frost; self-sows thereafter | | Light | Full sun; tolerates part shade | | Soil | Any reasonable soil; not fussy | | Spacing | 30 cm | | Harvest | Open flowers, daily at peak | | First harvest | Same season, about 8-10 weeks from sowing | | Life | Annual; reliably self-seeds |
- Pick fully open flowers in dry weather
- Harvest daily at peak — flowers left on the plant go to seed and stop producing
- Dry whole flowers in shade on a screen until crisp
- Strip petals after drying for oil infusion; whole dried flowers for tea
- Save seed from the best plants; calendula comes true
Making the most of the harvest
- Chamomile: dry whole flowers for tea; use within a year — the volatile oils fade
- Calendula: dry flowers, then infuse in oil for salve. This is the single best first project in an apothecary and it uses a harvest you can produce comfortably in year one.
- Both keep best in dark glass, filled high, cool
Bed management
- Neither needs much fertility — over-feeding gives foliage and fewer flowers
- Keep chamomile weed-free for the first weeks; it loses competition easily
- Calendula will smother its own weeds once established
- Let a few plants set seed, then cut the rest back before frost
What not to do
- Do not bury chamomile seed and then conclude the seed was bad.
- Do not wait for "a good day" to pick calendula — daily picking is what keeps it flowering.
- Do not confuse German and Roman chamomile when you are buying seed.
Cautions and interactions
- Chamomile is in the daisy family — a real problem for anyone with ragweed, aster or chrysanthemum allergy.
- Chamomile may interact with warfarin — discuss with the prescriber if on anticoagulants.
- Do not use oral chamomile in pregnancy in medicinal doses without advice.
- Calendula is for topical use; the internal evidence is not there.
- Any daisy-family flower can sensitise skin, particularly with repeated contact.
When this is not a self-care problem — get help
- A rash, lip swelling, or breathing difficulty after handling or drinking a daisy-family herb — possible allergy; get assessed.
Related
Sources
- Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2016; doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002124 PubMed 27000311
- Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2009; doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2 PubMed 19370613
- A systematic review of Calendula officinalis extract for wound healing. Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society 2019; doi:10.1111/wrr.12737 PubMed 31145533
- The prevention and management of acute skin reactions related to radiation therapy: a systematic review and practice guideline. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 2006; doi:10.1007/s00520-006-0063-4 PubMed 16758176
- Efficacy and safety of Matricaria chamomilla intervention in managing menopausal symptoms: a triple-blind clinical trial. Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 2025; doi:10.3892/mmr.2010.377 PubMed 39836709