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Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs
The most-drunk herbal tea in the world, with real evidence for sleep and for gut spasm. — Matricaria chamomilla
remedyGerman chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is the annual grown for the blue-tinged essential oil rich in chamazulene and alpha-bisabolol. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a low perennial with a different oil profile; recipes rarely distinguish them and the chemistry does.
What the evidence supports. Chamomile has randomised trial evidence for sleep quality (including in postpartum women) and for generalised anxiety in some trials, and it is traditionally and plausibly antispasmodic for gut cramping and dyspepsia. The effects are mild.
What changes quality most is how it was dried and how old it is. The essential-oil composition depends on plant part, origin, genetics, environment, season of harvest and extraction method — a long list that explains why two bags of chamomile can be very different medicines. Chamomile is also the clearest example of a herb that is genuinely worse when it is old: the aromatic components fade within a year.
The allergy point is the one to know. Chamomile is in the daisy family, and reactions occur in people allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemum and other Asteraceae. It is not a harmless tea for everyone.
Chamomile appears to be efficacious and safe for sleep quality and GAD.PubMed 31006899 ↗
There is no high quality evidence to support the effectiveness of any dietary supplement for dysmenorrhoea, and evidence of safety is lacking.PubMed 27000311 ↗
Chamomile intervention shows promise in alleviating menopausal symptoms, but its use warrants caution due to associated side effects.PubMed 39836709 ↗
No statistically significant differences in outcomes were found between the two groups, though the chamomile liposomal gel group presented with lower grades of RD than the liposomal gel group.PubMed 39032836 ↗
Long-term chamomile was safe and significantly reduced moderate-to-severe GAD symptoms, but did not significantly reduce rate of relapse.PubMed 27912875 ↗
| | | |---|---| | Life | Annual; self-seeds readily | | Sowing | Surface-sow — do not bury. Light is needed to germinate | | Light | Full sun | | Soil | Poor to moderate. Rich soil gives leaf, not flower | | Spacing | 15-20 cm; a weak competitor, keep it weed-free early | | Harvest | Individual fully open flowers, every few days | | First harvest | 8-10 weeks from sowing | | Dry | Shade, ambient, single layer — heat destroys the oil |
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or direct-sow after. Let a few plants set seed and you will not have to sow again.
Tea — 1 heaped teaspoon of dried flowers per cup, covered, 5 minutes. Use within a year.
For sleep — the trials used around 1.5 g of flower in a strong infusion, taken in the evening, often over several weeks rather than once.
For gut spasm — a strong infusion, often blended with peppermint or fennel.
Steam inhalation — chamomile in hot water for sinus congestion and irritation.
Compress / eyewash — a cooled infusion on a cloth, for irritated skin and tired eyes. Strain it properly — flower fragments in the eye are a mechanical problem.
Infused oil — chamomile flowers in oil for a calming massage oil.