May 13, 2007
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Body/Mind Rx
By Lea Milford
Chamomile –
Healthful & Tasty
“ . . . Peter was not very well during the evening.
His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea, and she gave a dose
of it to Peter.”
-The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
Peter Rabbit was not the
only creature who benefited from a warm cup of chamomile tea. Since 1550
BC, this herb – then known in ancient Egypt as Ebers Papyrus – has been
utilized for many purposes. It has appeased gods, treated the ill,
embalmed the dead, and been burned as incense.
There are a few types of
chamomile. German and Roman are most common in the United States. Both
offer medicinal value through their foliage and flowers. However, our
tastes and the availability of the Roman variety make it the preferred
herb for a cup of soothing tea.
Roman chamomile is
indigenous to the Mediterranean area, North Africa, and Western Europe. It
usually flowers between May and July.
If planted next to an
ailing neighboring plant, it is said that chamomile will revive the sick
neighbor in nine times out of ten. This isn’t scientifically proven, but
is worth a try.
You might assume that its
name originated because the herb was discovered during the Roman time
period, but that assumption is inaccurate. In the nineteenth century, a
botanist found a patch of it growing in the Roman Coliseum. He named the
herb Roman Chamomile because of where he found it.
A cup of this hot tea
smells and tastes fruity - like a mild apple. In fact, the name chamomile,
in Greek, means “ground apple.” Another name for it, in Spanish, is “manzanilla,”
meaning “little apple.”
Chamomile grows in
abundance at Buckingham Palace in England. Garden parties are held on
these lawns. If you wish to try a chamomile lawn, use Anthemis nobilis, or
“English Chamomile,” because other varieties are not suited for this
purpose. The English variety is more common in Europe.
Chamomile is a low-growing,
compact herb with bright green, lacy foliage. Its flowers look like
miniature daisies because they are part of the same family.
Medicinally, this plant
offers several helpful properties. It has been consumed as a tea (called a
tisane), used in creams, and taken as an oral supplement. Chamomile is
said to treat digestive woes, skin problems, inflammation, fever, anxiety,
and muscle cramps. It is also used to stimulate appetite, fight ulcers and
colds, and produce perspiration.
This plant contains
essential oils that aid in healing burns. However, do not use this herb in
cream form to treat burns, as creams contain oils which trap heat and
worsen the skin’s irritation.
To cool a burn, brew a cup
of chamomile tea. Allow it to cool completely. Then, apply it to a clean
dressing and cover the affected area. Another way to soothe a burn is to
use the cooled tea as a cleanser.
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