Feeling Overwhelmed? Find Your Calm Today
Try a nice cup of chamomile tea. It's calming effects are legendary.
As a passionate tea lover and a nurse, I'm always searching for the perfect balance between deliciousness and health. Herbal teas hit that balance perfectly. With the discovery of medicinal plants, herbs are nature’s first pharmacy.
Delightful hot or iced chamomile makes the perfect cup of tea for reducing stress. This golden herb is my favorite for promoting calm and relieving mild anxiety. Chamomile is one of the world's most widely consumed herbal teas, which have been used for centuries, dating back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
What is chamomile?
Chamomile is an herb and caffeine-free tea. Technically speaking, all herbal teas are tisanes since they are not made from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. But they fit under the umbrella of tea as an infused beverage.
Chamomile is a small flowering plant and annual herb in the daisy family with a lovely floral aroma. You can brew this soothing herbal tea from fresh or dried flowers. Aside from having gentle sedative effects, it is also antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial.
You might be thinking that you've had chamomile tea before and never experienced any of these things. If that's the case, there are reasons for this.
There are different types of chamomile, so when buying, look for the whole flowers. A freshly picked chamomile flower can be squeezed to ensure a good oil content and aromatics. It should be fragrant, flowery, and a little apple-like.
Supermarket-grade tea in traditional paper tea bags is likely powder and dust. You won’t experience genuine, high-quality chamomile. Go ahead —open the bag, and see —you may need a magnifier to find a single chamomile flower. Most dust and fanning types have been sitting in a warehouse and store shelves for months or even years.
When looking for chamomile, look for blossoms with a vibrant color. When brewed, the rich golden-yellow liqueur tastes almost like apples or sweet corn. You may be pleasantly surprised when trying quality chamomile.
But the truth is, when you use high-quality single-origin ingredients, you get better taste and benefits—just like with any other food. You want the freshest and best chamomile possible.
Types of chamomile:
Chamomile is one of the most common herbs used for medicinal purposes. Standardized tea and herbal extracts are prepared from the dried flowers of the Matricaria species.
German Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutitai or chamomilla) are the most commonly used herbal tea. Most commercially grown chamomile comes from Eastern Europe, Egypt, and Argentina.
Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) has a more pronounced aroma. It is a perennial primarily grown in England.
Most Chamomile sold as tea is German chamomile, which is the medicinal variety.
Organic Greek chamomile from Mount Othrys
Some of the best chamomile I've ever had comes from Greece. In Greek mythology, Mount Othrys was the birthplace of the gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. It is a protected region and home to farms that grow organic chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), sage, mountain tea (Sideritis), and oregano.
Mount Othrys lies on the border of Magnesia Prefecture in central Greece. Its rocky, dry mountain soils create perfect conditions for growing herbs. The herbs are traditionally harvested every May and June. They are then cleaned and air-dried in the shade, preserving all their scent and flavor.
What does chamomile taste like?
The answer lies in the quality of the chamomile used and the brewing process. High-quality chamomile flowers exude a sweet, floral aroma and a mild, pleasant taste when properly harvested and dried.
If the chamomile is of inferior quality or improperly stored, it can develop a musty or unpleasant flavor. To avoid this, choose reputable brands and store your chamomile tea in a cool, dark place to preserve its freshness.
Chamomile teabags won't taste as good as the flowers; whole flowers are best. Each brand can taste and smell different. It depends on the process used to harvest, dry, and store the herb. The taste will also change depending on how you prepare it.
Tips for buying chamomile
It's hard to find good chamomile. Look for chamomile sold loose, as you'll likely get the whole flower. The flower is where all the good stuff is.
Finding high-quality chamomile is essential for a delightful tea-drinking experience. Specialty tea shops often carry a variety of herbal teas, including chamomile. (I buy mine from Klio Tea).
Grow your chamomile
The chamomile plant is an annual that grows virtually anywhere. I’m told it’s easy to grow from chamomile seeds and self-seeds quite freely. The flower is short-lived, lasting about eight weeks in early spring.
Chamomile is a cool-weather plant that does best in spring and early summer. It is best to harvest chamomile during its peak blooming period, which is ideal in the late morning before the day's heat. Select fully open flowers and pinch or clip the flower head at the top of the stalk. Dry for future use.
I keep saying I want to grow chamomile, but I must find a sunny spot first. With three giant oak trees in our yard sunny spots are few.
Chamomile tea benefits
Chamomile is known for its anti-anxiety properties, making it a popular choice for winding down after a long day. Although it has many uses, my family and I enjoy drinking it before bed. I like adding Greek honey—I’m hooked on that stuff!
Chamomile has traditionally been used for rest, relaxation, and digestion. It also contains antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids, contributing to its medicinal properties (1).
Hyperactivity:
If you have a hyperactive child, try chamomile tea to help calm them down and relax.
Chamomile is safe for children if they don't suffer from hay fever allergies.
People with specific allergies to ragweed, asters, and chrysanthemum may have rare side effects and suffer allergic reactions to chamomile.
Spearmint, chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm are all very effective in calming and relaxing the nervous system and brain—lavender baths before bedtime worked wonders when my children were little.
Honey chamomile tea brewed with 5 g of chamomile, two slices of lemon, and one tablespoon of honey has been reported to lower blood pressure, detoxify, and relieve inflammation (2).
The chemistry of chamomile
Chamomile flowers infused in water as tea are frequently used as a mild sedative to calm nerves, reduce anxiety, and treat insomnia and other sleep problems (3).
Chamomile has been valued as a digestive relaxant and used to treat various gastrointestinal disturbances, including flatulence, indigestion, diarrhea, anorexia, motion sickness, and nausea (3).
The key to chamomile's relaxation-inducing properties lies in its chemical composition. The tea contains compounds such as apigenin, luteolin, and bisabolol, which have been studied for their anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) and sedative effects.
Bisabolol is also known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. (4). Apigenin, in particular, binds to specific receptors in the brain, promoting a calming sensation and aiding in sleep induction.
While chamomile may not be as potent as prescription sleep aids, its natural approach makes it a gentle and effective option for a peaceful night's rest.
How to brew chamomile tea
Choose Quality Chamomile: Select high-quality, whole chamomile flowers for the best flavor and benefits.
Measure: Use one to two teaspoons of chamomile per 8-ounce cup of water, adjusting according to your preference.
Water Temperature: Heat water below boiling (around 200°F or 93°C) to avoid scalding the delicate chamomile flowers.
Steeping Time: Let the chamomile steep for about 5-7 minutes.
Sweeten if Desired: Add honey or a splash of lemon for added flavor if you like.
Pharmaceuticals have limitations due to their many side effects. They may be valuable in acute or chronic disease states, but prevention with natural ingredients is a much more robust strategy for maintaining a wellness lifestyle.
Herbal medicines, which include tinctures, decoctions, and teas, have been used for thousands of years. Drinking herbal tea is the easiest way to enjoy its benefits. Medicinal herbs are a gentler and more practical option for daily use. Whether you're seeking relaxation, stress relief, or a good night's sleep, chamomile is a comforting herbal tea that has stood the test of time.
References:
Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010 Nov 1;3(6):895-901. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2010.377. PMID: 21132119; PMCID: PMC2995283.
Dai YL, Li Y, Wang Q, Niu FJ, Li KW, Wang YY, Wang J, Zhou CZ, Gao LN. Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies. Molecules. 2022 Dec 23;28(1):133. doi: 10.3390/molecules28010133. PMID: 36615326; PMCID: PMC9822300. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9822300/
Mao JJ, Xie SX, Keefe JR, Soeller I, Li QS, Amsterdam JD. Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2016 Dec 15;23(14):1735-1742. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2016.10.012. Epub 2016 Oct 24. PMID: 27912875; PMCID: PMC5646235. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646235/
Eddin LB, Jha NK, Goyal SN, Agrawal YO, Subramanya SB, Bastaki SMA, Ojha S. Health Benefits, Pharmacological Effects, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential of α-Bisabolol. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 25;14(7):1370. doi: 10.3390/nu14071370. PMID: 35405982; PMCID: PMC9002489. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9002489/
Very informative- great reading!
Yum! Brewing myself a chamomile tea right now...to sip, read & write!