Growing Your Own Chamomile and Making Tea

When I was planting my garden years ago, my sweet daughter opened up a whole packet of chamomile seeds and scattered them far and wide, while squealing, “Wheeeeeeeeee”.  For those of you who know me, I am a geometric person, who likes things planted in rows, straight rows  I had no idea where the seeds landed and after I got over the initial shock to my organized inner self, I delighted in the fact she was so carefree in her seed distribution.

As a result, this delicate flower from the daisy family is growing in numerous places, year after year. Don’t daisy-like flowers just make you happy?

The Medicinal and Health Benefits of Chamomile

Traditionally, chamomile has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, mild astringent and healing medicine. According to U.S. National Library of Medicine, chamomile is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs known to mankind.

It is a member of Asteraceae/Compositae family and represented by two common varieties ~~ German Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile).

The dried flowers of chamomile contain many terpenoids and flavonoids contributing to its medicinal properties. Chamomile preparations are commonly used for many human ailments such as hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. Chamomile is often used to treat mild skin irritations, including sunburn, rashes, sores and even eye inflammations. Who knew? For more information on the benefits and uses of chamomile, click here.

Making Tea

Being a believer that you are what you eat, I buy food items with a bit of healthy skepticism. I try to be conscientious of the quality of the ingredients and I am not sure what is used on commercially purchased tea leaves. Since I do not use any pesticides in my garden, I decide to make a tea this year using the fresh chamomile flowers. It is also possible to dry the flowers to make tea later. 

Unlike many other herbs, you want to collect the blossoms only, not the leaves, stems or roots.  The best time to harvest is mid-morning, after the dew has evaporated but before the mid-day sun. Just pinch off the delicate blossoms and shake off any dirt or insects.

As with most herbs, more quantity is needed when using fresh vs. dried.  I used 3-4 tablespoons of flowers into a small clear glass teapot with its own strainer.

If you do not have a tea pot with a strainer, you can use cheesecloth to bundle the herbs. You can also just strain the blossoms from the tea after steeping is done.

Add hot water and steep for 5 minutes.  Fresh chamomile tea has a clean, fruity, apple undertone which is different from dried chamomile. The Greek derivative of chamomile means “earth apple”. Makes sense because that is the taste I experience.

I did add one mint leaf….which seemed to enhance the chamomile flavor, not overwhelm it. Serve this fragrant, fresh tea in a deserving cup. Rarely do I add sweetener to my tea, and this one, in my opinion, doesn’t need anything! However honey or agave would be healthier option than processed sugar.

Treat Yourself to a Pretty Cup

I do believe the vessel from which you drink any beverage is important. Would this be as lovely in a styrofoam disposable cup? Take the time to find a cup that feels good in your hand and makes you happy.

Many of my dishes have a story. These wild strawberry Wedgwood tea cups were purchased in London at Harrod’s. We were on our way back to the US after a wonderful trip to Italy and stopped in England for a few days. Since I was accustomed to the euro conversion to US dollar in Italy, I didn’t realize until I was checking out, that these cups were priced in the British Sterling pound….significantly more expensive that I calculated. In a split second decision (picture me in line at the register with several people waiting behind me), I decide to buy them, cringing a bit at the total cost.

But now every single time I use one of these cups, I think back on that decision and am so happy I purchased them. Do you have a favorite cup or dish service?

Enjoy!

After reading about all the benefits of this simple tea, I plan to drink it on a more consistent basis. Note: If you dry the chamomile for later use, store it in an airtight container out of the sunlight. I enjoy both the fresh and dried version of this tea.

Perhaps I will experiment with adding lavender…..and concoct the perfect sleepy time tea!

Chamomile is extremely easy to grow and it is so satisfying to do it yourself. Roman chamomile is a perennial, growing from the same root year after year. German chamomile is an annual, but don’t expect it to grow in the garden for just one year! It self-sows freely and you can bet if you plant it one time, it will spring up in the garden from then on.

Happy May!

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