Grow, Harvest, Brew: Chamomile

Chamomile is the plant I reach for on my hardest days. Through grief and anxiety, a few minutes holding a warm cup of the sweet, appley brew that chamomile transforms into has given me a reprieve from my darkest moments.

If you grew up with Peter Rabbit, you know the scene: Peter has been through the ordeal of Mr. McGregor’s garden, he’s lost his jacket, he’s barely made it home, and his mother puts him to bed and gives him chamomile tea. Beatrix Potter was a naturalist before she was a children’s author. She knew her plants. The chamomile in that story is not decoration.

WHICH CHAMOMILE, AND WHY IT MATTERS:

There are two main chamomiles in common use. German chamomile is the one most commonly used medicinally and the one most studied. It’s an annual that grows taller, with a more hollow flower receptacle, and it contains a higher concentration of the key therapeutic compounds α-bisabolol and chamazulene, which provide potent anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antimicrobial effects. Roman chamomile is a perennial and lower growing, but German chamomile will readily self seed in your garden.

Chamomile’s primary active compound is apigenin, a flavonoid that binds to GABA-A receptors in the brain. These are the same receptors targeted by the class of drugs that includes Valium and Xanax, though apigenin binds with much lower affinity and produces much gentler effects.

What apigenin does is reduce neuronal excitability, which means it quiets the nervous system. The acute anxiety response is modulated by GABA receptor activity, and apigenin participates in that modulation. When Peter Rabbit came home exhausted and frightened and Mrs. Rabbit gave him chamomile tea, the apigenin went to the same receptor that a modern anxiolytic would target.

Chamomile seed is tiny, almost dustlike, and needs light to germinate, which means you do not cover it with soil. Press it into the surface and keep it moist until it germinates, which takes about a week in warm conditions.

You can direct sow outdoors after your last frost date, or start it indoors four to six weeks before transplanting. Direct sowing is the better option because chamomile doesn’t love having its roots disturbed. Scatter seed thinly, press it in, water gently, and thin seedlings to about nine to twelve inches apart as they establish.

Chamomile also self sows readily, which means the first year is the only year you really have to manage the starting process. After that, plants drop seed where they stand and volunteers come up in spring.

Chamomile does not like wet feet. It actually tolerates poor, sandy soil quite well, which makes it useful in spots where other plants might struggle. Plant where you have full sun to light partial shade. In the heat of summer, young plants need more consistent moisture, but mature chamomile is fairly drought tolerant. Don’t over fertilize as high nitrogen reduces the amount of flowers. Chamomile is a cool-season annual that blooms in late spring through early summer, then often again in fall if you cut it back after the first flush. In very hot climates it may sulk in midsummer and revive when the weather cools.

The optimal harvest window for chamomile is when the flowers are fully open and the petals are lying completely flat or just beginning to reflexively curl backward and downward away from the center. At this moment, the aromatic volatile oils are at their peak concentration.

Harvest too early, when petals are still horizontal and the center dome is tight, and you’re leaving flavor and medicine on the plant. Harvest too late, when petals are fully reflexed and browning, and the oils have already started to dissipate.

I harvest flowers individually, pinching them off just below the head. A chamomile rake (a wide-toothed comb-like tool) speeds this up dramatically if you have a large planting. Harvest every two to three days during peak bloom season to keep the plant productive.

Spread flowers in a single layer on a drying screen, not touching. Chamomile dries best with good airflow, low humidity, and away from direct light. The flowers are fragile and retain color and fragrance best when dried quickly at low heat.

A dehydrator at 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit works beautifully and is faster than air drying in humid climates. Air drying takes one to two weeks depending on conditions. The flowers are done when the center dome crumbles easily when pressed.

Store in airtight glass jars away from light and heat. Properly dried and stored chamomile holds its color, scent, and efficacy for one to two years.

For a proper cup of chamomile tea: one heaping teaspoon of dried flowers per cup (or a small handful of fresh), steeped in water that’s just off the boil for five to ten minutes and covered while steeping. I strongly recommend covering it while it steeps, because chamomile’s volatile oils are heat sensitive and will escape in the steam if you leave the cup open.

Chamomile pairs beautifully with: lemon balm, lavender, passionflower, rose, mint, and dried apple. It’s the herb I reach for most often as a blending base because it smooths and softens everything around it without asserting itself too strongly.

Used topically, a strong chamomile tea can be used as a rinse for irritated skin, scalp, or eyes. An infused chamomile oil is a gentle addition to skin care for sensitive or reactive skin.

My tea blend recipe book has several chamomile forward blends organized by season and intention, if you want to go further than a simple single herb cup.

My question for this one is; what do you reach for when things get hard? The week that ground you down, the afternoon that went sideways, the thing that left you sitting there not quite okay. Is it chamomile? If not, maybe give it a try.