The occurrence and use of real chamomile, which originally comes from the Near East and Eastern Europe, can be traced back to Europe since the early Stone Age - so the versatile flower heads of the medicinal plant have been used by people for a very long time. You can still collect chamomile yourself today.
How and where can I collect chamomile myself?
To collect chamomile yourself, look for sunny and warm places on roadsides, in fields, meadows or fallow land. Harvest the flower heads on dry, sunny days, ideally around midday. Dry and store chamomile flowers properly to preserve their healing properties.
Identifying real chamomile
There are numerous different types of chamomile that look very similar and are therefore easy to confuse with one another, but of which only real chamomile and the rarer Roman chamomile are of therapeutic use. You can recognize real chamomile by the following features:
- The flowers emit a strong, characteristic smell.
- The flower heads are not flat and round, but rather concave and curved.
- Ripe flowers leave their tongues hanging.
- Inside the flower basket is hollow.
- The flower tongues are linear and smooth, not slightly jagged (as in many types of chamomile).
Basically, the different types of chamomile are not poisonous, but they do not have any great healing properties either.
Where can you find real chamomile?
You can find real chamomile in fields, on roadsides, in meadows, fallow land, rubble sites, in vineyards and on walls. The plant thrives primarily in sunny and warm places, although farmers usually fight it as a field weed. If possible, collect in remote places and be careful not to collect on sprayed fields, fertilized meadows or busy roads. These chamomiles are heavily contaminated by ingested pollutants.
Harvesting and drying chamomile
The best time to harvest the ripe flower heads is a sunny and dry day, preferably around midday. At this time the content of valuable essential oils is highest. Only the flower heads are collected if they are clean, he althy and free of vermin. Under no circumstances should they be washed. The flowers should be dried immediately after harvesting. To do this, spread them out over a large area on newspaper and dry them in a dark place between 21 and 27 °C. Alternatively, drying in the oven is also possible.
Store chamomile flowers properly
Store the dried flowers in an airtight container in a dark and cool place. The chamomile flowers last for about a year.
Tips & Tricks
Since unfertilized meadows and unsprayed arable land are rarely found these days, you can also grow chamomile yourself in the garden.
