The Unqualified Herbalist: Chamomile
Let’s talk about chamomile. Oh, did I tell you I’ll be doing a series on a different herb each time as your resident herbal person? I have neither certifications nor studied under a herbologist, just armed with passion, online research, and a little experience, so don’t say I haven’t warned you.
My first memories of chamomile were perhaps from books I read. Usually it was taken as a tea by the elderly, at night, to calm the nerves and induce rest. I remembered when I first tried chamomile tea, it came in a packet and tasted slightly bitter and like paper. Maybe that’s what happens when you get old, I thought, you start to like nasty tasting chamomile tea. In actuality, that cannot be further from the truth. Now older, my taste buds have become more particular, so I still wouldn’t have warmed up to the generic pulverized dried chamomile tea that was way past its best-by date. But freshly dried local chamomile made into tea? Well yes, I think I would appreciate that.
I’m jumping ahead here. After the less than stellar experience with chamomile, it dropped out of my radar for some time. At this point in my life, I developed a hobby of amassing piercings. I’ve gotten my eyebrow, septum, tongue, and collar bones pierced all within the span of a couple months, and I was looking to put the finishing touches to my collection of ear piercings. Not long after getting a forward helix piercing, it started to swell to the size of a pea. With all my experience with piercings, I’ve never had an infection before, so frantically I emailed my piercer, a sylphlike young woman with tattoos that covered her upper body like a turtleneck. She suggested applying a chamomile tea bag, after being soaked in hot liquid, on the infected area, for a couple of minutes, several times daily, until the swelling ceases. I did as told, and within a few days, the infection had all but disappeared. It was then that I was alerted to the soothing power of the chamomile flower. The remaining teabags were soon brewed and drunk, with the knowledge of its calming qualities.
Still I did not find the chamomile tasty. It was medicinal, something to be drunk for its use, not its taste. But I was to meet the flower itself one day. On a hot day in June, Ben and I decided to escape the city and pay a visit to Stone Barns farm in Westchester, NY. We were lucky enough to stumble into the free farm tour, where the farmhand explained their farming process and the produce of their fields. As we walked along the fields, one of the more vivacious members of our tour group couldn’t help but point out certain flowers and herbs. She pointed to a small flower with white petals surrounding a honey yellow mound, “Pineapple chamomile, because it tastes like pineapple.” It was such a surprise to me, to taste a tropical fruit, a fruit that reminded me of my childhood in Indonesia, in a common flower on this side of the world. The flavor was bright, joyful, like the sun shining down on that summer morning, on a pesticide and chemical-free field that grew eggplants, tomatoes, squash, alongside herbs such as shepherd’s purse, nettles, and our friend, the chamomile. So besotted was I with the pineapple chamomile, that I pulled out a clump from the garden, glancing guiltily, wrapped it in a wet paper towel, to carry with me on the 2-hour journey back to Brooklyn. When we returned, I quickly repotted it; it didn’t survive for more than a couple days. I kept the withered plant on our fire escape, until fall and winter came and left.
When the beginning of spring finally made its way, I cracked open our window to the fire escape for the first time in months. And what do I see? My friggin chamomile plant that I gave up for dead, is shooting out some healthy green tendrils! It had survived the harsh New York winter, to come back alive and kicking. I was so happy and so in awe of this amazingly resilient plant. Here’s a picture of me and my pineapple chamomile.
Happily ever after.
Well, I never ended up harvesting the chamomile since I didn’t have enough and I prefer to admire it. It’s back in slumber mode, and I look forward to seeing my baby grow and bloom again next year.
So, this is where I tell you what are the uses of the chamomile plant. Chamomile tea is definitely calming and soothing to the nervous system, reverses inflammation, so drink it for those qualities. Overall, it is a plant that inspires joy, calm, and a strength you never knew you had.