So fragrant and flavourful—sweet, with flavours of honey, apple and pineapple. Bodegold is an improved German strain of Chamomile with larger flowers, sweeter flavour and higher essential oil content than other chamomiles. It also blooms several weeks earlier than other strains. Plants are 12 to 24 inches in height. The daisy-like flowers bloom all summer and you will be able to get multiple harvests from the same plant. You can get a good supply of chamomile flowers with just a few plants.
This gentle herb is a safe and potent medicinal. Gentle does not mean less effective. Chamomile’s biochemical composition includes the important flavonoids, Apigenin and Quercetin. These flavonoids possess a number of medicinal benefits, including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties (Ullah et al 2020). Many researchers have reported that M. recutita has pharmacological properties, including:
- Antimicrobial (Batista et al., 2014)
- Anti-inflammatory (Batista et al., 2014)
- Antioxidative (Sebai et al., 2014)
- Antispasmodic (Farideh et al., 2010)
- Antiviral (Koch et al., 2008), and
- Sedative activities (McKay and Blumberg, 2006)
A cup of Chamomile tea is a cup of goodness.
How to Plant: Ease of Germination: Easy. Seeds need light to germinate. Sow on top of soil and press in lightly. Keep moist until germination. You can start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date or direct seed in mid-to-late May. Chamomile has a deep root system, so put the plants in the garden or a 3-5 gallon pot.
How to Harvest: Harvest chamomile flowers at any stage. You can even harvest chamomile flowers after the petals have fallen off the golden centre. Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar has a good idea about how to pick the small flowers. She suggests using your fingers as a rake to harvest them, pulling them up between your fingers into the palm of your hand. This makes harvesting a faster process than picking the flowers one-by-one. Dry flowers for tea. You can also use fresh.
How to Use: Use about a teaspoon of dried or fresh flowers for 1 cup of tea. Steep for 5 minutes and then remove flowers.
Location: Sun, Partial Sun
Life cycle: Annual
Usable Parts: Flowers (dried, fresh)
Uses: Tea
Height: 12 to 24 inches
