Description
CHAMOMILE
Matricaria recutita
Of all the herbs in the western herbalist’s material medica Chamomile is perhaps the most universally useful – with its help, a skilled herbalist can ally almost any affliction. Chamomile looks like an overgrown Daisy and indeed it belongs to the same family of plants. It is a great blessing that something so useful is also so common, though familiarity breeds contempt, causing us to loose sight of our herbal blessings. Chamomile has been used and revered since ancient times and all the great herbalists of antiquity praise it highly. It is even a healer to other plants it grows near, which has earned it the name of ‘plant’s physician’ – only bees seem to dislike its smell.
Traditional
Chamomile radiates joy, peace and simplicity. It has a way of creating order out of chaos, when the inner balance has been disturbed. It is a tonic for the nervous system, soothing, yet strengthening the nerves without stimulation, which has a roll-on effect on just about all the other bodily systems. It takes the edge off frazzled nerves that keep us from finding sleep at night or make it impossible to properly digest our food. It calms a nervous stomach and soothes any inflammatory conditions of the digestive system, including ulcers and colitis. Its calming effects are also helpful in IBS, colic or diarrhoea. Chamomile is decongestant and one of the best remedies to treat a head cold with excessive mucus and blocked up sinuses. Externally it soothes all types of inflammatory skin conditions and sore or sensitive spots. It has often been called a mother’s herb, for it can soothe most problems mothers have to deal with, from nappy rash to teething problems, to upset tummies or frenzied screaming fits and hyperactivity. Last but by no means least, it also soothes and strengthens the mother’s nerves and helps her deal with it all.
Magical
Chamomile is a gentle, yet powerful herb of the sun that brings peace, serenity and light to the soul and calms all sense of fretting or fear. It is an excellent herb for chakra balancing and to help one find one’s inner centre. Chamomile may inspire confidence and open the heart to expressing love and compassion. It can also be used for dream work, as it protects the seeker on his astral journeys and wards off demonic entities and nightmares. It is used to bring clarity of vision for divination and scrying, and may also be used for prophetic dreams. Chamomile has a reputation for attracting good fortune, especially in monetary matters.
