Description

Chamomile is an herb that belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy or sunflower) plant family and is grown around the world. It forms a daisylike flower with small white petals, a yellow center, and a thin stem, and can grow nearly 3 feet high.

Chamomile has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years to calm anxiety and settle stomachs. People in ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt used dried chamomile flowers and their essential oils as a medicinal herb.

Today, two types of chamomile are still commonly used as an herbal medicine: German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), the most widely used, and Roman or English chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile).