chamomile

How To Harvest Chamomile At Home

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What Is Chamomile – Harvest Chamomile – How To Harvest – What Part – Drying And Storing Chamomile – Using Dried Chamomile – Chamomile Tea – Fresh vs Dried – Preserving Chamomile

Chamomile is a great and easy to grow flower that is great for making a variety of different things. Tea being one of our absolute favorites. It’s easy to grow and will quickly self seeds and provide you with many years of harvest and enjoyment.

But being able to harvest the plant properly and then enjoying the fruit of the labor is very important. Luckily you will get a lot of chamomile growing if you plant a small amount so there’s plenty of harvest to go around.

Chamomile Plant
Chamomile Plant

What Is Chamomile

Chamomile is a very common flower that can be found both wild but also cultivated. It has a rather distinct look to it. With a dark green stalk that is very thin. The flower petals are brightly whiet and a yellow center on the flower.

There are many varieties of chamomile out there and the biggest difference between them is normally the size of them. Some can grow almost a couple feet tall while others smaller. The flavor and aroma are normally the same though across the board.

The chamomile plant is a very hardy flower that can manage in most climates. It doesn’t need a lot of water but will prefer a place where there is a lot of sunlight. That way it has the chance to develop a lot of flowers during the season. 

When Can You Harvest Chamomile

The best time to harvest chamomile will usually be during the summer season. The plant will grow and develop new flowers all the time basically, so harvesting constantly during the summer is the best approach. That way we can pick the flowers while they are at their peak.

Try and just pick the flowers with the petals and the small bud in the middle. This is the most flavorful part of the chamomile. After being picked you can dry them either in the oven or in a dehydrator. This should be done at the lowest possible setting to not lose any of the flavor of the plant.

After harvesting chamomile you should also water the soil slightly to give the plant an easier time growing new flowers eventually again.

How To Harvest Chamomile

Harvesting chamomile is actually really easy. There are a few different things we want to look out for to not harm the plant. Firstly is to only pick the flowers that have actually developed properly. That means the petals are bright white and fully spread. If the buds are still sort of closed up then it’s better to just wait instead a bit longer. They will only really get more aromatic.

Take a sharp scissor when harvesting the chamomile. Clip of the flowers and leave as much stalk on the plant as possible. That way we increase the chance that there will be more flowers growing out afterwards.

Take and water the soil a little bit around the plant to give it an easier time to once again start growing and blooming.

Chamomile Flower
Chamomile Flower

What Part Of Chamomile Can You Harvest

The most aromatic and flavourful part of the chamomile will be the flowers. These are what we use when we make either tea or any form of infusion. They are intensely aromatic and very nice to use for a number of things. 

As for the rest of the plant, it doesn’t really contain that much nutrition or flavor for that matter. Instead it’s better to just let that part start decomposing at the end of the season and turn back into soil.

How To Dry And Store Chamomile

There are basically two different ways to dry and preserve chamomile for later use. The most important thing is to treat the chamomile very gently so we aren’t wasting any flavor of it. Lower temperatures are very important to keep the aroma of the flower.

Air Drying Chamomile

Air drying the chamomile is our favorite method. It is the one that takes the longest, but it also helps keep the most amount of flavor out of any method. We are basically harvesting the chamomile with some of the stalk attached to the flower. 

We then tie these stalks into a bundle and let them air dry slowly for a few weeks. They can stay out like this and when we want to use them we just clip off the flower.

Oven Drying Chamomile

Oven drying chamomile is the better option when we need to preserve a large amount of chamomile. We do this by taking the buds of the chamomile with the petals attached and lay them flat on a tray. 

Dry them in the oven at the lowest possible setting. It will probably take between 6 – 8 hours at least. Afterwards you can store them in an air-tight container to keep moisture out and increase the longevity of the plant. They will stay good like this for at least 1 – 2 years or so.

What To Use Dried Chamomile For

There are a number of applications for using dried chamomile. But there is a clear winner for us at least. That is to make tea from it. We do this by pouring some boiling water over some chamomile flowers and letting that infuse for a few minutes. We then strain it.

We sometimes add some honey to the infusion as well to have an even more floral and aromatic beverage. It’s noted that chamomile tea is very good for the body. It’s rich in antioxidants which helps prevent headaches and fevers.

How To Make Chamomile Tea

Making chamomile tea is very simple. If you have already dried and preserved your chamomile flowers then you are already halfway there. Take about a spoonful of the flower buds and pour some boiling water over. No more water than you want to drink basically.

Let that infuse for about 3 minutes. Strain away the buds and enjoy your newly brewed tea. We like to add some honey to the drink as well for a little sweetness. Honey is a much better option than adding just sugar. 

Chamomile Plant
Chamomile Plant

Fresh vs Dried Chamomile

Fresh and dried chamomile are rather different. The dried one is a lot better for making infusions like teas for example. The fresh chamomile is better for salads and eating instead. 

There is also a difference in the amount of nutrition in them too. The fresh chamomile will have a richer concentration of antioxidants and vitamins. The dried chamomile will also have these nutrients but not as many as some are lost when we dry the plant. Fresh chamomile is therefore a little bit better at helping keep headaches and fevers away then the dried one.

Preserving Chamomile

Preserving chamomile is very simple. Our favorite method is to air dry the flowers and use them whenever we want to. But there are other ways of preserving the flavor of the plant without drying it. 

You could make a syrup flavored with the flowers. We basically boil about 50 % sugar and 50 % water and infuse some of the flowers in this. They will give off a really nice and floral flavor to the syrup since we are heating the buds.

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Smoking Chamomile, The Benefits And Risks

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Chamomile – Effects Of Smoking Chamomile – Health Benefits – Dangers – Conclusion

Roman chamomile is one of the lesser known options for using as a substitute for smoking. The roman chamomile (Chamaemelmum nobile) has a reputation for being used in teas instead. It provides a calming effect that has made it into the popular tea herb it is today.

But smoking the plant will provide a similar effect as well. There are a variety of different effects that will be experienced with smoking chamomile. Some of what we appreciate is the calming effect it has, just like making tea from it. But it also has a slight anti-sporadic and sedative effect on you.

Smoking the chamomile buds in herbal cigarettes will give you a smooth and mild flavor with some nice fruitiness to it as well. The chamomile has a closely related plant called pineapple weed, which, like the name suggests, has an almost pineapple flavor. This can be experienced in the regular chamomile as well.

Chamomile Flowers
Chamomile Flowers

What Even Is Chamomile

Chamomile is a herb that can grow both wild and in the garden being cultivated. It has a very pleasant smell and will eventually start producing these nice petite white flowers.

The herb has seen a long history of being used in teas for the calming effect it provides when consumed. It’s often called a weed when growing wild or in the garden, but has long been appreciated by those who are keen on harvesting and using the nature around them. Drying the small bulbs before they begin flowering is the best way of preserving the plant.

The season for chamomile is during the summer to fall. That’s when the plant has matured enough that the flower buds can be harvested and dried. It can grow in almost any condition, and even though there might have been a very harsh and warm summer, the chamomile will still be there flourishing.

Growing it at home you should try and find a slightly shady area where the sun won’t be shining on it all the time. That will help preserve some of the aroma of the plant still. Let the soil really dry out before adding more water however, that will concentrate the flavor of the plant even more actually.

What Actually Happens When You Smoke Chamomile

When you are adding chamomile to a herb blend for smoking you are adding in the beneficial properties that it has. The chamomile has a slight sedative effect on the body. When you are making tea from chamomile, the wish or the aim is to have something that will make you fall asleep more quickly, but also make you stay asleep too.

So the thing that happens when you smoke chamomile can be described as relaxing the body and removing any stress that you might otherwise have. It will calm your muscles and take away any twitchiness too.

If you are feeling like your mind is just racing when lying down to sleep, then adding chamomile to your herb blend should be considered. Smoking chamomile has a tendency to also calm the nerves pretty efficiently.

Lastly we want to mention the opportunity of using chamomile for calming an upset stomach. The calming effect it can have on the mind can also be applied to the gut. For women, smoking it in any way digesting chamomile can also help with menstrual discomfort. 

The Health Benefits On Smoking Chamomile

There are actually a pretty good amount of benefits that come with smoking chamomile. But let’s talk about the negative first. SMoking anything will have a harmful effect on the lungs. 

When you are inhaling smoke, you are letting carbon monoxide enter your body. That will stick in your lungs and small particles in the smoke will scratch the lungs. The carbon monoxide will increase the risk for respiratory issues and also lung or mouth cancer.

Now let’s talk about the positives instead. Smoking chamomile is the second most popular use for this plant, it comes after making tea from it of course. Using the plant in herbal blends has long been used for alleviating any anxiety or calming your stomach. It can even help with inflammation in your throat.

There hasn’t been a lot of research around the beneficial properties that are produced when igniting chamomile, or any herb for that matter. But going off of what people are reporting when they are smoking the plant then we can conclude that it can certainly calm the nerves a bit and also help with headaches and nerves.

Chamomile Flowers
Chamomile Flowers

Can Smoking Chamomile Be Dangerous

Smoking anything can definitely be dangerous. Once you are starting to inhale carbon monoxide from the smoke being produced then you will begin deteriorating the health of your lungs.

The smoke will harm them by bringing in small particles that will stick. After smoking for many many years this will begin scaring the lungs and increase the risk for cancer too.

Conclusion

As with smoking anything it will be harmful to the body. We have already covered that and discussed the issues that come along with smoking. What using chamomile cna instead help with is to be a replacement for smoking cigarettes or using tobacco.

Herbal blends won’t really offer any new benefits compared to cigarettes, except for maybe the anxiety reduction. But what it does not contain is all the harmful additives and chemicals that are in cigarettes. That makes herbal cigarettes a much better option for people instead. 

Cigarettes can be addicting, and it’s often described that the action of smoking something or holding the cigarette is what makes for that addictive feeling. Herbal cigarettes have the look and feel to them, but without all the extra harmful effects. 

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