Botanical Name: Matricaria chamomilla Common Name: Chamomile, Babuna, Babunah, Damini Ful Family: Asteraceae, Parts Used: Chamomile Flowers, Chamomile Stalks, Whole Plant. Description: Chamomile is an annual plant with thin spindle-shaped roots only penetrating flatly into the soil. The branched stem is erected, heavily ramified, and grows to a height of 1080 cm. The long and narrow leaves are bi- to tripinnate. The flower heads are placed separately, they have a diameter of 1030 mm, and they are pedunculate and heterogamous. The golden yellow tubular florets with 5 teeth are 1.52.5 mm long, ending always in a glandulous tube. The 1127 white plant flowers are 611 mm long, 3.5 mm wide, and arranged concentrically. The receptacle is 68 mm wide, flat in the beginning and conical, cone-shaped later, hollowthe latter being a very important distinctive characteristic of Matricariaand without paleae. The fruit is a yellowish brown achene. Active Compounds: 0.3-2% volatile oil (including bisabolol); bitter glycosides (anthemic acid); flavones glycosides (anthemidin), coumarins (including umbelliferon and herniarin), phenolic carboxylic acids, polysaccharides, mucilage, choline, amino acids, tannins, malic acid. Blue chamazulene is formed from the sesquiterpene lactone matricin during steam distillation. Medicinal Properties: Anti-spasmodic, Carminative, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Antiseptic, Vulnerary, Aromatic bitter, Diaphoretic, Emmenagogue, Nervine, Sedative, Tonic anti- allergenic, Bactericidal, Fungicidal, Hepatic, Nerve sedative, Stomachic. Uses: Chamomile's anti-inflammatory, analgesic and disinfectant qualities treat diaper rash and soothe toothache. The flower compounds have shown anti-tumor activity in laboratory tests.
