The real chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) belongs to the large daisy family and is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants. She has some relatives who look very similar to her, but they are not medically effective. Therefore, detailed knowledge of the individual characteristics is not only advantageous when growing, but above all when collecting.
Medicinally relevant chamomiles
The most important of all types of chamomile is real chamomile, which is used primarily for inflammation, colds and gastrointestinal problems due to its high proportion of effective essential oils. The annual herb grows up to 50 centimeters high and is particularly noticeable due to its characteristic flowers. The bright yellow flower heads are surrounded by about 20 to 30 bracts. In addition to real chamomile, the rarer Roman chamomile is also used as a medicinal herb. This has significantly shorter and broader bracts, but the flower heads are similar in size to real chamomile. The two species mentioned are the only ones with medicinal significance.
Other types of chamomile
Other types of chamomile are not medicinally effective, but often look confusingly similar to real chamomile. Real chamomile is often confused with odorless or false chamomile, which - as the name suggests - completely lacks the strong, characteristic chamomile scent. The large group of dog chamomiles, which includes around 100 different species, can often be found on fields and fallow land. This group includes species such as
- field dog chamomile
- Smelly dog chamomile
- Dyer's dog chamomile
- Ruthenian dog chamomile
- and Austrian dog chamomile.
Only the strong yellow colored dyer's dog chamomile can be easily distinguished from the other species. Also conspicuous is the rayless chamomile, which is closely related to the real chamomile; but only one flower head, but has no flower tongues.
How can you recognize real chamomile?
Even if the external resemblance is quite large, real chamomile can still be precisely identified by a few typical characteristics. You can recognize real chamomile by the following characteristics:
- Cardiac base is cone-shaped (not smooth and round).
- The interior of the petal is hollow (filled in other species).
- The real chamomile exudes a strong smell of chamomile.
- Towards the end of the flowering period, the white tongues droop.
Dog chamomile can also be recognized by its slightly toothed petals, while those of real chamomile are smooth and more linear in structure.
tips and tricks
Real chamomile, like all other types of chamomile, can be found everywhere in nature. If you don't want to go to the trouble of collecting, you can also grow the medicinal plant yourself in the garden or on the balcony.
IJA