chamomile
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There’s a likeness to the sun in your spiraling visage. You are tethered to the celestial by your sisters: sunflower, aster, cosmo and daisy (day’s eye). At dusk, you bow to the pinkening west — at dawn, you salute the brightening east and Helios and Ra feed you in turn. You keep count in loves me and loves me nots. Your honeyed, crisp-scented, meadows heal the hills they roll over; a passage through for those willing to open and soften their bodies and minds.
Etymology: Matricaria chamomilla (German Chamomile), roughly meaning of the womb or mother. It’s Latin roots of Matrix/Mater harken back to its original association with the treatment of menstrual and reproductive problems. German Chamomile is also known as the “Water of Youth.” Chamaemelum nobile (Roman Chamomile), roughly meaning “The Noble Earth Apple.”
Properties: A member of the Asteraceae family, chamomile is native to Europe and temperate Asia, but is now naturalized across much of the globe. A cooling, calming nervine, it’s terpenoids and flavonoids lend it anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and carminative properties. In medieval folk customs, chamomile was thought to have protective properties and planting it near thresholds was said to ward against bad luck and to banish malevolent spirits from the home. Additionally, chamomile supports digestive health and reduces gas, colic, liver problems and jaundice. Ibn Sina (aka Avicenna), a seminal figure of the Islamic Golden Age, spoke of chamomile as “an opener of obstruction” that softens and decomposes.
Companions: Chamomile attracts pollinators, repels garden pests and supports neighboring plants with its antifungal and antibacterial properties. A friend to brassicas and onions in particular. In the wild, or in the garden, it thrives alongside yarrow, calendula and lavender. When allowed to naturalize, it forms a soft, fragrant lawn underfoot which deer tend to avoid. In compost, its spent blossoms accelerate decomposition — even in death, she gives ease. Chamomile is one of the nine sacred herbs in Anglo-Saxon lore, and still among the first we turn to when the world feels too loud.
Recipe: Muppet Juice (Cocktail)