Description

Matricaria chamomilla, German chamomile, is a delicate annual herb of the family Asteraceae, native to the temperate regions of southern Europe and western Asia, extensively naturalised and cultivated worldwide — including in parts of Jammu and Kashmir and the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. The plant produces small white-rayed flower heads with a hollow, conical, bright yellow receptacle that distinguishes it from Roman chamomile. The dried flower heads, rich in the essential oil constituent azulene and the flavonoid apigenin, are documented across European pharmacopoeias from the 16th century. Traditionally incorporated into preparations for digestive calm, anxiety relief, and skin applications, chamomile remains one of the highest-volume medicinal botanicals traded globally.