An old favorite among herbs, chamomile was cherished by the ancient Egyptians, who claimed that its aromatic tea was a mild – but not to be disparaged! – elixir of youth. A more concrete value of this wildflower lies in its sedative power; brew yourself a cup of chamomile tea (1 teaspoon chamomile to 1 cup boiling water and steep 10 minutes) before going to bed, add a little honey, and sleep will find you with utmost speed! Even the illustrious young Peter Rabbit was send to bed with a calming cup of chamomile after his adventures in Farmer MacGregor’s garden.
The tea is calming for nervous conditions, for regulating menstruation, and alleviating cramps. It is soothing in instances of indigestion and neuralgia. Administer a mild dose of tea to infants for alleviating teething pains. A compress soaked in a strong solution of chamomile tea will ease irritation of inflamed areas of skin – you might try this for complexion problems. If you want to make your blond hair blonder, by all means try a chamomile rinse. It’s very simple: Boil ½ ounce chamomile flowers in a pint of water for 20 minutes; strain and pour over hair after washing.
